F YOU EXAMINE the translation of Psalm 84:9 by Monsignor Knox, you’ll notice it says “the voice of the Lord God within me.” However, when translating the PIUS XII PSALTER, Knox rendered that same passage as: “the voice of the Lord God.” That’s because the Latin words “in me” (within me) were omitted in the PIUS XII PSALTER, whereas those words do occur in the VULGATA. According to Yves Chiron: “Revising the Latin translation of the psalms was among the projects closest to Pius XII’s heart.” Chiron also believes Pope Pius XII felt personally attacked when his psalter—released a few months before the end of World War II—was castigated by most scholars.1 Father Valentine Young, OFM, who entered the seminary in 1943, told me his congregation briefly adopted the PIUS XII PSALTER, but rejected it after about a year.
Father Charles J. Callan • As I mentioned, the erudite Dominican priest, FATHER CHARLES J. CALLAN, published a book in 1949 that provides the Latin alongside an English translation for the entire PIUS XII PSALTER. Father Callan was a seminary professor who, on 22 July 1940, was appointed by Pope Pius XII as ‘consultor’ to the Pontifical Biblical Commission in Rome. Hundreds of his friends gathered within the walls of one of New York’s most beautiful churches, Saint Vincent Ferrer’s, on 12 October 1940 to offer their congratulations to Father Callan, since he the first American to receive this honor. Father Callan wrote many books, but—in my humble opinion—his greatest contribution was founding The Homiletic and Pastoral Review. We have made available as a free PDF download this monumental 1949 publication. Its full title is: The New Psalter Of Pius XII In Latin And English With Introductions, Notes And Spiritual Reflections by Father Charles J. Callan.
* PDF Download • COMMENTARY AND TRANSLATION (532 pages)
—“Pius XII Psalter: Latin & English w/ Notes & Spiritual Reflections” (1949).
—Book by Very Reverend Charles Jerome Callan (1877-1962).
Differences & Similarities • When it comes to the PIUS XII PSALTER, some psalms are quite similar to the Vulgate, while others depart from it in a radical way. However, when it comes to speaking about the substance of the psalter itself, most discrepancies aren’t important. This book has been out of print for many decades, and it’s impossible to find a used version for less than $200. That’s why I think our readers will very much appreciate it!
Spotted In The Wild • Certain feasts added in the late 1940s and 1950s employed the PIUS XII PSALTER. For instance, examine the psalm for the INTROIT on the feast of Pope Saint Pius X (3 September) and you can verify this with your own eyes. In the 1950s, Pope Pius XII made changes to HEBDOMADA MAJOR (“Holy week”), and excerpts from the PIUS XII PSALTER were employed, although this was not mandatory. In the 1960s, the LIBER USUALIS often included an APPENDIX at the back, containing what they called “the new psalms.”
1 Oddly enough, the PIUS XII PSALTER did find a defender in Ferdinando Cardinal Antonelli, who wrote on 19 December 1963: “No one can deny the worth and advantage of this version.”
