Our new Kathisma Psalter with the Nine Canticles, Revised According to the Septuagint is 192 pages with a brief annotated bibliography and kathismata schedules. The cover is laminated, with wire-o lay-flat binding. 5 1/2" X 8 1/2" This book is a copy of the Psalter with the Nine Canticles put together by the sisters for our own use. The texts normally used in the official publications of the Orthodox Church in America were our base. We have revised the psalms and canticles in two ways: First, we have revised the content to accord with the Greek Septuagint. This has helped us become more aware of the many scriptural references in the liturgical hymns of the Church, including most of the Prokeimena, which are based on the Septuagint readings. The second revision has involved largely replacing vocabulary that is no longer part of our own language, such as the vocative "O," "Thee" and accompanying verb forms. Users of both our popular Manual of the hours and The Royal Hours of the Orthodox Church will find this style familiar. These Psalms will enrich the use of the Manual. Much of the value of liturgical prayer comes from :getting texts by heart." The method we have used for this revision, beginning with texts that many Orthodox Americans have used for generations in liturgical, musical and educational settings, allows us to maintain what we have already memorized, while setting us free from the restraints of language we can no longer call our own. While we have made every attempt at accuracy, we have avoided the literalism that may be necessary for scholarly study Bibles, choosing rather to provide texts that are easy to chant liturgically, reflecting the beauty of the original poetry. this is what we find is best suited to our conditions and needs and also allows our guests and visitors to enter easily into our worship. We have not attempted to change images in the Septuagint text such as the "unicorns" that are strange to modern readers. Perhaps at least some of these "strange" words and phrases will reveal their meaning through time and prayerful use.
