A new exhibition at New York’s Morgan Library and Museum delves into the history of the longest and most popular book of the Bible.
Sing a New Song features 85 medieval books, illuminated manuscripts, and other artifacts illustrating the everyday spiritual utility of the 150 poems comprising the Book of Psalms. Revered by all three Abrahamic religions, the psalms were often recited, read, and sung in routine worship.
That history is perhaps best exemplified by the show’s closing artifact, Thomas More’s ornate prayer book, which features annotations he wrote during the long incarceration that preceded his execution — suggesting the poems provided More solace “even in his tribulations,” The Wall Street Journal wrote.