Renewal in Christ: Athanasius on the Christian Life

Appendix 2: On the Psalms

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and Israel. Nevertheless no one would ever claim the patriarchs’ words as his own when he spoke, nor would anyone be bold enough to represent himself as speaking the words of Moses as if they were his own, nor would he have the effrontery to speak as his own the words of Abraham about the great Isaac or of Ishmael concerning the house-born slave—even if he felt there was some need or necessity that might compel him to do so. And if anyone would sympathize with someone who is suffering, and then at some point have a desire to say something more, he would never speak as Moses did: Show yourself to me! (Exod 33:13). Or again: If you will forgive their sin, forgive. But if you will not forgive, then remove me from your book of life which you have written (Exod 32:32). Nor would anyone claim as his own the words of the prophets when they offered blame or praise, as though such a person could blame someone or offer praise like the prophets did. No one would represent himself as if he were speaking as his own the words: As the Lord lives, before whom I stand this day. For it surely is clear by now that anyone who encounters these books would not claim their words as his own, but would make clear that these are the words of the saints who are speaking. But with the Psalms, the amazing thing is that, apart from those that deal with the prophecies about the Savior and the nations, whenever anyone recites the rest of the Psalms he speaks the words as though they were his own and as though each of the Psalms was written specifically for him, and not as though someone else were speaking or as though they were meant for another. Instead, he recites them as one who is speaking these things about himself as if he were accomplishing these very things himself. And in the very act of speaking them he is offering them to God on his own behalf. For he