A letter from Jerome (384?)

Translated letter:

1. What you would receive must be given back with interest, delay of the share gives birth to usury. You demand our judgment on the “diapsalma.” We pleaded the brevity of a letter, we gave the excuse that the thing is for a book, not to be explained in letters. Truly what use is it to my “ergodiokten” [Gk. slave-driver]? Your desire is only stirred up by silence. So, not to drag it on longer, take a few things for a lot. 2. Some said the “diapsalma” was a change of meter, others a pause of breath, some the beginning of another thought, the distinction of rhythm and, since at that time psalms were sung with the voice joined to an instrument, a certain variety of music. To us it seems none of these since Aquila, a most diligent expounder of Hebrew words, wrote that “diapsalma” which is from “samech,” “lamed,” “he,” is translated "always." And we can also find it placed at the end of psalms, as in the third: "you have broken the teeth of sinners; salvation is of the lord and your benediction over your people “sela,” that is, always; and in the 23rd: "who is this king of glory? the lord of powers is the king of glory always." In contrast, it is not found at all in psalms of many verses, in the 36th and 77th and 118th; again the 9th psalm is marked, "canticum diapsalmatis," where certainly if, as it seems to some, “diapsalma” is a sign of silence, it can not be a song of silence. 3. From which we observe that this word links higher and lower equally or certainly teaches that things which have been said are eternal, as in the third: "many say to my soul there is no salvation for you in god, always" and again: "I have cried out my word to the lord and he heard me from his holy mountain, always"; and in the fourth: "why do you love vanity and seek lies? always" and elsewhere: "what you say [be] in your hearts and feel remorse in your beds, always." 4. You ought to know that among the Hebrews one of three things is added at the end of the books; they write either “amen” or “sela” or “salom,” which means "peace," whence Solomon is "peaceable." Therefore, as we are accustomed to put "explicuit" or "feliciter" or some such when a work is complete to distinguish it from something that follows, so the Hebrews either strengthen what they wrote, saying “amen,” or call to mind that what is written and to be written is for eternity, so they put “sela,” or they declare that what has been concluded was happily so, marking "peace" [“salom”] at the end. 5. These things we have drunk from the deepest font of the Hebrews, not following the streams of opinions or errors which the whole world is full of, terrified by variety, but desiring to know and teach what is true. If you have not seen what Origen thought about the diapsalmate, I shall translate it word for word so that if you scorn the new must [of wine] at least you will be led by the authority of old wine. 6. "Often seeking the reasons why “diapsalma” is interposed in certain psalms, I diligently investigated in Hebrew and consulted with the Greek and found that where Hebrew has “sela,” Greek has `always' or something of that sort, and there the Septuagint and Theodotion and Symmachus carried over “diapsalma.” Not does it hurt to confirm what we have said by examples: in the 74th psalm which begins "we will acknowledge you god, we will acknowledge you and invoke your name," after "I have steadied its pillars" in the Septuagint and Theodotion and Symmachum there is “diapsalma,” for which Aquila [has] "I weighed its pillars always," in the fifth edition "it is I who prepared its pillars, always," in the sixth, truly, "I have steadied its pillars continually." Further on in Hebrew after “ammuda” which is "its pillars," “sela,” and again in the 75th, which begins, "god is known in Judah," we find in the Septuagint and Theodotion after shield [“scutum”] and spear and war, “diapsalma”; in Symmachus after shield [“clipeum”] and sword and war, similarly “diapsalma,” for which Aquila after “clipeum,” sword and war has "always"; in the fifth edition after “scutum,” “romphaeam” [long missile] and war, "always," and in the sixth after “scutum,” sword and war, "at the end"; and again in Hebrew after “umalama,” war, “sela.” And in that psalm after "that he make safe the gentle of the earth," is “diapsalma”; in Symmachus, similarly “diapsalma,” in Aquila "always," and also in the fifth. In the sixth, "at the end," and in Hebrew after “anie ares,” "the gentle of the earth," “sela.” And we have noted these things as we found the opinion in each edition. Whether those who translate “diapsalma” as a change/exchange of musical song or rhythm, would judge other than what they understood, I leave to your judgment." 7. Thus far Origen, whose ignorance we preferred to follow in this dispute rather than the foolish knowledge of the knowing.

Original letter:

1. Quae acceperis, reddenda cum fenore sunt sortisque dilatio usuram parturit, de diapsalmate nostram sententiam flagitaras: epistulae brevitatem causati sumus et rem libri non posse explicari litteris praetexuimus. verum quid prode est ad [Greek letters] meum? maior tibi cupiditas silentio concitatur. iaque, ne te diutius traham, habete pauca pro pluribus. 2. Quidam diapsalma conmutationem metri esse dixerunt, alii pausam spiritus, nonnulli alterius sensus exordium, sunt qui rhythmi distinctionem et, quia psalmi tunc temporis iuncta voce ad organum canebantur, cuiusdam musicae varietatis. nobis nihil horum videtur, cum Aquila, qui verborum Hebraeorum diligentissimus explicator est, sela, hoc est diapsalma, quod ex samech, lamed, he scribitur, 'semper' transtulerit et inveniamus in psalmorum quoque fine diapsalma positum, ut est illud in tertio: dentes peccatorum contrivisti; domini est salus et super populum tuum benedictio tua, sela, id est 'semper', et in vecesimo tertio: quis est iste rex gloriae? dominus virtutum ipse est rex gloriae, semper, et e contra in psalmis multorum versuum penitus non inveniatur, in tricesimo videlicet sexto et septuagesimo septimo et centesimo octavo decimo, rursus nonus psalmus distinguatur: canticum diapsalmatis, cum utique, si, ut quibusdam videtur, diapsalma est indicium silentii, canticum silentii esse non possit. 3. Ex quo animadvertimus hoc verbum superiora pariter et inferiora conectere aut certe docere sempiterna esse, quae dicta sunt, ut est illud in tertio: multi dicunt animae meae: non est salus illi in deo suo, semper, et rursum: voce mea ad dominum clamavi, et exaudivit me de monte sancto suo, semper, et in quarto: ut quid diligitis vanitatem et quaeritis mendacium? semper, et alibi: quae dicitis in cordibus vestris, et in cubilibus vestris conpungimini, semper. 4. Scire autem debes apud Hebraeos in fine librorum unum e tribus solere subnecti, ut aut 'amen' scribant aut 'sela' aut 'salom', quo exprimunt 'pacem', unde et Salomon 'pacificus' dicitur, igitur, ut nos solemus conpletis opusculis ad distinctionem rei alterius subsequentis medium interponere 'explicuit' aut 'feliciter' aut aliquid istiusmodi, ita et Hebraei aut, quae scripta sunt, roborant, ut dicant 'amen', aut in sempiternum et scripta et scribenda commemorant, ut ponant 'sela', aut transacta feliciter protestantur 'pacem' in ultimo subnotantes. 5. Haec nos de intimo Hebraeorum fonte libavimus non opinionum rivulos persequentes neque errorum, quibus totus mundus expletus est, varietate perterriti, sed cupientes et scire et docere, quae vera sunt. quod si tibi non videtur, quid Origenes de diapsalmate senserit, verbum interpretabor ad verbum, ut, quia novicia musta contemnis, saltim veteris vini auctoritate ducaris. 6. "Saepe perquirens causas, cur in quibusdam psalmis interponatur 'diapsalma', observavi diligentissime in Hebraeo et cum Graeco contuli invenique, quia, ubi lingua Hebraea 'sela', Graeca vero habet 'semper' aut quid istiusmodi, ibi Septuaginta et Theodotion et Symmachus transtulerint 'diapsalma'. neque vero nocet exemplis adfirmare, quod dicimus. in septuagesimo quarto psalmo, cuius principium est: confitebimur tibi, deus, confitebimur et invocabimus nomen tuum, post illud: ego confirmavi columnas eius apud Septuaginta et Theodotionem et Symmachum est 'diapsalma', pro quo apud Aquilam: ponderavi columnas eius, semper, in quinta autem editione: ego sum, qui paravi columnas eius, semper, in sexta vero: ego firmavi columnas eius, iugiter. porro in Hebraeo habet post 'ammuda', quod est 'columnas eius', 'sela'. et rursum in septuagesimo quinto, cuius principium est: notus in Iudaea deus, invenimus apud Septuaginta et Theodotionem post scutum et frameam et bellum 'diapsalma', apud Symmachum post clipeum et gladium et bellum similiter 'diapsalma', pro quo apud Aquilam post clipeum, gladium et bellum 'semper', apud quintam editionem post scutum et romphaeam et bellum 'semper', in sexta vero post scutum et gladium et bellum 'in finem', eratque rursum in Hebraeo post: 'umalama', quod est 'et bellum', 'sela'. et in eodem psalmo post illum locum: ut salvos faciat mites terrae 'diapsalma' apud Symmachum similiter 'diapsalma' et apud Aquilam 'semper' necnon et apud quintam. in sexta vero 'in finem', et in Hebraico erat post 'anie ares', quod et "mite terrae', 'sela'. atque ita, cum talem uniuscuiusque editionis opinionem repperissemus, haec adnotavimus. utrum autem cuiusdam musicae cantilenae aut rhythmi inmutationem, qui interpretati sunt 'diapsalma', senserint aliudve quid intellexerint, tuo iudicio derelinquo". 7. Hucusque Origenes, cuius nos maluimus in hac disputatione dumtaxat inperitiam sequi, quam stultam habere scientiam nescientum.

Historical context:

Jerome writes about technicalities of Hebrew and Greek translation in painstaking detail, presumably knowing she would not be satisfied with less.

Printed source:

Sancti Eusebii Hieronymi Epistulae, ed. Isidorus Hilberg, 3 v. (New York: Johnson, 1970, repr. CSEL, 1910-18), ep.28

Date:

384?