The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 95

St Bonaventure Receiving the Banner of St Sepulchre
from the Madonna, by Francesco Solimena (1710). The 
Cathedral of San Paolo in Aversa, Italy. Public domain.

The following posts present the text of The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its authorship is generally attributed to St Bonaventure (1221-15 July 1274) who studied at the University of Paris where in 1243 he joined the Franciscan Order. In 1254, he was made a Master of Theology and took over the leadership of the Franciscan School in Paris. Bonaventure was officially confirmed as seventh Minister General of the Franciscans in 1257. He later wrote a life of St Francis and has been called the second founder of the Order. Appointed Cardinal the year before his death in 1274, he was canonised in 1482 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1588 with the title of Seraphic Doctor.

I offer this annotated presentation of St Bonaventure’s Psalter as a small gift to our gentle Queen and Mother in gratitude for her many graces and favours, praying for her continued help and protection for the author and his family.

This presentation of St Bonaventure’s Marian Psalms will include: an English translation based upon that of Sr Mary Emmanuel O.S.B. in the 1932 edition published by Herder; the Latin text as published in the Psalterium B. Virginis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and occasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).

Reminder: I began posting an annotated and illustrated version of St Bonaventure's Life of St Francis on the 4th October (his feast day) this year, the 800th anniversary of his death in 1226. To read these posts, please click on our sister blog:

St Bonaventure’s Life of St Francis

Psalm 95

“Sing a new song to her who is full of grace.”
Madonna-del-roseto, by Botticelli (1470).
Uffizi Gallery. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

1. Sing a new song to her who is full of grace: sing to Mary all ye of the earthly world[1].

2. For she excels in sanctity all the Angels[2]: and those born of women in her wonders and miracles.

3. Beauty and glory are in her countenance[3]: and grace is in her eyes.

4. Bring ye to her glory, ye kindreds of the peoples[4]: rejoice in her, all ye creatures of God[5].

5. You have a wondrous interchange thanks to her: by reason of which you are called the sons of the Most High God[6].

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Cantate plenæ gratiæ canticum novum: cantate Mariæ omnes terrigenæ orbis.

2. Quoniam omnes angelos sanctitate præcellit: et natos mulierum virtutibus mirabilibus et signis.

3. Formositas et gloria in vultu illius: et gratia in oculis ejus.

4. Afferte illi gloriam, patriæ gentium: exultate in ea, omnes creaturæ Dei.

5. Admirabile commercium habetis per eam: ex qua vocati estis filii Dei excelsi.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. “Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle: sing to the Lord, all the earth”: Davidic Ps. XCV. 

[2] Cf. “Meet it is indeed to call blessed thee, the Theotokos, the ever blessed and all-blameless, and Mother of our God. More honourable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim”: from The Divine Liturgies of Our Fathers by St John Chrysostom (c.347-407).

[3] Cf. “Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is not a spot in thee.”: Cant. iv, 7. It is written of Esther, a type foreshadowing the Blessed Virgin, that: “She was exceeding fair, and her incredible beauty made her appear agreeable and amiable in the eyes of all.” Esther ii, 15.

[4] Cf. “Bring ye to the Lord, O ye kindreds of the Gentiles, bring ye to the Lord glory and honour”: Davidic Ps. XCV, 7.

[5] Cf. “Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad, let the sea be moved, and the fulness thereof: The fields and all things that are in them shall be joyful. Then shall all the trees of the woods rejoice”: Davidic Ps. XCV, 11-12. 

[6] Admirabile commercium: cf. the Antiphon “O wondrous interchange: the Creator of the human race, taking unto Himself a living body, deigns to be born of a Virgin: and becoming man from no human seed, hath bestowed upon us His Divinity.”: First Vespers, Octave Day of the Nativity.

Davidic Psalm XCV

1 A canticle for David himself, when the house was built after the captivity.

Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle: sing to the Lord, all the earth.  2 Sing ye to the Lord and bless his name: shew forth his salvation from day to day.  3 Declare his glory among the Gentiles: his wonders among all people.  4 For the Lord is great, and exceedingly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.  5 For all the gods of the Gentiles are devils: but the Lord made the heavens.  6 Praise and beauty are before him: holiness and majesty in his sanctuary.

7 Bring ye to the Lord, O ye kindreds of the Gentiles, bring ye to the Lord glory and honour:  8 Bring to the Lord glory unto his name. Bring up sacrifices, and come into his courts:  9 Adore ye the Lord in his holy court. Let all the earth be moved at his presence.  10 Say ye among the Gentiles, the Lord hath reigned. For he hath corrected the world, which shall not be moved: he will judge the people with justice.

11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad, let the sea be moved, and the fulness thereof:  12 The fields and all things that are in them shall be joyful. Then shall all the trees of the woods rejoice  13 Before the face of the Lord, because he cometh: because he cometh to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with justice, and the people with his truth.

Notes

All creatures are invited to praise the Lord. 

Title: There is no title in the Hebrew.  The Septuagint includes the word canticle. It is a hymn characterised by ardent lyricism whose author is David. We can find this psalm in the first book of Paralipomenon, Chapter xvi, verses 23 onwards, where the sacred author formally states that it was composed by David, and sung on the day when the Ark of the Covenant was solemnly translated from the House of Obededom to the Tabernacle erected on Mount Sion. The words “when the house was built after the captivity” refer to the construction of the second Temple of Jerusalem after the end of the Babylonian captivity. The Psalm is an invitation addressed in turn to the Israelites, to the Pagan nations and even to inanimate creatures – urging them to praise and bless forever the one, true God , so great and so powerful.  It is a beautiful development anticipating the prophecy represented in the words “Adveniat regnum tuum / Thy kingdom come,” announcing the coming of the theocratic reign over the whole earth, thanks to the Messiah and His Church.

Structure: The psalm may be divided into three parts :

‣ the Israelites : verses 1b-6;

‣ the pagans: verses 7-10;

‣ the heavens and the earth , verses 11-13 ;

 – all are invited to praise God.

5: “For all the gods of the Gentiles are devils”: For “devils”, the Hebrew has “nothings”; cf:

“But as for the meats that are sacrificed to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but one.  For although there be that are called gods, either in heaven or on earth (for there be gods many, and lords many). Yet to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we unto him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.” 1 Cor. vii, 4-6.

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.