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The Psalter
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The Psalter - Action/Adventure Aficionados's Member Authors's Recommended "Book of the Month" Feb-2013
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habemus papam: we have a pope! Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio was chosen as the 266th pontiff in an historic election—historic because he is Argentine, a Jesuit, and his election came after a rare three votes. Congratulations to the new Pope Francis.
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Lisa P, My weekend is all booked up!
(last edited Mar 13, 2013 05:31PM)
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I thought it interesting today when I found myself in a waiting room reading The Psalter, while the tv they had on, was showing live coverage of the new Pope being announced! Good book so far Galen, I'm about 1/3 of the way into it now and enjoying!
Speaking of popes. Galen, the (view spoiler), is that based on any legend or whispered secret down through the ages or just you going wild?
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Ctgt wrote: "Speaking of popes. Galen, the [spoilers removed], is that based on any legend or whispered secret down through the ages or just you going wild?"Hugh wrote: I think it's based on a true historical story...Galen?
The main ninth-century characters are historical figures as are the events in which they took part.
Main character facts:(view spoiler) much of the ninth-century story is based on actual historical events and characters. It was a violent era with Viking attacks from the north and west as well as Saracen invasions from the south. And just as the populace was under siege from foreign aggressors, so too was the Church under siege in a dramatic battle between Frankish Emperors pitted against Rome’s nobility. Each would have the Church for their own for whoever controlled the Church wielded its power, influence and wealth.
But what of the other historical characters?
Anastasius was the foremost expert of ancient Greek in the western world as well as the most learned scholar in Rome during the ninth century. Nephew of the Bishop of Orta and Emporer’s missi (or possibly his son), he translated the acts of the Seventh and Eighth Ecumenical Councils as well as compiling historical works such as the ‘Chronographia Tripartita’ based on the Greek writings of Theophanes, Nicephorus, and Syncellus. He was the expert on the lives of Pope Honorius and Pope Nicholas I (who in my story is Archdeacon Nicholas not having been elected Pope yet). According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Anastasius’ writings appear in the liber pontificalis on pages XXIX; P.L., LXXIII, CXXII, CXXIX.
Anastasius had a troubled history with popes and the Roman Bishopric as well as the Roman nobles. He was at various times promoted, demoted, forced to flee, excommunicated, anathemized, then reinstated and promoted again. He was the Bishop of Saint Marcellus, the Abbot of Santa Maria in Trastavere, Librarian of the Church and Emperor Louis’ envoy to the court at Constantinople. After the death of Leo IV, Anastasius was elected Pope, but abdicated leaving the papacy to Benedict III. The Church calls him ‘anti-pope’.
Deacon John Hymonides was a Church scholar, historian, playwright and close friend of Anastasius. He was elected Pope by popular vote, but violently overthrown by the Roman nobility. His life was spared by his successor, Pope Sergius II, who banished him to confinement at the monastery in Monte Cassino.
Anastasius provided John with translations from Greek sources so he could complete a three-part history of the Church. John never completed the history.
Arsenius was Bishop of Orta and Anastasius’ uncle though some sources say he was in fact father to Anastasius and Eleutherius. He was named the Emperor’s representative (missi) to the Holy See.
Pope Sergius II was born Pietro di Porca or Hogsmouth. He was the first pope to change his name upon his election. Orphaned at a young age and raised in the schola cantorum, Sergius was ‘devoted to the pleasures of the table’, so much so that he suffered debilitating attacks of gout. Uninterested in the affairs of the Holy See, he turned over administration of the patriarchum to his younger brother, Benedict, naming him Bishop of Albano. Simony, the selling of Church positions, was rampant during Sergius reign.
Sergius was named pope upon the violent overthrow of Deacon John Hymonides. He was a relative of vicedominus, and later Pope, Adrian.
Vicedominus Adrian became Pope Adrian II from December 14, 867 to December 14, 872.
Archdeacon Nicholas became Pope Nicholas on April 24, 858 after the death of Benedict III. Nicholas tried to exert Papal power over the eastern Church using the forged Decretals of Isidore Mercatur as his authority. He was later called Nicholas the Great and is considered a saint.
Theophylact was the Count of Tusculum, the ancient name for the lands on the northern edge of the Alban volcano. From the Tusculani family, he created a corrupt political system of Tusculani noble–popes that ruled the Holy See for a hundred years until ended by the Gregorian reform.
Benedict was named the Bishop of Albano by Sergius and placed in charge of the administration of the patriarchum. The Catholic Encyclopedia states that Benedict usurped all power, and made the getting of money his one concern. It was Benedict who committed simony, the selling of church offices for money.
There is no direct record stating that Sergius brother, Benedict, is the same person that became Pope Benedict III. However, I have made that leap for the following reasons. To be elected pope in the ninth century, the nominee had to be of noble birth from one of the ruling families and Benedict was certainly that. He was well known and experienced having effectively ruled the Church for Sergius’ entire papacy. Most importantly, he represented the Roman nobility’s interests while Anastasius represented the Emperor. And obviously, their names are the same.
When Anastasius was elected Pope, he immediately threw Benedict III into prison. After his abdication, Emperor Louis’s envoys forced Benedict III not to torture Anastasius and his followers. The election of Benedict so weakened the Emperor’s influence on the papacy that Roman nobles made the papacy their exclusive province for the next century.
Ahmad ibn Mohammad was Emir of Ifriqiya from 856 to 863, which included western Libya, Tunisia as well as Sicily and part of the southern mainland of Italy. There is no record that he led either sacks of Saint Peter, however, I think it is a distinct possibility. The first major Saracen attack on Sicily was led by an important jurist and theologian from the ruling family, seventy year old Asad ibn al-Furat, who commanded 10,000 Arabs, Berbers and Spanish Muslims. By 831, Palermo had become the seat of the emirate and was ruled by Prince Ahmad’s family, the Aghlabids.
Ahmad’s uncle, Muhammad I became emir in 841 expanding the conquest of Sicily and moving to the mainland of Italy. It is unlikely that a force like the one that sacked Saint Peter’s and Paul’s would be commanded by anyone other than a noble. Just as his noble ancestor, Asad, had been chosen by emir Ziyadat Allah to lead the conquest of Sicily, so too would a noble be chosen to lead an army against Rome. As the emir’s nephew, Prince Ahmad would be the perfect choice.
Pope Leo IV ascended to the papacy on April 10, 847. His reign was dominated by restoration of Saint Peter’s and Saint Paul’s and building the wall around the Vatican. Leo initiated the fight to exert authority over Archbishop Hincmar of Reims using the forged Decretals of Isidore Mercatur as his authority. He also ordered the title of Pope reserved exclusively for the Bishop of Rome. Pope Leo commissioned the painting, Fire in the Borgo.
Emperor Lothair was the grandson of Charlemagne. Rebellion seemed to run in his family and he led his brothers in revolt against their father Louis the Pious on several occasions. Louis named Lothair his heir. But upon Louis’ death in 840, Lothair’s brothers joined forces attacking and defeating him. Lothair was forced to sign the Treaty of Verdun in 843 dividing the Frankish Empire into three kingdoms.
Louis II. Son of Lothair, he was the King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor. When Pope Sergius ascended the Papal throne before being confirmed by Lothair, the Emperor sent his son, Louis, to punish the Romans nobles for their defiance of the Constitution of 824. Louis married Engleberga who descended from a noble Frankish family, the Supponids, who were allies of Louis the Pious.
John of Ravenna. Archbishop of the capital of the Italian Kingdom, John was a close ally of Lothair and Louis II. He defied the exaggerated powers Pope Leo IV gave himself based on the forged Decretals of Isidore Mercatur. Leo went personally to Ravenna backed by troops to enforce his decrees.
Hincmar, Archbishop of Reims descended from a noble Frankish family and was educated at the abbey of Saint Denis in Paris. He openly declared the Decretals of Isidore Mercatur forgeries just as John of Ravenna had done and defied the new powers Leo IV had given himself based on the fakes. It was while Pope Leo IV was en route to Reims to enforce his decrees that he died.
Sack of Saint Peters. There were in fact two Saracen raids on Saint Peters, but I have chosen to recount only one. The theft of the gold and silver is recounted as related in the historical record. However, the theft of the Church library is the author’s speculation. Nevertheless, the Church states that it has almost no documents before the sixth century, likely the result of Goth, Visigoth and Saracen invasions. I have chosen to lay the loss at the hands of Prince Ahmad.
Joan’s Shrine. At the corner of via dei Santissimi Quattro and via Querceti against the wall surrounding the Church of the Quattro Coronati is a small, weather-stained shrine (aedicula) dating from the mid ninth century. Inside, protected by a metal cross-hatch gate, is a fading fresco of a Madonna and child. Legend has it that it was originally a shrine to (view spoiler)
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I, Curmudgeon wrote: "Wow, that's a great post Galen, thanks! (I love history)."I just edited some out to fit in some of the more important stuff. I'm glad you liked it. Boy, am I wordy.
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I just edited some out to fit in some of the more important stuff. I'm glad you liked it. Boy, am I wordy."
Look who your talking too?
I, Curmudgeon wrote: "Wow, that's a great post Galen, thanks! (I love history)."No joke, Hugh! Thanks Galen. Other than some minor reading on the Crusades and the Inquisition, I don't know much about The Catholic Church and it's history. If these questions are too personal, just tell me to go pound sand, but were you raised Catholic? Is that where the seed was planted for this book?
Ctgt wrote: "If these questions are too personal, just tell me to go pound sand, but were you raised Catholic? Is that where the seed was planted for this book? "I certainly don't mind. My dad was a Mormon who left the church when I was a toddler, and my mother was a Baptist. I was raised a Protestant. When I was a child, I noticed a pretty big difference between the two religions and started noticing that people believed radically different things; hence my interest in religion.
The seed for the Psalter likely began in Junior High School sitting at lunch every day with a pretty young girl arguing about religion. She was a whiz at quoting scripture, much better than I. But even at that age, I was pretty knowledgeable about the origins of the Bible and its place in a Pantheon of religions and Christian sects. I didn’t win many scriptural debates, but I didn’t lose any historical points. That girl is now my wife and our debates have become lively discussions for the thirty-four years of our delightful marriage.
When I was going to school in the sixties and early seventies, the Nag Hammadi and Dead Sea Scrolls were being published. I had a Jr High English teacher who took us on a field trip to the Huntington Library. They had some photographs of the Dead Sea Scrolls and I was hooked. I devoured commentaries on the scrolls as well as the Nag Hammadi scriptures as they were released. While the Dead Sea Scrolls are exclusively Judaic, Nag Hammadi texts are completely Christian…but no Christianity I had ever heard of.
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I, Curmudgeon wrote: "I'm smilin' cause I've heard that story before and think it's great! (not that, as a curmudgeon, such soft sweet warm stories like that have any effect on me... I mean.. Bah - Humbug and... Grinch..."The game face ain't what's inside, but I ain't spillin' the beans. And, I love telling that story.
At the corner of via dei Santissimi Quattro and via Querceti against the wall surrounding the Church of the Quattro Coronati is a small, weather-stained shrine (aedicula) dating from the mid ninth century. Inside, protected by a metal cross-hatch gate, is a fading fresco of a Madonna and child. Legend has it that it was originally a shrine to (view spoiler) and erected over the spot on the ancient vicus papissa (view spoiler)
That's great, Galen! Thanks! I really appreciate you taking the time to fill in all these extra details.
Ctgt wrote: "That's great, Galen! Thanks! I really appreciate you taking the time to fill in all these extra details."You’re welcome. I like doing it. It’s rather like paying homage to a long-lost friend.
Speaking of which, how long did you work on the book?
I did about four months of research specific to the book before I started writing. The first draft took me about 14 months, and I edited for about another six months.
Ctgt wrote: "Speaking of which, how long did you work on the book?"Oh, and I should mention that when I edited the manuscript, I edited out about 25% of the first draft.
Congratulations, Galen. The Psalter was a fantastic book. As a Roman Catholic, I truly appreciated your research. It showed in your writing and made the story extremely realistic and accurate. I can't wait for the continuation of the story. Again, Congratulations!
Paula wrote: "Congratulations, Galen. The Psalter was a fantastic book. As a Roman Catholic, I truly appreciated your research. It showed in your writing and made the story extremely realistic and accurate. I..."One of the things that most worried me was how Roman Catholics would see such a novel; so I tried hard to follow the history and legends with as much fidelity as possible. I will say that the majority of my research came from the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia and liber pontificalis. At the same time, I wanted to show the modern church as people who follow their conscience and faith with courage and commitment, yet as humans with complex human histories and foibles. Still, I wanted to pose philosophical questions—questions a lot of people are asking today. Of course, every writer brings their personal perspective to a book; nevertheless, I tried to be somewhat transparent and let my characters express their diverse views on the issues.
I’m truly gratified you enjoyed the story, especially as a Roman Catholic. Thank you, sincerely, for your comments and approval.
You succeed very well with your intentions. I have recommended your book to several friends. Having taught religion for many years, I appreciate the effort you put forth in understanding the traditions, faith and conflicts that exist.
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I'm really glad you enjoyed the read, Lisa--every writer's wish. I look forward to reading your opinion.
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Lisa P, My weekend is all booked up!
(last edited Mar 30, 2013 07:05PM)
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1. Did you feel that this was a good Action/Adventure Novel novel? 2. Action scenes. How did they work for you? What kicks the action up a notch for you?
It wasn't too heavy on the action, but definitely had enough to satisfy my addiction; including bombs, guns, knives and good old fashioned fist fights.
3. What about the Historical thread of the story...did you like this better, less than the modern thread, or did you like both equally well? What did you like most about each?
The historical thread was my favorite part of the story. I love learning about different periods in history; and the characters really drew me in, and made me care about what was happening.
4. Characters? Who did you like the most, the least? Who was least complete, and who the most?
From the historical thread I would have to say Johannes was my favorite, followed closely by Baraldus. They were both so unconventional for the church at the time, with their pasts having a huge effect on who they were. Loved their closeness and Baraldus' role as protector. For the modern thread my favorite was Romano, again not fitting the "church mold". Loved his toughness and street smarts. He made for a good action adventure hero.
5. The History. Was it accurate? Did Watson do a good job of explaining things without slowing the story down?
I am not Catholic, but enjoyed learning some history of the Catholic Church and how the Christian religion really developed. A lot of controversial questions and issues are brought up, which made for an intriguing story. The history from the past tied in nicely with the modern thread of the story.
6. Pacing? Too good, not good, perfect?
For me the pacing was perfect. I loved how the story jumped back and forth between the modern and historical threads, and I never felt lost in the story. And although there was quite a bit of historical information provided throughout the story, I never felt overwhelmed or that I was receiving an info dump. The information always melded with the storyline perfectly.
7. The There were some provocative questions raised in this book, what did you think?
Some people may take issue with some of the provocative info in the book, but I felt that this is what made the book so intriguing and interesting to read...also quite thought provoking.
8. Favorite moments.
My favorite moment was when I found out that (view spoiler). I never suspected it at all; and once I found out, I was elated with this new information. It was a turning point in the story for me.
9. Overall rating: out of 1-10 or 1-5 stars?
4 stars
10. Books you'd recommend like this one?
Well, I cant really recommend it because I haven't read it yet myself...but The Psalter reminded me of a book I have had on my TBR list forever. The Crown. It seems to be a similar thriller wrapped around the Catholic Church. I think I need to pull it out and read it soon.
11. There will be more. Will you continue the series?
Absolutely! Looking forward to it.
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Good interview. (I like the Pope quote too. I laughed).