Father Augustin Crampon, born on February 4,
1826in Franvillers in the Somme (France) and died on August 14, 1894 in Paris ,
is a French Catholic priest , canon of Amiens Cathedral , translator and
Catholic exegete of the Bible . His French translation of all the canonical
books of the Bible—the “Bible Crampon”—made from the HebrewBreviaire, Aramaic
and Greek texts , came off the press in 1904.
He studied theology and biblical exegesis under
the direction of the orientalist Arthur Le Hir (1811-1868) and then provided
this teaching himself at the seminary of the diocese of Amiens in Saint-Riquier
He devoted himself first to the translation of the Gospels , starting from the
Greek text, and taking into account the style specific to each evangelist; this
work was published in 1864.
Having become a canon of the cathedral of Amiens ,
Auguste Crampon continued his work on the whole of the biblical text, copiously
annotating the text with historical, geographical or moral remarks. His work
was interrupted by his death in 1894 , when the first of six volumes, the
Pentateuch , was in press. Taken up at the request of the publisher by Jesuit
fathers and professors, the "Crampon translation", completed and
revised, appeared in a bilingual edition, the Latin text of the Vulgate
appearing opposite the French text, in 1904 in seven volumes. A one-volume
version, only in French, with lightened notes, was published in parallel by
Desclée in Tournai in 1905. A new slightly revised one-volume edition appeared
in 1923 [ 2 ] and another in 1939.
The commentary is taken from Psautier Latin-Francais
du Breviaire Monastique.
PSALM 1
Parallel between the righteous and the wicked
This Psalm is like the preface of the whole
Psalter, whose teachings it summarizes. It does not bear the name of an author;
St. Jerome, followed by other interpreters, attributes it to David.
I. To walk in the council of the ungodly is to
join in their perversity, in their evil designs; to stand in the way of sinners
is to imitate their criminal deeds; the stinking pulpit of the libertines (in
Hebrew, of the mockers) is the speeches or writings of frivolous and corrupt
men who make a mockery of God and his laws; to sit in this pulpit is to repeat
their sacrilegious mockery.
3. Like
a tree: the Psalmist has in view the palm tree (PS. 91:12), with evergreen
foliage and delicious fruit: like the just, the true servant of God, planted at
the source of divine graces, draws from it a marvelous nourishment which
constantly renews his vigor; his faith, united to charity, not only remains
unaltered, but produces abundant fruits of virtue, which will be crowned in
heaven.
4. As
the dust in Hebrew, as the chaff, that which envelops the grain of wheat.
5. They
will not stand, they will be condemned, excluded from the society of the
righteous. Here on earth the wicked live in the society of the good, like tares
mixed with wheat;
God's judgment will separate them (Matth. 18, 30;
25, 32).
6. Knows
with a knowledge full of complacency and love (John, 105 14). In this sense,
God does not know the ungodly (Matth. 7, 23). - Leads to ruin, eternal death,
damnation; only the way of the righteous leads to eternal life.
PSALM 2
Triumph of Christ
This Psalm has no author's name; but the first
Christians attributed it to David, and its resemblance to PS. 109 confirms this
tradition. It announces and celebrates in advance the triumphant reign of the
Messiah, that is to say, of the Son of God made man, our Lord Jesus Christ, and
of the Church, which is his kingdom.
Verse 2: His Christ: this word means anointed, one
who has received a royal or priestly anointing; Messiah has the same meaning.
Here it is especially as a king that Jesus Christ is considered.
3. Their chains... their yoke: this is what the
proud and worldly call the holy laws of the Gospel. Obeying God and Jesus
Christ seems to them an unbearable yoke, a chain that must be broken at all
costs. But this freedom which they claim is only a revolt against God;
moreover, it leads to a hard and shameful slavery, that of the passions to which
they give themselves up and which hold them under their yoke. The faithful
soul, on the contrary, tastes every day the truth of the Savior's word (Matth.
11, 28): My yoke is sweet and my burden light."
