Many psalms, e.g. 95. 96. 98. 99. 100, not to speak of the Hallelujah jisalms (which are all post- exilie), were evidently composed from the lirst for liturgical use, and others may have been trans- formed from a more private and individual use to be the expression of the church-nation's praise. It is of course only to a limited extent that the Talmmlio accounts of the service of praise in the Temple can be accepted aa correct even for the
33
PRAISE IX NT
PRAYER
closing period of OT liistory, but there is good reason to believe that tlie list given in Tamid (vii. 4) of tlie psalms lliat were sung on eacli day of tlie week, at the morning sacrilico, is an ancient one. These psalms were as follows: Sunday '24 (M Tijs HiSs <ra(3,JdTu^), Monday 'IS (1? dcvripf aafi^drov), Tuesday 82, Wednesday 9-4 (B rcrpaSi aa^lidruv), Thursday SI, Friday 93 (B eis Trjy iffiipnv toS -n-po- aa^^drou ore KaTifKiarai i) yrj). Sabbath 92 (Heb. rp::rT dv^ T'^', B eis Tt]!/ ij/j.^pav tov aaS^idTov), See, further, Neubauer, Stud. JIM. ii. 1 if. The sing- ing and playing of tlie Levites on these occasions was accompanied by the blowing of silver trumpets (kazCzSruth) by two priests (cf. Nu lO'"'", Ezr 3'", Neh i2^5^ 1 Ch 15^ 16", 2 Ch 5'^ 7" 29='^-^, Sir 50«).
See, further, on the whole subject, the articles Music, Priests and Levites, Psaljis, Temple, Worship.
Literature.— On the Heb. terms see the Oxf. Heb. Lex., to which the first part of the present article lias veiT special ohlin^ations. On the history, etc., of praise: Biichler, * zur Gesch. d. Teinpelravisilc u. d. Tenipelpsalmen.' in ZATW \\x. |1899i i. 9611., ii. 329ff., x.\. i. 97 tf. ; Kuberle, DU Teinpetsmvjer im AT, 1S99 ; Che.vne, OP, 1SS9, passim ; W. U. Smith, OTJC-, 1S92, esp. pp. 190-22.=); Van Hoonaclcer, Le sacerdoce levitiqtie, 1S99, passim: Nowack, Lehrb. d. lleb. Arch., 1894, i. 271 f. ; Schurer, yj I's, IsilS, ii. 240 ff., 29:tef. [UJP il. i. 225 ff., 290 ft.); and the Commentaries on the Psalms. J, A. SELBIE.
PRAISE IN NT.— Praise (aii-os, ^iroii-os (1 P 2"=
.tSin), aiVfo-ij, Sdja, dperri, alvelv, iiraiveti', So^d^eiv) )ilays a large part in the NT, both the praise of God by angels and by men, and the praise of man by God and his fellow -man.
i. The praise of God is the work of the angels (Lk2"-"--'' 19^), and also of man. The chief object of the existence of the redeemed is to show forth the praises of Him who called them out of darkness into light (1 P 2'") : Gentiles join now in the work of iiraise (Ro lo'-'^^') ; and all, Jew and Gentile alike, exist to the praise of the glory of His grace (Eph p-», Ph 1", 2Th 1'°, IP 2'^'): Christians uller their sacrifice of praise to God (He 13'^) : universal praise wUl be the characteristic of the last day (Rev 19^) : whereas failure to give God praise for His mercies is the note of heathenism (Ro \-\ Rev 11" 14' 16', cf. Ac 11°-^). The subjects of praise are God's intrinsic excellences (dpeTox, 1 P 2'", where see Hort) ; Ilis uuiver.sal gifts of creation, of providence, of redemption (Rev IS^-*, Ac 2" and nassim); His promises to individuals (Ro 4™); His blessings to individuals, especially for the miracles of our Lord's lifetime (Lk IS" 'W\ cf. 2 Co P).
' Confess thy sins ' (cf. Joshua's words to Achan in Jos 7'°), and implying that truthful confession of the real facts of lite brings glory to God.
The tone of praise to God is specially marked in the Gospel of St. Luke, the Acts, the Ep. to the Ephesians, and the Ajiocalypse. It finds its ex- pression in semi-rhythmical language and formal hymns (see Hymn), and also m doxologies. The latter were primarily liturgical (cf. 2 Co l-" oi' airroO rb 'Aiirff t(j; Seip xp6s Soiav oi' t)ii.Qiv), and are adapta- tions from existing Jewish liturgies. The fountain- head of them may perhaps be traced to 1 Ch 29'", from which originated two types— (a) beginning with the word ' Blessed ' ((uXoyrrrdi, i.e. bless- worthy, worthy of receiving blessing), implying 'an intelligent recognition of His abiding good- ness, as made known in His past or present acts,' Lk 1**, 2 Co P IP', Ro !^ 9; Eph P (where see Lightfoot), 1 P P (where see Hort) ; (J) ascribing to God glory (power, might, dominion) for ever. This is the commoner type in the NT and in subsequent Christian liturgies : the simplest form V il S6ia (Is Tous aiUvas' dixifv (Ro IP") is varied by the several writers to suit the exact context
(Gal P, Ro 16", Pli 4'», Eph 3=', 1 Ti 1" 6'^ 2 Ti 4'", He 13-' [see Westcott, Additional Note], I P 4" 5", 2 P 3'8, Jude ", Rev P 5'" 7'=), and it left its ultimate mark on the Lord's Prayer in the addition of the doxology, perhaps originally maile when that praj-er was used in Eucliaristic worship (Chase, The Lord's Prayer in the Early Church, 'Texts and Studies,' I. ii'i. pp. 16S-174).
On praise as a part of public worship, see art. Church vr. vol. i. p. 428^, art. Hymn in voL \L, and cf. the preceding article.
ii. ' The idea of man as praised by God is not distinctly recognized in the OT' (Hort on 1 P V). There God is spoken of as well pleaseil ^yith men ; but the NT goes beyond this in the word ' jiraise,' which implies not only moral approbation, but the public exi)ression of it. The clitt'erence may have arisen from our Lord's life ; He had moved about among men, accepting praise and homage where it was simple and genuine (Mt 21"^) ; giving His own praise without stint to John the Bapti-st (Mt 11"), to all acts of faith (Mt 8'" 9- IS^ 16', Lk 7"), to good and loyal service (Mt 25'-'-^, Lk 19"), to all gener- osity of gift(Mk 12« 146), to self-devotion (Lk 10-"), to prudence (Lk 16*). Hence the ascended Lord is represented as sending His messages of praise as well as of blame to the Seven Churches of Asia (Rev P) ; and the praise of God is the ultimate verdict to ^^hicll Christians appeal (1 P 1'), which will correct hasty judgments of men, and be the true praise exactly appropriate to each man's actions (1 Co 4'"* 6 (TTaivos) : the true Jew, who bears rightly the name of Judah ( = ' praised'), is he whose praise conies from God not from men (Ro 2-", where see Gitlbrd in 'Speaker's' Com.).