Denis the Carthusian's Commentary on the Psalms (Vol. 4—Psalms 76–100): Voce Mea

Voce Mea

“I cried to the Lord with my voice; to God with my voice, and he gave ear to me.”

Voce Mea, the fourth volume of the first ever English translation of the Commentary on the Davidic Psalms by Denis the Carthusian (1402–1471), continues with Denis’s literal, allegorical, tropological and analogical traversal through the entire 150 Psalms. This volume covers Psalms 76 through 100. St. Jerome exclaimed that “ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ,” and Denis heartily agreed.

Indeed, outside of the Gospels, Denis maintains that the voice of Christ, the vox Christi, is found most strongly in the Psalms, though moderns, for a variety of reasons, appear to have developed a tin ear to it. Denis is the perfect antidote to this auditory malaise.

Armed with a keen spiritual ear which is only sharpened by his contemplative spirit and his love for God, Denis identifies Christ’s voice for us in the Psalms and amplifies it in his Commentary so that we might hear it above the din of those things which distract or deafen us to it, and might say with Samuel: “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.” (1 Sam. 3:10)

Scripture in Its Four Senses

The literal sense establishes what the sacred text says; the spiritual senses reveal Christ, form the Christian in charity, and direct hope toward eternal life.

Hearing the Voice of Christ

Denis’s Christological reading discloses the many voices contained within the sacred text: the voice of David, the voice of Christ, Christ speaking to the Father, Christ addressing His people, and Scripture speaking concerning Christ.

From the Cry of Distress to the Praise of God

These twenty-five Psalms move through lament, remembrance, judgment, restoration, pilgrimage, divine protection, and praise. They recall God’s works in the history of Israel, mourn the desolation of Jerusalem, celebrate the beauty of His dwelling place, and proclaim His sovereign rule over all the earth.

The sequence begins with a voice crying to God in tribulation and advances toward the confident praise of the Lord as king and judge. Denis follows each movement from its historical setting toward Christ and the Church, and then inward toward the conversion, perseverance, and hope of the Christian soul.

The Word of Good Hope

Andrew M. Greenwell’s introduction explores Denis’s recurring expression verbum bonae spei—the “word of good hope.” The expression describes supernatural theological hope: the virtue by which the Christian relies upon God’s help and looks toward eternal happiness in Him. Mere optimism and natural expectation cannot attain this divine object.

“Man needs God, otherwise, he remains without hope.”

Pope Benedict XVI, Spe salvi

Scripture Interpreting Scripture

Denis explains the Psalms from the most sound Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Passage illuminates passage, revealing the unity of divine revelation and the many ways in which the Psalter anticipates, proclaims, and interprets the mystery of Christ.

His exegesis is guided by the speculative theology of St. Thomas Aquinas, enriched by the mystical inheritance of Dionysius the Areopagite, and given a distinctly contemplative character by his Carthusian vocation.

The Psalms Prayed in the Spirit of Christ

For Denis, the Psalms nourish the word of good hope when they are prayed in Christ: with confidence in God’s promises, reliance upon His mercy, fidelity to His commandments, and desire for the eternal joy promised to those who love Him. Commentary therefore leads beyond understanding into confession, thanksgiving, praise, conversion, and prayer.

Denis the Carthusian

Denis the Carthusian (1402–1471), known as the Doctor ecstaticus, was among the most prolific and erudite theological writers of the later Middle Ages. His work unites the inheritance of patristic and medieval exegesis with Thomistic theology and the contemplative spirituality of the Carthusian Order.

Andrew M. Greenwell

Andrew M. Greenwell is a Catholic layman, father of three, and grandfather of four. A civil trial and appellate lawyer based in Corpus Christi, Texas, he has written for Catholic Online and for a number of years maintained Lex Christianorum, a blog devoted to the natural moral law.

He has translated works from German, Latin, French, and Italian into English and is a member of the Latin Mass Community at St. John the Baptist Church in Corpus Christi. Angelico Press is publishing his translations of Denis the Carthusian’s works on the Mass and the Eucharist.

The voice of Christ heard in the Psalms, the soul strengthened in hope, and sacred doctrine brought to prayer.