Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends

Resources for Application

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Glossary

Church – many of these writers refer to the “church” while commenting on the Psalms. Sometimes they mean the people of Israel (a congregation of Jews), while other times they are thinking of the church in their own day. Technically, of course, the church does not begin until after the ascension of Christ. But the New Testament community of Jesus-followers connects in with the “congregation” of God’s covenant people in the Old Testament. For this reason, psalms referring to the Old Testament faith community are often applied to the contemporary church. LORD vs. Lord – When the word LORD appears in all capital letters in our English Bibles, it is translating the Hebrew divine name, Yahweh. Lord with lower case letters refers to God as master or sovereign. LXX – the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible Martyr – someone who is killed for their faith. Psalms – refers to the entire book of Psalms or a list of multiple psalms. Psalm – a single, poetic chapter of the book of Psalms, listed by number, or a psalm in general. Psalmist – the writer of a psalm. Psalter – another word for the book of Psalms. Stanza – a section of a poem (similar to a paragraph). Vice – immoral or wicked behavior. Virtue – a quality considered morally good or desirable.