Old English Psalms (Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library)

Over some four decades of offering the Daily Office with more or less regularity, I have gained deep experience praying aloud three versions of the Psalms. The first was the Psalter in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church, which was based on the sixteenth century Coverdale translation. The second was the mid-twentieth century translation found in the 1979 Episcopal Prayer Book. The translation I use currently appears in the 2006 St. Helena Breviary and is an inclusive rendering of the 1979 Prayer Book Psalter.On a visit to Dunbarton Oaks, I acquired "Old English Psalms." My intention was not to use the translation in this volume for the Daily Office, but as a basis for personal reading and reflection. Doing so has been a delight. Perhaps because its background includes Old English as well as Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, this translation, never published before, brings out what I call the wonderful indefinite mysteriousness of the Psalms, and does so in ways new to me. The quality of the modern English is in no way dated; it is stately. Here is a book for those who want to pray the Psalter, perhaps in a new way, as well a book for students and scholars of Old English.All the design features of "Old English Psalms" combine to make this a remarkably handsome volume. It is comfortable to hold and a pleasure to use. Patrick P. O'Neill and the Dunbarton Oaks Medieval Library deserve praise for producing such a splendid book. They are true heirs of Alfred the Great, that saint, scholar, and king to whom the Old English Prose Psalms are generally attributed!

The most complete collection, online sources included, of psalms in Old English with translation into English, in a splendidly readable edition. Worth every penny.

This is a wonderful and precious addition to my collection of Psalters.

Excellent

This was very interesting and edifying. The psalms in this book are interpreted and edited in a medieval Christological way that gives the reader a stark contrast to the literal translations of modern Bibles. As such, because these psalms are really Christian interpretations of the originals, they are not suited to public readings in church but they could be extremely useful to supplement private devotions and prayer. Don’t rely on them as the inspired word of God, but don’t be afraid to learn from and enjoy the spiritual encouragement you will find in these medieval Psalms either!

Strongly recommended for students of Old English. Modern translations on facing pages..Clear print.No footnotes all over the place.

It is good to have even just part of the Holy Bible in real Old English - that is in English before about 1154, not the King James Authorised Version of 1611 which is in Modern English!