The Psalter According to the Seventy

by Anonymous, Holy Transfiguration Monastery (Translator)

Translated by the monks of Holy Transfiguration Monastery. This is the book of Psalms of the Old Testament, in an English translation from the Septuagint version.

Genres: Christianity, Religion, Nonfiction, Faith, Theology

300 pages, Hardback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:

* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author

Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.

See also: Anonymous

Reviews

[Joshua Finch]

Best poetry in the world. Don't get me wrong, it's frequently not 'cool' or 'aesthetic' like the eerie and dark writings of Rilke (my favorite poet besides Laozi). Nor is it 'classical literature' per se like all the other figures of the Western canon (like John Donne or Shakespeare the likes of whom I'm too bored to read - because where is their insight coming from? At least Rilke was probably literally possessed by several demons and so had philosophical depth besides a muse for language facility. Even if it's evil it classifies as spiritual depth. And Laozi was just a really cool dude.)

But it has many moments where it shines into the English language with an aesthetic splendor rivalling Rilke, even though his German is closer to English than the LXX's Koine Greek. (If you have the penchant to do it and an orthodox study bible then use that different translation, and an online Apostolic Bible Polyglot with the original Greek to tease out more meaning, and something more poetic.) And the psalms are part of the only canon that matters, a canon put together by the Holy Spirit, not some spirit of the age or muse of some poor man destroying himself with egoism of various genres, or 'Western' as if a civilization were our guide. These psalms themselves were written by God through an ancient king prophet.

Even with its strange, ancient idiom and older English locution, this is the truth. It will unfold for you as you progress.

[Timothy Braun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love this little Psalter. It has been beautifully assembled and printed and I will continue to come back to it for years to come.

The only issue I have with this Psalter is its intentional use of dated language. I have no problem with traditional language (a few "thees", "thous", and "thines" aren't going to throw me off!) but - as other reviewers have mentioned - sometimes it seems as though the translators went out of their way to sound archaic. In some passages I found Brenton's translation of the LXX actually sounded more contemporary than this one even though Brenton did his translation more than a century before! (Brenton, 1851; Ps.70, 1974)

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a highly useful Psalter for Orthodox Christians as it uses the Greek Septuagint tradition as its textual base. This includes all of its deviations and peculiarities when compared with the Hebrew versions. It is rendered in King James-style exalted language. Notably, it is the preferred Psalter of popular Orthodox priest Fr Patrick Henry Reardon.

[Signe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Psalter according to the Seventy of Saint David the Prophet and King translated from the Greek Septuagint by Holy Transfiguration Monastery is used as the standard work in the lectionary of one parish I have attended. This is the Psalter prayed to keep vigil over the departed during the night before burial the next day, the Psalter we prayed from day in and day out.

Therefore this is most familiar to me and it is a very good Psalter to use for prayer. It is divided into the usual 20 Kathismata with the extra Psalm of David of his slaying of Goliath. There are nine Odes, calendar for reading the Psalter, a prayer for the departed, a comparative table of the numbering of the Psalms, and a glossary.

In the forward the translators include this excerpt from St Basil the Great:

...A psalm implies serenity of soul; it is the author of peace, which calms bewildering and seething thoughts. For, it softens the wrath of the soul, and what is unbridled it chastens. A psalm forms friendships, unites those separated, conciliates those at enmity. Who, indeed, can still consider as an enemy him with whom he has uttered the same prayer to God? So that psalmody, bringing about choral singing, a bond, as it were, toward unity, and joining people into a harmonious unions of one choir, produces also the greatest of blessing, love. A psalm is a city of refuge from the demons; a means of inducing help from the angels, a weapon in fears by night, a rest from the toils of the day, a safeguard for infants, an adornment for those at the height of their vigour, a consolation for the elders, a most fitting ornament for women. It peoples the solitudes, it rids the market places of excesses; it is the elementary exposition of beginners, the improvement of those advancing, the solid support of the perfect, the voice of the Church. It brightens feast days; it creates a sorrow which is in accordance with God. For, a psalm calls forth a tear even from a heart of stone. A psalm is the work of the angels, a heavenly institution, the spiritual incense.

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was a time when I would have rejected out of hand a translation in the self-consciously antique language used here. But continual reading of this volume has revealed nothing phony or second rate about the job. The English of the Authorized Version was the model for the monks of Holy Transfiguration Monastery, and they did a yeoman job. I still think a good translation into modern English is possible and desirable, but I don't know of one that exists now that a) is based on the Septuagint, as the Orthodox Church believes it must be, and b) is on a comparable literary level.

I read the psalter every day in this edition, so it sinks deeper and deeper into my bones, so to speak. Orthodox monks follow a given pattern of reading that was developed over the centuries; I just start at Psalm 1 and go to 151 (there's an "extra" psalm in the Septuagint), and when I'm done, I start over again.

I can recommend this book without hesitation to those who are familiar enough with the usage and cadences of the Authorized Version so that the meaning is not a problem. If you find Shakespearian English opaque, you might want to wait for the Orthodox Study Bible, which is due out sometime in the next month, or several months.

[Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read through the Psalter twice during Lent with some other guys from church. One kathisma per day.

[Charles Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a Catholic but I'm interested in what Orthodox Christians have to say and teach. I also found a CD that goes with this so you can read and listen to beautiful chant. There's something so beautiful about this book - from the type of paper, the typography and small illustrations. If you're a Catholic you don't need this book But I just wanted to have something so beautiful to read and treasure.

[Lindsay John Kennedy]

Wonderful to have an English translation of the Greek Psalter. Docked a star primarily because I’d hope for a ribbon or five. The KJV-like translation feels a little forced at times, but it’s m beautiful

[Christian A Moulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Mediocre translation. I think they prescribed on archaic language, thinking that this is good poetry. I disagree.

[Peter Clegg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had this book since the 70s. It has become a significant part of my daily prayer life. Reading the Psalms brings me peace.

[Kevin Godinho · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great tool for personal/family prayer.

[Corinne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read these Psalms of David every Lent.

[Djonski · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the best translation to English, beautiful edition too

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent quality print, but the translation lacks some of the poetry that I am familiar with.

[Paul Durst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Psalter. I have the pocket edition. It is small, easy to carry, and the print is still easy to read. I really like how it breaks down the Kathismatas. I have not yet purchased the Psalter for Prayer printed by Jordanville, so I cannot compare them.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Psalter for liturgical practices, use mine often.

[Dcn Peter Markevich · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating is for the translation, not the Psalter itself :)

[Russel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading the Pocket Edition this Lent. It's a beautiful translation, and I've really been enjoying it.