Psalmus Responsorius

Notes

The Psalmus Responsorius based on the Protevangelium of James has, as far as I know, never been published online with an introduction in English. It is an abecedarius, a mnemonic form where the first stanza starts with an A, the second a B, and so on. Augustine of Hippo wrote such a hymn, concluding at the letter V, using this poetical form.[*]Retractiones, 1.20.

Since the 4th-century existence of the anonymous Psalmus Responsorius is germane to the argument in my page about the Joachimite Theory, I reproduce stanzas A-H here, based on Wolfgang Speyer's version issued 45 years ago in the Jahrbuch für Antike und Christentum (JbAC). A 1989 reprint of Speyer's article is online. The punctuation is Speyer's, except that I have converted guillemets around quotations to English inverted commas. I have partly translated the notes. PBarc. indicates the actual papyrus manuscript.

Pater, qui omnia regis,
peto Christi[*]peco christe PBarc. corrected by Roca-Puig. nos scias heredes;
Christus <adsit>[*]<adsit> dubit. Harald Fuchs: collato syllabarum numero., verbo natus,
per quem populus est liberatus.

Audiamus, fratres, magnalia dei:
primum dominus Davit elegit,
qui duodecim reges[*]reges PBarc. Roca-Puig proposed the correction "tribus" (cf. 160). Possibly the author had in mind the twelve archontes of the tribes of Israel (Num. 7:1 ff) and terms them "reges." On these elders, see Noth, M. Geschichte Israels (1963) 104. There is however no record of submission by the 12 kings.; servire fecit.
inde est progenies d(omi)ni mei
Iesum χρ(istu)m quem dicimus Naζarenum,
omnes profetae quem profetarunt,
dei filium venturum clamarunt.

Benedictus et potens est ipse pater.
Anna, quae sterilis dicebatur,
munus offerens d(e)o, sic revoca<ba>tur[*]revoca<ba>tur: Harald Fuchs.
lacrumis diurno[*]Cf. ThesLL 5,1, 1641, 65/9 et v.30 d(eu)m rogabat,
sterilitatem filiorum sibi im<precabatur>[*]im: sine lacuna PBarc. suppl. Roca-Puig.
angelus missus[*]Cf. adn. 33 ad illam venit;
orationem faciebat, sic illam invenit.
vocem audibit, verbo concepit,
inde Maria virgo devenit.

Claritas d(e)i demonstrabatur,
trima cum esset in [*]im PBarc. amended by Roca-Puig. templo data
a parentibus voto; quia sic fecerant[*]Dist. Harald Fuchs,
cum sacerdotibus ibi fuit;
plus patrem et matrem iam non requesibit:
quasi columba sic ambulabat
et ab angelis manna <s>umebat.[*]umemac PBarc. amended by Roca-Puig

Duodecim annorum puella tamen
in templo reclusa magnificatur
et ab angelis diurno sic custoditur.
cum sacerdotibus diceretur
de Maria virgine 'sponso detur',
viri prudentes sortes miserunt,
ut, ostensa, Iosepi[*]Ioseti PBarc. amended by Fuchs; cf. Abel, K: Rhein. Mus 110 (1967) 277. daretur.

Ex{c}ierunt ambo de templo pares.
tristis Iosep cogitare coepit
de puella, per sortem quae ad illum venit.
animo suo dicere coepit:
'si deo sic placet quid faciam?
tamen[*]tamen: ex fine v. 39 sing. vers. syllab. num. respic. transpos. Fuchs. puella quam d(omi)n(u)s diligebat
custod<i>enda est mihi data' dicebat.

Facta est ad fontem sola venire.
vocem angelicam tunc ibi audibit
et neminem[*]meninem PBarc. amended by Roca-Puig. v<i>dit.
verbum in utero ferens, sic inde ibit.
spasmum passa mirari coepit.
refug<i>ens, animo suo sic dicebat:
'ego ancilla sum d(e)i' clamabat.

Gaudens Maria per omnes dies[*]Nominatavus pendens, ut vid. (Fuchs); cf. v. 78,
contigit: iter dum pares agunt,
in rure devenerunt ambo. tamen
'urguet me valde, Iosep,' dicit,
'quod in utero fero, foris prodire.'
respicit locum, spelunc{h}am vidit[*]post vidit dist. Roca-Puig.
tenebrosam et obscuram[*]tenebrosae et obscurae PBarc. amended by Fuchs: sic illuc[*]illoc PBarc. ibit.
vox infantis mox audi<e>batur,[*]audi<e>batur Fuchs; cf. Roca-Puig 123
lux magna et praeclara illic videbatur,
signum de caelo demon{s}st<r>abatur,
Xp(istu)s natus esse dicebatur.

Haec sunt gesta per <Iudaeam>[*]<Iudaeam> added by Fuchs omnia. tamen
signa de caelo Graeci[*]i.e. pagani; cf. Roca-Puig 184 viderunt,
cognoverunt esse iam χρ(istu)m natum.
ex{s}ierunt, coeperunt ambulare;
devenerunt tandem ad civitatem.
vociti[*]Cf. A Souter, A Glossary of Later Latin to 600 AD (Oxford, 1949) s.v. voco et v. 96. venerunt ad Herodem:
latenter querebat interrogare[*]interrogare PBarc. interrogans Fuchs:
'<re>x Iudeorum si quando venit,' <dicite>[*]dicite Fuchs,
'ut ego ipse illum possim adorare.'[*]Summarized below.

The ninth and tenth stanzas, which have been partly sheared away from the papyrus, follow and describe the arrival of the Magi at the crib in Bethlehem and Herod's murder of the innocents. The 11th stanza (M?) covered the speech of the angel to Joseph. The 12th (N?) related Mary's role at the wedding feast and miracle of Cana. How many stanzas followed is unknown.

A selection of other online materials on the Psalmus:

Related materials on the papyrus and another work, the Alcestis Barcinonensis, include:

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