Variants and Variations

Psalm 23 by Mihály Sztárai

Abstract

Compared to their potential date of creation, the psalms of Mihály Sztárai found their way into early Hungarian hymn collections with considerable delay. There are small, yet significant differences across their first extant versions. The article compares two early variants of Sztárai’s Psalm 23 and concludes that there is no direct connection between the two early editions. Based on an examination of the nature of the differences, the paper identifies certain changes which suggest deliberate editorial intervention instead of the simple mechanical corruption of the text.