A Brief History of the Bible - 12
The next portion of the Scriptures which Jerome tackled was the Psalter. He
was to produce no less than three versions. The first, a light revision of
the Old Latin, is probably what is known as the Roman Psalter. About 392 he
made a fresh translation, from the Hexaplaric text of the Septuagint. This
is known as the Gallican Psalter. Finally, he made a translation directly
from the original Hebrew in c. 400; this is known as the Hebraica.
Medievalists therefore need to be familiar with four psalters:
1. The Old Latin. The most ancient complete text of the Old Latin Psalter
is preserved in the Verona Psalter, [Verona Capitular Library MS 1 (i)], of
the 6th-7th century. This is the text used by Augustine in his commentary
on the Psalms.
2. The Roman Psalter. Jerome, in his preface to the Gallican Psalter,
mentions that he had earlier worked on a correction of the Latin text with
the aid of the Septuagint. "It was not a thorough revision, though the text
was in large measure corrected. It is commonly held that this revision is
that known today as the Roman Psalter, which is still in use in the Basilica
of St Peter. The identification has been challenged by Dom de Bruyne; his
arguments have not been found convincing, though they are not destitute of
all probability." (Cambridge History of the Bible, vol. 2, p. 84). The
Roman Psalter was used in all churches in Rome, as well as elsewhere in
Italy, down to the time of Pope Pius V (1566-72), when it was virtually
replaced, except at St Peter's, Rome, by the Gallican Psalter.
3. The Gallican Psalter, a fresh translation made by Jerome from the
Septuagint.
This is the Psalter which you will find in a printed edition of the Vulgate.
Possibly under the influence of Gregory of Tours, it became very popular in
Gaul, hence the name Gallican.
4. The Hebraica never replaced the older versions in public use; it became
the province of scholars rather than of those who simply wanted to recite
it. Herbert of Bosham wrote a commentary on the Hebraica; see Beryl
Smalley, "The Study of the Bible in the Middle Ages", p. 186ff; this
section summarises her article in "Recherches Théologiques anciennes et
médiévales", xviii (1951), 29-65.
Doctor Elasticus.
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