The Songs of Ascents: Psalms 120 to 134 in the Worship of Jerusalem's Temples

by David C. Mitchell

Codes hidden for 3,000 years unveil the origin of the fifteen Songs of Ascents. Mysterious marks in medieval manuscripts disclose the lost temple song. Rabbinic traditions reveal the place of the ark of the covenant. And the secret message of the Book of Psalms is laid bare.

292 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Zac Demi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I arrived at this book because of my interest in the works of Suzanne Haïk-Vantoura. David C. Mitchell has defended Haïk-Vantoura theory and is building upon it (see brightmorningstar.org). In this book, not only does Mitchell set the date and context for this collection in the Psalter, but he reconstruct the temple music from the cantillation and further demonstrates the theory's consistancy. His overall eschatological interpretation of this collection is derived from his much larger work on the entire Psalter (The Message of the Psalter 1997). This book is impressively original and exceeded my expectations. This book is technical, but his novelistic writing style makes it easy for anyone to read.

[Ronny Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, The Songs of Ascents: Psalms 120 to 134 in the Worship of Jerusalem's Temples, does much that other books on the Psalms never dream of. Like other scholars David C. Mitchell argues for the unity of the Ascents collection, and proposes that they had a place in the Feast of Tabernacles. But then it gets interesting. On the basis of many internal clues in the Ascents collection (including gematria) Mitchell proposes that the Songs were composed to be sung at sunrise on the morning of the dedication of Solomon's temple, that is on 15 TIshri 959 BC. I know of no other book on the Psalms that can pinpoint their first performance with such precision.
Then Mitchell looks into how they were sung and gives a detailed explanation of how they fitted into the worship not only of the day of Dedication, but of the liturgy that accompanied the singing of the Songs on the fifteen steps below the Nicanor Gate through almost 1,000 years of temple worship. Much useful detail is given on the musical culture and practice of the Temple Levites.
Then, going further still, Mitchell investigates what happened to the Temple psalmody and where it can be found. He proposes that the lost melodies can be reconstructed from the Masoretic cantillation marks with help from synagogue chant. Then we find all fifteen Songs written out for us in staff notation, accompanied by a musical and general commentary.
The final chapters look at the place of the Songs of Ascents within the literary context of the Book of Psalms and at the place and rationale of music in worship.
In the appendices we learn-among other things-the true pronunciation of the Ineffable Name, the orientation of the ark in the temple, and the current location of the ark. Don't believe me? Check it out yourself.