Saint Augustine

The beginning of Book 2 of Saint Augustine on Christian Teaching I felt related quite a bit to interpreting the Psalms. From page 32 to page 34, he writes about the ambiguity and imagery in scripture and how deciphering that prevents boredom and makes the understanding of it so much more rewarding. Imagery is very powerful, and can make a statement, or warning, or rule mean more. But he emphasized knowing about the subjects or objects of these images and how that adds to the meaning. I think that is a good way to read the psalms. Understanding the significance of the images presented helps the reader understand what the psalms are trying to convey. However, this is obviously geared toward Christians. He writes on page 35, "In the matter of canonical scriptures he should follow the authority of the great majority of catholic churches...he should prefer those accepted by a majority of churches, and by the more authoritative ones, to those supported by fewer churches, or by churches of less authority." Just because the majority of churches accept an interpretation or translation does not mean that it is the right one. Much of the book also centers on how Christians should interpret scripture and the stages they go through to understand. At this point, it wasn't as helpful. That only works if you are Christian. A non-Christian interpreting or trying to understand does not go through this stages and does not feel "the holiness which makes it impossible for him not to admit and submit to the authority of the holy books..." I did, however, think the point about translations would be useful. He said to look at various translations that use the same basic wording to get the idea across, but the different words show the multiple levels of the translated word. The problem with translation is when the word does not accurately portray all that the original word meant. Looking at different translations can provide those multiple meanings. The notes in the Alter Psalm book did this sometimes, with notes about other translations, why a certain word was chosen, or a connotation behind a word or phrase. So some points I thought could be used in interpreting the psalms, however, the emphasis on Christianity and belief in God, I feel, makes it less accessible to some people.