The Aspen Grove

Memorizing the Psalter with Athanasius

Note Planted:
updated : 2026-03-23 11:43:56.012000-07:00
15 min read

The Big Idea

Collected notes from reading Athanasius’s: Letter to Marcellinus

This letter is a master class in introducing very deep concepts by first stating them simply and then developing them. I think the goal of using this letter to memorize the Psalter is to start with the simple things he gives and memorize that and then use them to expand out. Because the letter eventually works up to a full walk through of the psalter which I think corresponds to a full psalm memory palace/journey.

Getting Started on the Journey

Where should you start trying to get your head around scripture?

Psalms are a great place. Athanasius is responding to a friend whose goal during a time of sickness is to study scripture more. In particular Athanasius notes: “you are eager to get at the meaning that is in each Psalm. - para.1

It all starts from a place of love: “I have fallen in love with this book as well, even as I have with all Scripture.” - para.1

Setting of the rest of the letter is passing on the story of a learned old man described as: “there was a certain grace and persuasiveness of his eloquent tale.” - para. 1

Placement of Psalter within Scripture as a Whole

“Everything that is in our Scripture, my child, is both old and new. (Matthew 13:52?) It is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, as it is written (2 Tim 3:16). But the book of Psalms has, in addition, a certain persuasive observation for those who devote themselves to it.” - para 2.

Every book of the Bible has it’s own purpose:

  • Pentateuch - “telling of the birth of the world, and the deeds of the patriarchs; of the exodus of Israel from Egypt, and the giving of the Law.” - para. 1
  • Triteuch (Joshua, Judges, Ruth) - “tells of the inheritance of the land and of the deeds of the judges and the genealogy of David.” - para. 1
  • Kings and Chronicles - “tell of the deeds of the kings, ” - para. 1
  • Ezra and Nehemiah (He calls them Esdras) - “tells of the release of the captives, the return of the people, and the building of the temple and the city.” - para. 1
  • Prophets - “include prophecies concerning the advent of the Savior, calls for obedience concerning the commandments and for condemnation against their transgressors, as well as including prophecies for the gentiles. ” - para. 1

Psalter is like a Garden

He firmly places Psalms in the midst of this thumbnail sketch of the Old Testament:

Letter to Marcellinus, para. 2

Book of Psalms is like a garden which besides bearing fruit in it that is found elsewhere—which it sets to music—brings to light its own special fruit which it accompanies in song along with the words.

The Fruit in Psalms Found Elsewhere

Walks through how the Psalms are like this garden bearing fruit that is found elsewhere: Old Testament Events:

  • Genesis in Psalm 19 and 24
  • Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy in Psalm 78, 114 + 115, 105, 106
  • Leviticus i.e. Priesthood and Tabernacle 29
  • Joshua and Judges 107
  • Kings and Chronicles 20
  • Ezra and Nehemiah (Post Exile) 126, 122 Promises and Prophecies of the Prophets about Christ:
  • Prophets are in almost every Psalm
  • Savior’s time on Earth/Incarnation 50, 118
  • He is the Word of the Father 107
  • He is the Son of God proclaimed by Father 45, 110,
  • The Word that created the world 33
  • Christ and His coming in Psalms 45,
  • Coming in the flesh 87
  • Allusion to Virgin birth 45
  • Betrayal by the Jews 2
  • What kind of death the Savior would die 22
  • Suffers for others 88, 69, 138, and 72
  • Bodily Ascension 24, 47
  • Seated at the right hand 110
  • Destruction of the devil 9,
  • Judgment of all things 72, 50, 82 Promised salvation of the Gentiles
  • Calling of the Nations in many places especially: 47, 72

Summary: “All these things are sung about in the Psalms, and in each of the other books of Scripture they are foretold as well.” - Para. 8

Conclusion for this section: You can find elements from the Psalms in the other books and elements from the other books in the Psalms but the Psalms has it’s own unique musical style overall.

The Fruit in Scripture found in Psalms

Para 9

The Voice of the Psalms - Para. 9

  • Fundamental characteristic is that of song
  • Sings in the full range of the voice
    • Sometimes accompanies with songs covered in other books
    • But also legislates
    • Or Narrates Israel’s journey
    • Or prophecies about the Savior

The Unique Style of the Psalms

“the book of Psalms also has a certain grace of its own and an elevated style. For in addition to the other things it has in common with the other books, it has this amazing aspect - that within it the movements of each soul with all its changes and chastisements are detailed and worked out. The result is that anyone who really wants to receive or to understand from its limitless possibilities finds himself formed in just the way we find written there in the Psalms. ” - para. 10

Next section moves to the Psalms forming and shaping and teaching us how to live our inner and outer lives:

Letter to Marcellinus, para. 10

in the Psalms you are also told how to keep away from evil…

the book of Psalms also tells how to repent and what is necessary to say for repentance to actually take place…

In the Psalms too you are told how it is necessary to bear afflictions, and what you should say to someone who is suffering and what to say after the suffering has occurred…

the Psalms also teach what you should actually say when giving thanks…

from the Psalms we are also taught what to cry out when fleeing and what words should be offered to God while we are being persecuted, as well as what to say after the persecution when we have been delivered…

in the Psalms we are even informed how one ought to praise the Lord and what words to say in order to confess him rightly. In fact, in every case we will find that these divine songs have been provided for us and the inner motions of our souls, and whatever condition we find ourselves in.

Main things Psalms teach how to do:

  1. Keep away from evil
  2. Repent of sin
  3. Bear afflictions and comfort those who suffer
  4. Give thanks
  5. Cry out under persecution and give thanks when delivered from it
  6. Praise the Lord and confess him rightly

He makes a distinction between Christological prophecy and personal psalms:

Letter to Marcellinus, para. 11

when they take up the Psalter and encounter the prophecies about the Savior in certain Psalms, they treat them, too, with the same awe and reverence as they did when the encountered them in other Scriptures. But the truly amazing thing is that when they come to the other Psalms they recognize them as being their very own words.

He then clarifies the proper use of these personal psalms.

Letter to Marcellinus, para. 12

It seems to me that these words often act like a mirror for the one who sings them. They allow him to see himself and the inner movements of his own soul in them. And when one recites them they produce that very effect.

He out lines eight basic Psalms for personal formation:

  • How to recognize one’s own afflictions in Psalm 3
  • How to speak with Boldness and Prayer in Psalms 12 and 17
  • How to personally confess sin in 51
  • How to handle being persecuted in Psalms 54, 56, 57, 142

Letter to Marcellinus, para. 12

each Psalm was dictated and composed by the Spirit, we find in them, as was said above, a better understanding of the inner movements of our own soul. All of what they say concerns us, and so their words come across as though they were our words. They serve as a reminder of the inner movements within us and as a corrective for our daily conduct.

Move to more detailed understanding of how Psalms speak to the inner movements of our soul:

Letter to Marcellinus, para. 14

If it is necessary to speak even more to the point,… the book of Psalms contains the primary pattern for how souls are to be managed. For just as one who comes before a king carries with him a certain comportment and demeanor in what he says, so that he might not be thrown out as uneducated when he talks, in the same way for those striving toward virtue and wanting to comprehend the life of the Savior in the body, when they read this divine book it first of all brings to mind the inner movements of the soul and in this way further models and teaches petitioners such words as they should use. For it must first be observed that in this book there are Psalms that speak in narrative form, in exhortations, in prophecies, in the form of prayer, as well as in confession:

Summary of First Sections

Letter to Marcellinus, para. 14

since the Psalms are arranged like this, it is possible for the readers to find in each, as was said above, the inner movements and conditions appropriate to the state of their own soul and identify the type of Psalm as well as the teaching contained in each.

Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, Book 4, Book 5

Teaching Contained in the Psalm:

  • Genesis in Psalm 19 and 24
  • Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy in Psalm 78, 114, 115, 105, 106
  • Priesthood and tabernacle 29
  • Joshua and Judges 107
  • Ezra and Nehemiah 126, 122
  • Prophets in Psalm 50, 118, 107, 45, 110,
  • Christ and His coming in Psalms 45, 87 45
  • Christ’s suffering in Psalm 2, 22, 88, 69, 138, 72
  • Ascension 24, 47, 110, 9, 72, 50, 82, 47, 72
  • Story of Scripture in 25 Psalms :
    • Book I: 2, 9, 19, 22, 24, 29,
    • Book II: 45, 47, 50, 69, 72,
    • Book III: 78, 82, 87, 88,
    • Book IV: 105, 106,
    • Book V: 107, 110, 114, 115, 118, 122, 126 138,

Main movements of the soul:

  1. Keep away from evil
    • Boldness and Prayer in Psalms 12 and 17
  2. Repent of sin
    • Personal confession in 51
  3. Bear afflictions and comfort those who suffer
    • Recognize own afflictions in Psalm 3
  4. Give thanks
  5. Cry out under persecution and give thanks when delivered from it
    • Being persecuted in Psalms 54, 56, 57, 142
  6. Praise the Lord and confess him rightly

Basic Categories of form for the personal Psalms (Para 14):

  1. Narrative
  2. Exhortation
  3. Prophecy
  4. Prayer
  5. Confession

Mixing form and movements of the soul into a fuller list: Note: Levels made based on starting preposition of each chain

Mainly Form Categories
  1. There are Narrative: 19, 44, 49, 50, 73, 77, 78, 89, 90, 107, 114 (and 115), 127, 137;
  2. There are Prayer : 17, 68, 90, 102, 132, 142;
  3. There are Petition, prayer and entreaty: 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 16, 25, 28, 31, 35, 38, 43, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 61, 64, 83, 86, 88, 138, 140, 143;
    1. and Petition with thanksgiving: 139,
    2. and Petition only: 3, 26, 69, 70, 71, 74, 79, 80, 109, 123, 130, 131;
  4. Those in Confession: 9 (and 10), 75, 92, 105, 106, 107, 108, 111, 118, 136, 138;
  5. Those having Confession and narrative: 9 (and 10), 75, 106, 107, 118, 138;
    1. Confession and narrative with adoration: 111;
      1. and Exhortation: 37;
  6. Those having Prophecy: 21, 22, 45, 47, 76;
    1. and Reporting of events joined with prophecy: 110;
    2. and Exhortation and prescriptions: 29, 33, 81, 95, 96, 97, 98, 103, 104, 114;
      1. Exhortation with song: 150;
        1. and Describing the virtuous life: 105, 112, 119, 125, 133;
Mainly Movements of the Soul Categories
  1. Those Proclaiming Praise: 91, 113, 117, 135, 145,146, 147, 148, 150;
  2. Those Giving thanks: 8, 9 (and 10), 18, 34, 46, 63, 77, 85, 116, 121, 122, 124, 126, 129, 144;
  3. Those proclaiming Blessedness: 1, 32, 41, 119, 128;
    1. And demonstrate Singing with zeal: 108; while also Exhort to fortitude 81;
      1. Accuse ungodly and lawbreakers: 2, 14, 36, 52, 53 while one of Invocation: 4;
  4. Those Describing devotion: 20, 64;
  5. Those Boasting in the Lord: 23, 27, 39, 40, 42, 62, 76, 84, 97, 99, 151 (LXX);
  6. Those that Rebuke: 58, 82;
    1. and those contain Words of a hymn: 48, 65;
      1. Jubilation and about the resurrection: 66;
        1. and only words of jubilation: 100.
Form Category Notes

  • 3 “There are those” Categories - Two are major form categories and one is not

  • 9 Plain “Those” categories - Two are major form categories and the rest are not

  • 1 “And those” category

    • Exhortation is the only main form category that is not associated with a “those” category and is mixed in with the other categories (namely confession and prophecy)
    • This makes 12 major “those” categories overall with one “and those”
      • First 6 categories all have references to major form categories
      • Second 6 categories all have references to movements of the soul
      • The singular “and those” category seems to contrast with the category before it and mixes form and movement of soul (Words of Hymn) followed by jubilation psalms which does the same

  • 8 plain “And” categories and the same 1 “and those”

  • 4 categories with no preposition

  • 2 “While” categories

  • “There” and “Those” categories seem to function as top level categories.

  • Seems clear that “and” categories function as subcategories of “there” and “those” categories.

  • “While” categories seem to create a contrasting pair with the category before it.

  • 2 of the no preposition categories are clearly continuations or “sub sub” categories of those ahead of them

  • 2 are less clear but can also work in the same way. They create more surprising associations like accusing ungodly associated with blessedness.

Full Psalter Walk Through and Chaining

Beginning in Para 15 Athanasius before a full walk through of the Psalter (almost). He is very selective to keep with the personal use of the Psalms in this walk through and seems to go by chain rather than strict psalm numerical order:

  1. Bless someone: 1, 32, 41, 119, 128
  2. Rebuke plotting against Jesus: 2
  3. Persecution from own people: 3
  4. Give thanks that the Lord heard you: 4, 75, 116
  5. Wicked lying in wait: 5
  6. Threats from the Lord: 6, 38
  7. Someone plotting against you: 7
  8. See Savior’s grace: 8
  9. Wine harvest: 8, 84 (Based on LXX Superscription)
  10. Over come Enemy through Jesus: 9, 10
  11. Confidence during stirred up trouble: 11
  12. Flee to Lord when world falls apart: 12
  13. Stand at post even in midst of snares of enemy: 13
  14. Reject blaspheming God’s providence, talk to God: 14, 53
  15. Citizenship in the kingdom of heaven: 15 and finally
  17. In need of prayer because of adversaries: 17, 86, 88, 141 also 90
  18. 18,
  19. 19, 24
  20. 20
  23. 23
  25. 25
  26. 26, 35, 43
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30, 127
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  36. 36
  37. 37
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  44. 44, 78, 89, 105, 106, 107, 114 + 115
  46. 46
  51. 51
  52. 52
  54. 54, 56 - Same continuous grouping as in the core 8 for personal formation
  57. 57, 142 - End persecution group
  59. 59, 55, 58
  62. 62
  63. 63
  64. 64, 65, 70, 71
  66. 66
  67. 67
  73. 73
  74. 74,
  75. Confession chain - does not include 51 interestingly: 9, 10, (75), 92, 105, 106, 107, 108, 111, 118, 136, 138
  76. 76
  77. 77
  79. 79
  81. 81, 95
  83. 83
  84. 84
  85. 85, 126
  86. 86
  91. 91
  92. Weekday Psalms, 92(Sat - Sabbath), 24 (Sun), 48 (Tue), 93 (Fri)
  96. 96
  97. 97, 94
  100. 100
  101. 101
  102. 102
  103. 103
  104. 104
  105. 105, 107, 135, 146, 147, 148, 150
  116. 116
  120. Psalms of Accent: 120 - 135
  137. 137
  139. 139
  140. 140
  143. 5, 143
  144. 144
  145. 145, 93, 98
  146. Alleluia or Praise Psalms: 105, 106, 107, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 135, 136, (146), 147, 148, 149, 150

Private Psalms about Christ

He moves from the personal psalm category and lays out some chains around Christ.

His specific instructions are:

Letter to Marcellinus, para. 26

When you want to sing about the Savior on your own in private, you will find such thing about the Savior more or less in every Psalm, but…

  1. 45 and 110 Christ’s origin, incarnation and relationship with the Father.
  2. 22 and 69 Cross and Suffering of Christ
  3. 2 and 109 Betrayal of Jesus
  4. 21, 50 and 72 Christ’s Kingdom, judgment, incarnation and calling the gentiles.
  5. 16 Resurrection. 24 and 47 ascension into heaven.
  6. 93, 96, 98 and 99 blessings from Christ’s suffering.

Note

Every Psalm is accounted for across the various methods of organization and chains (even the LXX specific 151).

Psalms to Music?

In Para 27 he moves to talking about the purpose of the psalms being set to music

  1. Music praises God
  2. Music harmonizes our being

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