Sunday, February 15, 2009

The Bay Psalm Book

There is no one perfect translation for any of the psalms in the Old Testament, and there isn’t just one kind of psalm. They are all religious works, poems, or songs that are written down and eventually set to music which might be hymns to be sung by a congregation, or “Songs of Ascent” to be sung by pilgrims. If they are not either of those then they are viewed upon as being private prayers, pieces of Israel’s history that one can recall upon in a lyrical form. The time of when these 150 individual psalms were composed is anywhere from the tenth century B.C. to the sixth century B.C. or later because the whole idea that is found in each of the psalms is based on the events of King David’s dynasty to the expulsion of the Israelites in Babylon. I think that is s great that children had to become very much familiar with the Book of Psalms and treat it as a bible. Also that the Puritans actions, such as disciplining, was mostly based on this book, and that of The New England Primer. It’s so great that all the psalms have their own meanings, connections to God, and their own individual story line for that matter.

3 comments:

  1. I believe that it was a good idea that Massachusetts courts warned of the harm of not translating the psalms to idiomatic, metrical English. The Psalms are now more reflective of David's word. The Psalms were a way to provide a context to their religion.To be sung by the many. These Psalms were translated many times and renamed showing the culture and given times. The Psalm's brought poetry in a lyrical way to bring a more artistic approach to religion.

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  2. I agree, children have become very familiar with the Book of Psalms. Being that Psalms is so easy to read, the rhythmic sound, and the fact that it has a lot of prayers, allow children to enjoy it. My sister reads Psalms to her daughter and teaches her the easy verses so she can remember. And the pieces that she does remember are sometimes recited in her prayers before she goes to bed.

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  3. I think the fact that both the Bay Psalm Book and the New England Primer were translated into the vernacular is a very good thing because especially with religion, everyone who practices that certain religion should be able to read the psalms and practice them. When something is written in a way that is not legible to certain people, it almost depletes the purpose of the document. I think putting these books in words that are easy for others to read, gave everyone the opportunity to practice these religious ideals.

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