Quentin F. Wesselschmidt - Psalms 51-150

Ancient Christian

Commentary on Scripture

Old Testament

VIII

Psalms 51150

Edited by

Quentin F. Wesselschmidt

General Editor

Thomas C. Oden

InterVarsity Press

Downers Grove, Illinois

InterVarsity Press

P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 605151426

World Wide Web: www.ivpress.com

E-mail:

2007 by the Institute of Classical Christian Studies (ICCS), Thomas C. Oden and Quentin F. Wesselschmidt

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press .

InterVarsity Press is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, a student movement active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges and schools of nursing in the United States of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and regional activities, write Public Relations Dept., InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, 6400 Schroeder Rd., P.O. Box 7895, Madison, WI 53707-7895, or visit the IVCF website at <www.intervarsity.org> .

Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission .

Selected excerpts from The Works of Saint Augustine: A Translation for the 21st Century, edited by John E. Rotelle, 1990.Used by permission of the Augustinian Heritage Institute .

Selected excerpts from Faith Gives Fullness to Reasoning: The Five Theological Orations of Gregory Nazianzen, by F. W. Norris, 1991. Used by permission of E. J. Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands .

Selected excerpts from Fathers of the Church: A New Translation, 1947,used by permission of The Catholic University of America Press, Washington, D.C. Full bibliographic information on volumes of Fathers of the Church may be found in the Bibliography of works in English Translation .

Selected excerpts from The Syriac Fathers on Prayer and the Spiritual Life, translated by Sebastian Brock, Cistercian Studies 101, 1987; St. Athanasius , Life of St. Antony, translated by Tim Vivian and Apostolos N. Athanassakis with Rowan A. Greer, Cistercian Studies 202, 2003; Bede the Venerable , Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, translated by Lawrence T. Martin, Cistercian Studies 117, 1989; Bede the Venerable , Homilies on the Gospels, translated by Lawrence T. Martin and David Hurst, Cistercian Studies 110 and 111, 1991; Evagrius of Pontus , Praktikos and the Chapters on Prayer, translated by John Eudes Bamberger, Cistercian Studies 4, 1981; Pachomian Koinonia: The Lives, Rules, and Other Writings of Saint Pachomius, translated by Armand Veilleux, Cistercian Studies 46, 19801982. Used by permission of Cistercian Publications, Kalamazoo, Michigan. All rights reserved .

Selected excerpts from Basil of Caesarea , On the Holy Spirit, translated and edited by D. Anderson, 1980; Cyril of Alexandria , On the Unity of Christ, Translated by John A. McGuckin, 1995; Gregory of Nysssa , On the Soul and the Resurrection, Translated by Catharine P. Roth, 1993. Used by permission of St. Vladimirs Seminary Press .

Selected excerpts from John Cassian , The Conferences, translated and annotated by Boniface Ramsey, Ancient Christian Writers 57, 1997; Cassiodorus , Explanation of the Psalms, translated by P. G. Walsh, Ancient Christian Writers 51, 52 and 53, 1990, 1991; Origen , Origen: An Exhortation to Martyrdom, Prayer and Selected Writings, translated by Rowan A. Greer, The Classics of Western Spirituality, 1979; Pseudo-Dionysius , Pseudo-Dionysius: The Complete Works, translated by Colm Luibheid, The Classics of Western Spirituality, 1987. Reprinted by permission of Paulist Press, Inc. <www.paulistpress.com> .

Selected excerpts from The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian, 1984. Used by permission of Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Boston, Massachusetts .

Selected excerpts from Augustine: Earlier Writings, translated by John H. S. Burleigh, The Library of Christian Classics 6, 1953; Christology of the Later Fathers, translated by Archibald Robertson and edited by Edward Rochie Hardy, The Library of Christian Classics 3, 1954; Confessions and Enchiridion, Translated by Albert C. Outler, The Library of Christian Classics 7, 1955; Cyril of Jerusalem and Nemesius of Emesa, translated by William Telfer, The Library of Christian Classics 4, 1955; Early Christian Fathers, translated by Cyril C. Richardson, The Library of Christian Classics 1, 1953; Early Latin Theology, translated by S. L. Greenslade, The Library of Christian Classics 5, 1956; Western Asceticism, edited and translated by Owen Chadwick, The Library of Christian Classics 12, 1958. Used by permission of SCM and Westminster John Knox Presses, London, England, and Louisville, Kentucky .

Selected excerpts from Athanasius , The Resurrection Letters, paraphrased and introduced by Jack N. Sparks, 1979. Used by permission of Jack N. Sparks .

Selected excerpts from St. Augustine, Concerning the City of God Against the Pagans, translated by Henry Bettenson, 1984. Used by permission of Penguin Press, London .

Selected excerpts from Ephrem the Syrian , Commentary on Tatians Diatessaron, translated and edited by C. McCarthy, Journal of Semitic Studies Supplement 2, 1993. Used by permission of Oxford University Press .

Selected excerpts from Eusebius, the Church History: A New Translation with Commentary, translated by Paul L. Maier, 1999. Used by permission of Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan .

Selected excerpts from Ambrose , On Virginity, translated by Daniel Callam , 1996. Used by permission of Daniel Callan .

Cover photograph: Scala/Art Resource, New York. View of the apse. S. Vitale, Ravenna, Italy .

Spine photograph: Byzantine Collection, Dumbarton Oaks, Washington D.C. Pendant cross (gold and enamel). Constantinople, late sixth century .

ISBN 10 0-8308-1478-7

ISBN 13 978-0-8308-1478-7

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Psalms 51150/edited by Quentin F. Wesselschmidt .

p. cm.(Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture. Old Testament; 8)

Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and indexes .

ISBN-13: 978-0-8308-1478-7 (cloth: alk. paper)

1. Bible.O.T. Psalms LI-CLCommentaries.I. Wesselschmidt ,

Quentin F., 1937

BS1430.53.P73 2007

223.207709dc22

2007026759

Ancient Christian Commentary

Project Research Team

General Editor

Thomas C. Oden

Associate Editor

Christopher A. Hall

Operations Manager and

Translations Project Coordinator

Joel Elowsky

Research and Acquisitions Director

Michael Glerup

Editorial Services Director

Warren Calhoun Robertson

Original Language Version Director

Konstantin Gavrilkin

Graduate Research Assistants

Administrative Assistant

Judy Cincotta

Several features have been incorporated into the design of this commentary. The following comments are intended to assist readers in making full use of this volume.