RECEPTION OF THE BOOK OF PSALMS IN M. OPITZ’S POETRY (THE PROBLEM OF BIBLICAL ARCHETEXTUALITY)

The problem of relationship between fiction and «axial» archetext of Christian culture and European literature, the Bible, is an important problem of contemporary literature. The Bible is not only a religious text, but also a literaty one. It includes outstanding examples of poetry and The Book of Psalms that is an anthology of ancient Hebrew religious and philosophical poetry clearly representing a dialogue between I and the Eternal Thou (in M. Buber’s terminology). The significance of the Bible has an especially high level for the development of German religious and philosophical poetry. In the article the author studies an archetextual role of The Book of Psalms in Martin Opitz’s (1597–1639) poetry using cultural and historical, comparative, hermeneutic methods and a method of textual holistic analysis. M. Opitz is the first of German poets, who turns to the genres of paraphrase of Psalm and spiritual song. M. Opitz starts with penitential Psalms for paraphrasing. He makes the concept of guilt and confession deeper and considers it a means of withdrawal from the spiritual crisis and prevention of a national tragedy. Following the logic and structure of Psalms, which also play the role of architexts, the German poet explains and complements them, correlates them with his time, going after the moral and didactical purpose above all. Futhermore, he is the first to use consistent accentualsyllabic verse introduced by him and song structures so that his paraphrases are remembered by people. Spiritual songs which contain numerous allusions on Psalms are characterized by shorter metre and simpler syntax. While the poetics of baroque prevails in the paraphrases of Psalms, the tendencies of classicism are more expressive in the spiritual songs. Paraphrases of Psalms and spiritual songs by M. Opitz connect personal and national ground, expression of suffering and hope for transformation of life during hard times for Germany viz. the epoch of Thirty Years’ Wars.

Richard Maidstone

Richard Maidstone (d. 1396) was a Carmelite friar, theologian, and poet whose career flourished during the reign of Richard II (r. 1377–1399). Maidstone is thought to hail from Kent, perhaps near Aylesford, where he joined the Carmelite order. Maidstone’s name first appears in the registers of bishop William Wykeham (b. 1367–d. 1404), who presided over his ordination on 20 December 1376 at the convent church of Merton priory in London. Sometime before 1390, Maidstone moved to Oxford, where he earned a bachelor degree and, presumably, a doctorate in theology; his records of attendance and degrees granted have yet to be discovered. While at Oxford, he authored a series of Latin theological treatises and sermons on the office of the priesthood, interpretation of scripture, and in defense of apostolic poverty. During this period, Maidstone likely composed his verse translation and meditation on the seven penitential psalms in Middle English. Maidstone obtained license to preach and hear confession in the diocese of Rochester in 1390 and, soon after, is believed to have served as confessor to John of Gaunt. Maidstone’s surviving Anglo-Latin court poetry includes Concordia, celebrating Richard II’s return to London in 1393, and possibly “Nobis natura florem,” commemorating the death of Anna of Bohemia in 1394. Richard Maidstone died on 1 June 1396 and was laid to rest in the cloister at Aylesford.

Understanding responsibilization in healthcare: Differentiations in Reformation theology

The responsibilization of patients for their disease and care may imply reduced access to medical care or overly moralize the doctor–patient relationship. This article first examines Luther’s early readings of the penitential Psalms, in which he transposes the nexus between sin and disease into the sphere of faith. His subsequent emphasis on the imputation of salvation further diminishes responsibilization: medical and pastoral care become distinct. This will be contrasted with Calvin’s cathartic, forward-looking understanding of disease and with Melanchthon’s moralist merging of humanism and theology into dietetics. These theological tendencies all represent present-day options.

Contextualising the Interloper: Consistency and Inconsistency in Rylands Latin MS 164

Rylands Latin MS 164 is one of over forty manuscript books of hours in the John Rylands Library. It was made in France in the middle of the fifteenth century and its extensive, high quality illumination associates its production with the worshop of the so-called Bedford Master. However, it has not been the subject of any sustained published research and consequently the significance of variations in the mise-en-page of the books pages has not been scrutinised. This article focuses on the variations in two replacement pages, one within the calendar and one beginning the Penitential Psalms, and in the case of the page beginning the Penitential Psalms considers whether the replacement could have been made by Sir Gregory Osborne Page-Turner, the owner of Rylands Latin MS 164 in the early nineteenth century.

The Penitential Psalms and Wholeness

In this article I examine a Mesopotamian therapeutic ritual and its prayer, “My god, I did not know.” It is clear that although the prayer is quite general, its purpose is to reconcile a sick person to his personal deity so that the patient is healed. I will then examine structural and content similarities with Pss 38 and 51. Thus, the paper’s methodology is comparative and form critical. I conclude that Pss 38 and 51, like the Mesopotamian penitential prayers and rituals, were ritual prayers through which the faithful Israelite was reconciled to God so that wholeness could be re-established in his or her life. This has implications for wholeness and health today as believers pursue right relationship with their creator. It also has implications for the critical contextualization of the psalms into different cultural contexts.