Amalarius of Metz: On the Liturgy: psalms, hymns and spiritual canticles

 

Amalarius of Metz: On the Liturgy: psalms, hymns and spiritual canticles

Book3:2:

Paul shows 'how people should converse in church, saying to the Ephesians: "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual canticles." Jerome, in his treatise on the aforementioned epistle, as follows: "He who abstains from the drunkenness of wine, where there is excess, and on that account has been filled with the spirit-he can receive all things in the spirit: psalms, hymns and canticles. We learn  most fully in the Psalter about the difference between a psalm, a hymn and a canticle. Here, however, we should say briefly that hymns are those things that preach the strength and majesty of God, and forever marvel over his favors and deeds. All psalms that are either preceded or followed by an alleluia do this. Properly, though, psalms have a moral subject, to let us know what we should do and what we should  avoid with the instrument of our body.  And he who investigates higher things and sets forth, as a subtle examiner, the concord, order and harmony of the world and all creation - he sings a spiritual canticle. Or actually, to say what we want more clearly for the sake of those who are simpler- the psalm relates to the body and the canticle to the mind. We should therefore sing canticles and psalms and praises to God more in our mind than with our voice."

Book 4:3.13-14:

Paul says to the Ephesians: "Wherefore become not unwise, but understanding what is the will of God; be not drunk with wine, wherein is luxury, but be filled with the spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual canticles, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord." As I learned from Saint Jerome's commentary, I recognize that the three modes of celebration of our office are realized in these three apostolic precepts - namely, that there are psalms in our speech when we sing Psalms, and hymns when we are driven to God's praises through reading the sayings of the holy fathers, and canticles when our mind is elevated with joy to the harmony of the heavenly country by singing the responsory. For song is most often practiced  in joy. The mind of the saints has no greater joy than being elevated, through anagogy, to the heavenly kingdom.