Workshop: The Material Traditions of the Psalms

…and their words reach the ends of the earth…

The Material Traditions of the Psalms

In the fourth century, Athanasius of Alexandria wrote in his letter to Marcellinus regarding the astonishing nature of the Psalms, saying that their reader recognises the Psalms ‘as being his own words. And the one who hears is deeply moved, as though he himself were speaking, and is affected by the words of the songs, as if they were his own songs.’

For over two millennia, the Psalms have served as a source of devotion, identity, and artistic inspiration across cultures and traditions. While their textual traditions are well studied, the extent of the Psalms’ rich material and visual heritage — transcribed on parchment, carved in stone, woven into textiles, and integrated into diverse media — has never been fully investigated. This conference seeks to explore the Psalms not simply as text, but as a vast collection of objectified, visualised, and embodied traditions. Sessions will explore the visual and material expressions of this sacred poetry with particular attention to material choices, modes of transmission, and the dynamics of fragmentation and reproduction. Tracing how these sacred texts move across languages, technologies, and formats, this conference invites conversation on the Psalms as a materially embedded and expanding written tradition. It will bring together scholars to examine the Psalms’ impact on visual and material culture.