4

horn, Asaph, Heman, Ethan, Jeduthun; to whom a number of songs was assigned, with two hundred and eighty-eight singing, seventy-two to each, from Ham 32, from Shem 25, from Japheth 15. These, standing before the ark of the Covenant of the Lord, played and sang to the Lord; one with a kinnor, another with cymbals, another with a kithara. and another with a psaltery; in the midst of whom stood the blessed David, himself the leader of the leaders of songs, holding the psaltery in his hands. And each one sang and played, praising God with the Holy Spirit in an orderly manner. Therefore, when the Spirit leaped upon one of the leaders of the psalmists, the rest kept silence, standing by and listening in harmony to the one playing, Alleluia. In the Hebrew book of the psalms, all were written down without the addition of numbering and in various ways. Some are joined together, others are divided. Indeed, the first and second are joined together according to the Hebrew; and again the ninth, joined together among us, is divided into two in the Hebrew. But it must be observed that the order of the psalms is not composed according to the sequence of the times of the history; but it has been greatly altered, as the book of Kings and this order itself indicates. Therefore, when much idolatry had overcome the nation of the Jews, they say that they had forgotten their ancestral writings, so that not even the book of the law of Moses was brought forth, nor did they preserve the memory of the piety of their fathers. Thus indeed they killed the prophets who reproved their impieties. Nor is it now surprising in such a state of affairs that some of those contained in the book of psalms have been lost, and have been given over to oblivion for long periods of time. But afterwards, either Ezra or some other prophets were zealous about their collection, with whom they also sanctified the book of psalms, not finding all of them at once, but at different times. And they arranged in the first places those that were first found; nor were all those of David placed in succession; and in between, those of the sons of Korah, and of Asaph, and Solomon, and Moses, and Heman, and Ethan, and Jeduthun, and again of David, are found arranged mixed together in the book, not according to the times in which they were spoken, but according to when they were found. Hence it happened that those later in time, being found first, were taken up earlier; while those that were earlier, being found after these, were placed in a secondary position; and you would find the same thing to have happened among the prophets. All things are treasured up in the book of psalms as in some great and common storehouse. And you will observe this, 23.76, that the book of psalms contains new teaching after the legislation of Moses, and that this happens to be the second didactic book of scripture after the legislation of Moses. For David, having come after the death of Moses and Joshua and after the judges, as one deemed worthy to be named father of the Savior himself, first delivered to the Hebrews the new manner of psalmody; through which he does away with the things legislated by Moses concerning sacrifices, and introduces a new manner of worship of God through hymns and shouts of joy; and he teaches many other things that have surpassed the law of Moses throughout his entire work. Of Eusebius of Caesarea concerning the diapsalma. The five leaders who interpreted wrote the diapsalma, who were chosen by David the king from the tribe of Levi; whose names are these, Asaph, the sons of Korah, Heman, Ethan, Jeduthun; a number of songs followed these, seventy-two for each. These stood before the sanctuary of the Lord, praising the master of all, one having cymbals, another a psaltery, another a kinnor, another a horn, another a kithara, in the midst of whom stood David. And thus they began the songs, holding such instruments in their hands; and each one, moved by the Holy Spirit, sang hymns

4

κερατίνῃ, τὸν Ἀσὰφ, Αἰμὰν, Αἰθὰν, Ἰδιθούμ· οἷς ἀριθμὸς ᾠδῶν ἐπετέτακτο, ᾀδόντων διακοσίων ὀγδοήκοντα ὀκτὼ, ἑκάστῳ ἑβδομήκοντα δύο, ἐκ τοῦ Χὰμ λβʹ, τοῦ Σὴμ κεʹ, τοῦ Ἰάφεθ ιεʹ. Οἵτινες, ἑστῶτες ἔμπροσθεν τῆς κιβωτοῦ ∆ιαθήκης Κυρίου, ἔψαλλον καὶ ᾖδον τῷ Κυρίῳ· ὃς μὲν ἐν κινύρᾳ, ὃς δὲ ἐν κυμβάλοις, ὃς δὲ ἐν κιθάρᾳ. ὃς δὲ ἐν ψαλτηρίῳ· ὧν μέσος ἵστατο ὁ μακάριος ∆αυῒδ, αὐτὸς ἄρχων ἀρχόντων ᾠδῶν, κρατῶν ἐπὶ χεῖρας τὸ ψαλτήριον. Ἕκαστος δὲ ᾖδεν καὶ ἔψαλλεν ὑμνῶν τὸν Θεὸν ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι τεταγμένως. Ἡνίκα τοίνυν ἐσκίρτα τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐπί τινα τῶν ἀρχόντων τῶν ψαλτῳδῶν, οἱ λοιποὶ ἡσυχίαν ἦγον παρεστῶτες καὶ ὑπακούοντες συμφώνως τῷ ψάλλοντι, Ἀλληλούϊα. Ἐν τῇ Ἑβραϊκῇ βίβλῳ τῶν ψαλμῶν ἄνευ τῆς τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ προσθήκης ἀνεγράφησαν οἱ πάντες καὶ διαφόρως. Οἱ μέν εἰσι συνημμένοι, οἱ δὲ διῃρημένοι. Ἀμέλει ὁ μὲν πρῶτος καὶ δεύτερος συνημμένοι εἰσὶ κατὰ τὸ Ἑβραϊκόν· καὶ πάλιν ὁ ἔνατος, συνημμένος παρ' ἡμῖν, ἐν τῷ Ἑβραϊκῷ διῄρηται εἰς δύο. Παρατηρητέον δὲ, ὅτι μὴ κατὰ ἀκολουθίαν τῶν τῆς ἱστορίας χρόνων ἡ τῶν ψαλμῶν σύγκειται τάξις· ἐνήλλακται δὲ παρὰ πολὺ, καθὼς ἡ βίβλος τῶν Βασιλειῶν, καὶ αὕτη ἡ τάξις δηλοῖ. Πολλῆς τοίνυν κατακρατησάσης εἰδωλολατρείας τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους, λήθην αὐτούς φασι πεποιῆσθαι τῶν πατρίων γραφῶν, ὡς μηδὲ τοῦ Μωϋσέως νόμου βίβλον ἐπιφέρεσθαι, μηδὲ μνήμην τῆς τῶν πατέρων εὐσεβείας ἀποσώζειν. Οὕτω γοῦν τοὺς προφήτας ἀνῄρουν διελέγχοντας αὐτῶν τὰς δυσσεβείας. Οὐδὲ νῦν θαυμαστὸν ἐν τοιαύτῃ καταστάσει καιρῶν καὶ τῶν ἐμφερομένων τινὰς τῇ βίβλῳ τῶν ψαλμῶν διαπεπτωκέναι, λήθῃ τε μακροῖς παραδεδόσθαι χρόνοις. Ὕστερον δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα, εἴτε Ἔσδραν, εἴτε τινὰς ἑτέρους προφήτας, περὶ τὴν συναγωγὴν αὐτῶν ἐσπουδακέναι, μεθ' ὧν καὶ τὴν βίβλον τῶν ψαλμῶν ἡγιοχέναι, οὐκ ἀθρόως εὑρόντα τοὺς πάντας, ἀλλὰ κατὰ διαφόρους χρόνους. Καὶ τάττειν δὲ ἐν πρώτοις τοὺς πρώτους εὑρισκομένους· μηδὲ τοὺς τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ἐφεξῆς κεῖσθαι πάντας· ἔν τε τῷ μεταξὺ καὶ τῶν υἱῶν Κορὲ, καὶ τοῦ Ἀσὰφ, καὶ Σολομῶντος, καὶ Μωϋσέως, Αἰμάν τε, καὶ Αἰθὰν, καὶ Ἰδιθοὺμ, καὶ πάλιν τοῦ ∆αυῒδ εὑρίσκεσθαι ἀναμὶξ ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ κατατεταγμένους, οὐ καθ' οὓς ἐλέχθησαν χρόνους, ἀλλὰ καθ' οὓς εὕρηνται. Ἔνθεν τε συμβῆναι τοὺς τοῖς χρόνοις ὑστέρους πρώτους εὑρεθέντας, ἀναληφθῆναι προτέρους· τοὺς δὲ προτέρους μετὰ ταῦτα εὑρεθέντας ἐν δευτέρᾳ ταγῆναι χώρᾳ· τὸ δ' αὐτὸ εὕροις γεγενημένον ἐν τοῖς προφήταις. Πάντα ὥσπερ ἐν μεγάλῳ τινὶ καὶ κοινῷ ταμείῳ τῇ βίβλῳ τῶν ψαλμῶν τεθησαύρισται. Κἀκεῖνο δὲ τηρή 23.76 σεις, ὡς ἡ βίβλος τῶν ψαλμῶν καινὴν διδασκαλίαν περιέχει μετὰ τὴν Μωϋσέως νομοθεσίαν, καὶ ὅτι δευτέρα μετὰ τὴν Μωϋσέως νομοθεσίαν γραφὴν διδασκαλικὴ βίβλος αὕτη τυγχάνει. Μετὰ γοῦν τὴν Μωϋσέως καὶ Ἰησοῦ τελευτὴν καὶ μετὰ τοὺς κριτὰς ∆αυῒδ γενόμενος, ὡσανεὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος αὐτὸς χρηματίσαι πατὴρ καταξιωθεὶς, καινὸν τρόπον τὸν τῆς ψαλμῳδίας πρῶτος Ἑβραίοις παρέδωκε· δι' ἧς ἀναιρεῖ μὲν τὰ παρὰ Μωϋσῇ περὶ θυσιῶν νενομοθετημένα, καινὸν δὲ τὸν δι' ὕμνων καὶ ἀλαλαγμῶν τρόπον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ λατρείας εἰσάγει· καὶ ἄλλα δὲ πλεῖστα τὸν Μωϋσέως νόμον ἐπαναβεβηκότα δι' ὅλης αὐτοῦ τῆς πραγματείας διδάσκει. Εὐσεβίου Καισαρείας περὶ τοῦ διαψάλματος. Ἔγραψαν τὸ διάψαλμα οἱ ἑρμηνεύσαντες πέντε ἄρχοντες, οἳ ἐξελέγοντο ὑπὸ ∆αυῒδ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς Λευΐ· ὧν τὰ ὀνόματά εἰσι ταῦτα, Ἀσὰφ, οἱ υἱοὶ Κορὲ, Αἰμὰν, Αἰθὰμ, Ἰδιθούμ· τούτοις ἀριθμὸς ᾠδῶν παρηκολούθει, ἑκάστῳ ἑβδομήκοντα δύο. Οὗτοι ἵσταντο ἐνώπιον τοῦ ἁγιάσματος Κυρίου, αἰνοῦντες τὸν πάντων δεσπότην, ὃς μὲν κύμβαλα, ὃς δὲ ψαλτήριον, ὃς δὲ κινύραν, ὃς δὲ κερατίνην, ὃς δὲ κιθάραν ἔχων, ὧν μέσος ἵστατο ὁ ∆αυΐδ. Καὶ οὕτως ἤρχοντο τῶν ᾠδῶν κρατοῦντες ἐπὶ χεῖρα τὰ τοιαῦτα ὄργανα· καὶ ἕκαστος Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ κινούμενος ὕμνει