The Psalter for the Dead: Reading Rules and Features

For every Christian believer, reading the Psalmson the deceased is a tribute to those who left this world. According to tradition, the Psalter is read continuously over the body of the deceased from the moment of his death and before burial.

The Psalter is a book that is part of theHoly Scripture. There are only 150 psalms. Most of them were written by the biblical king David, the rest belong to the pen of other ancient Israeli rulers.

What is kathisma?

The Psalter itself is divided into twenty chapters orkathism. Kathisma presents a collection of several psalms (usually three or four), separated by three "Glories." In other words, reading two psalms for example, the reader meets the word "Glory" in the text. This means that in this place it is necessary to say: "Glory to the Father and to the Son and the Holy Spirit", then other prayers are successively read and finally "Now, ever, and forever and ever." Amen".

The famous Bishop Athanasius believed that duringReading the Psalter for the deceased, after each "Glory" and "Now", you should say a special funeral prayer and lay five earthly obeisances. Before and after reading the Psalms for the deceased, it is necessary to read the funeral Canon.

Contents of the Psalms

The divided Psalter for kathisma read mucheasier, and the reading of the book itself can last only five hours. The psalter for the deceased is preferably read continuously, especially before burial. This can be done by close people of the deceased, those who are able to do it.

In the text one can feel the man's hope for God's mercy. Thoughtful reading and listening to the Psalter comforts loved ones and a relative of the deceased.

Not only is permitted, but it is also welcomed to readPsalter for the deceased until 40 days. It is often practiced to read the Psalter forty days before the date of death, and then the reading is repeated for another forty days. As a result, there are eighty days.

The Seventeenth Kathisma

This book has long been included in the number of Liturgicalbooks, since almost half the text of the service of the All-Night Vigil and Liturgy consists of its fragments. The psalter for the deceased can be read and sitting, but not lying. Holy Fathers believe that prayers pronounced without body burdens do not bring worthy fruits. Only sick and infirm people are allowed to read lying Psalter, the Gospel, the Old Testament and so on.

People who are far from the church, but who wish to continuebecome true believers, they often ask: which Psalter is read on the deceased at home? Indeed, it happens that the priests bless not to read the entire Psalter, but to one of its kathism. This is the seventeenth kathisma. It was chosen, because the content of the Divine text is most suitable for expressing the feelings of the deceased.

The seventeenth kathism is not only itselfthe longest of all, but also the most beautiful. The reader is led by a difficult and honorable responsibility to remember the deceased, to work for him before God, why the Psalter, read by the deceased, brings to the soul of the one who reads it, a huge benefit.

How did the tradition of commemorating the dead come about?

History, after which there was a traditionTo commemorate the deceased is recorded in the Old Testament, in the second book of the Maccabees. After Abraham showed deep devotion to God, the Almighty promised the Jewish people that they would emerge victorious in all wars, even if the number of enemies exceeds several times, but only if they keep His Testament.

Indeed, while the people kept the Divinea covenant written on the tablets, no one could defeat him in battle. However, the Old Testament commander of Judah once suffered a crushing defeat on the battlefield. This happened for the first time and the remaining fighters, led by the commander, were at a loss, realizing that the Almighty had given up His word. Alarmed warriors decided to examine the bodies of the deceased friends, to send their relatives and friends some of their clothes. On some, they discovered pagan amulets and other signs of idol worship. This opened their eyes to the wrath of God.

Judas brought together the surviving warriors, and they allrose to prayer, after thanking the Creator for not revealing the truth from them. In addressing God, pious soldiers asked for forgiveness for the lost brethren who had departed from His covenant. The Lord accepted their prayer and highly appreciated the action of Judas.

There are several Old Testament stories in which the ancient people took care of the dead.

Why should you read the Psalter?

Even before the Lord Jesus Christ revealed himselfpeople and before the advent of the New Testament, the Old Testament pious people read the Psalter. King David, who wrote it, was a humble man with a meek heart, which was unusual in those cruel times.

Through their psalms or, in modern terms,song, he showed the highest qualities of man, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. A collection of psalms, read for the soul of the deceased, protects it from the persecuted evil spirits.

How to read the Psalter?

Usually it is read in Church Slavonic, which causes some perplexity and inconvenience. The reader can not fully understand the meaning of words and expressions. On this account, there are two opinions.

Some believe that reading the Psalter at home on the dead is necessary in any case. It does not matter if the reader understands the text or not, because evil spirits still understand and tremble.

Another opinion is a thoughtful reading of the psalms, with an extract of incomprehensible words and a translation into Russian.

Of course, conscious reading ispriority, but the first option is acceptable. If you want to find explanations for the collection of psalms, you can both on the Internet and in books devoted to this topic, which are many in church benches.

It is useful to study the Scriptures asNew Testament, and Old Testament. The fiftieth psalm, most commonly used during the Divine Service, has its own explanation, which can be found in the Second Book of Kings. This penitential psalm David wrote in severe contrition, so it is useful to know by heart for the repentance of the soul.

If the Psalter is read before the grave of the deceased, thenThe reader should stand at the feet with a burning candle. During the reading, the words of the Scripture must be spoken with reverence, since the tongue-twister wordless words are an insult to both the sacred rite and the Word of God.