Psi: Connecting the Psalms with Ancient Greek Figurines

This is just a random observation on my part that I mentioned during last night's Psalms class. When I studied abroad in Greece in 2007, one of the souvenirs I brought home was a terra cotta statue (I assume a replica) like the one in this picture. Countless figurines have been found in the shape of several Greek letters--in this case, the psi (Ψ). The vaguely humanoid statues bear the trident shape of the 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet, and they seem to lift their stubby arms up in praise.

Being both a language dork and a history nerd, I liked the imagery at the time. In researching for my Psalms series, I learned that the Greek word from which we get the name of the Biblical book is psalmoi, which means "songs sung to a harp." The fact that the first letter of psalmoi has been rendered as a symbol of an act of praise is pretty cool to me. Worship and music are meant for each other, and the Psalms embody that.