Letter to Marcellinus on the Psalms

A Classic of Ancient Christian Spirituality. In this letter to a friend, Athanasius of Alexandria (ca. 298-373) offers spiritual guidance on how to read the psalms. Athanasius believed that the Psalms were divinely inspired, which is why they are so helpful to the human soul. He describes the Psalter as a choice garden filled with a variety of fruit for the soul-all of which feed the human condition. The Psalms speak to the whole range of human emotion– anger, fear, desire, and happiness–offering insight into the movements of the heart like a mirror to the soul. With guidance the Psalms not only provide insight into inner life, they also provide what we need to say or do in order to bring healing to our souls.