PREFACE

Following the custom of the Greek fathers to explain the psalms through homilies, Ambrose arranged the matter such that he interpreted the one hundred and eighteenth psalm, which is organized according to the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, in just as many sermons or treatises. However, he interpreted the remaining twelve psalms which he touched upon—that is, 1, 35–40, 43, 45, 47, 48, 61—in single treatises. It is apparent from many places that these were delivered in church after the biblical reading. original: "Expos. ps. 118, 1, 1: sollicitus auditor debes praesumere. 5, 4: ante hesternum lectum est. ibid. lectum est hodie (= 6, 16. 8, 23). 3, 29: lectio euangelii quae decursa est. 14, 4: uersiculi de quibus hodie tractaturi sumus. 18, 42: audis quid dixerit hodie apostolus. 20, 31: audisti quid hodie iudex uerus locutus sit. 20, 44: Sebastiani martyris, cuius hodie natalis est. Explan. ps. 1, 32: audisti hodie dicentem prophetam. ps. 35, 20: sicut lectio hodierna nos docuit. ps. 36, 2: psalmus, qui nobis hodierna lectione propositus est. ps. 37, 3: audistis hodie legi. ps. 45, 15: illud, quod hodie in psalmi responsorio decantatum est." It is hard to believe that the individual treatises were completed in single days due to their quite uneven length. original: "E. gr. explanatio ps. 39 uiginti septem capita complectitur, explan. ps. 43 nonaginta sex." However, Ambrose himself indicates in these passages that these commentaries were intended and adapted from the beginning for the use of readers: Explan. ps. 36, 5: know, you who read. ps. 37, 6: we have expressed what we felt; you who read, choose what you follow. ps. 40, 30: but so that you may know, you who read etc. In both types, he did not have so much the common laity before his eyes as he did presbyters original: "Aperte presbyteros denotat Explan. ps. 43, 49 dicens: ego perfectos uideo nec immerito perfectos dixerim, cum uideam uos sensus exercitatos habere ad discretionem boni et mali (cf. Pauli epist. ad Hebr. 5, 14)." and clergy, and those laypeople who were not only more learned in other matters but were also imbued with an intimate reading of the sacred scripture. For he inserts quite a few Greek phrases, often discusses the variety of both Greek and Latin codices original: "Cf. Index s. u. 'codices'.", and uses rare locutions.