Justin Appel

Dear Friends in Christ,

One of the psalms appointed for today is Psalm 130, known by the Latin title “De Profundis.” This psalm is well-known as a particularly poignant expression of penitence and reliance. However, it is only very recently that I’ve been able to understand this in its context as a “psalm of ascent,” and thus as a text associated with the pilgrim’s ascent to Jerusalem, or to the Levites ascending the stairs leading to the temple itself.

Thinking of this psalm as a ritual element of this approach to worshipping God on the holy temple mount surely helps us to understand the text in a more communal way—as a part of a communal act. Such a context suggests a wider meaning than we might ascribe to the text otherwise.

There are many choral settings of this psalm, but one I continue to return to is by Josquin des Prez, written for five voices in 1521. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS50Q54ksHY

Yours in Christ,

—Justin