Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Volkofsky, Imogen

Titel

Psalmody and the Role of Penance in the Book of Cerne's Abbreviated Psalter

Ist Teil von

• English studies, 2017-01, Vol.98 (1), p.5-14

Ort / Verlag

Lisse: Routledge

Erscheinungsjahr

2017

Quelle

Taylor & Francis Journals Auto-Holdings Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Several scholars have noted the resonances between the early ninth century Book of Cerne's abbreviated psalter and its Harrowing of Hell, both of which are concerned with the practice of praying (or singing) the psalms. Both are highly selective in their choice of psalm verses and even share some verses in common. I argue that the texts have a common understanding of psalm-singing as penance. This understanding continues in later versions of the abbreviated psalter, which appear in Books of Hours as tools to be used for individual penance and intercessory prayer. The Harrowing of Hell, which follows the abbreviated psalter in the manuscript, enacts psalm-singing as a form of penance that is able to release souls from hell, demonstrating the efficacy of the Psalms in penitential and intercessory prayer. Likewise, Aedeluald's psalter selects verses that emphasise the role of the Psalter as a weapon against temptation and an instrument of salvation, with a particular focus on deliverance and protection from "enemies". While it is unclear exactly how Aedeluald or subsequent redactors intended the abbreviated psalter to be used, this paper shows how the psalter harmonises with the Lenten, penitential emphasis in the Book of Cerne.