Song, Prayer, Scripture: Aspects of the Reception of the Book of Psalms from the Hebrew Bible to the 21st Century(The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies)

Experts from the field of biblical studies shed light on the many ways in which the Psalter psalms have been used through the ages. The focus across the volume is on the role that these psalms play in scribal, liturgical, didactic, iconographic, and literary contexts. The book is structured in four parts, covering different styles/uses of the Psalms. In part I (song) the focus in on psalms as songs, and how their uses in different performative settings have generated new interpretations. In part II (prayer) the focus is on the liturgical uses of psalms, not only how they can be used as prayers in various communities of faith but also on how they may not be used. In part III (scripture: interpretation) the focus in on the reception of several individual psalms in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions. Finally, in part IV (scripture: manuscripts) the focus is on scribal activity: transmission, translation, and illumination.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction Part I: Song 1. Hearing the People Through the Voice of David: On the Paratextual Framing of Psalm 30 - David Davage, Örebro School of Theology, Sweden 2. The Psalms and Psalms 132 in the Early Days of the “New World” - Melody Knowles, Virginia Theological Seminary, USA 3. Liturgy, Temple Memory, and Canonization: Reimagining the Temple Psalter in Rabbinic Judaism - Abraham J. Berkowitz - Hebrew Union College, USA 4. Psalms and Circles in the Theurgy of the Élus Coëns - Ola Wikander, Lund University, Sweden Part II: Prayer 5. Psalmody as an Alternative to Theodicy - John Goldingay, Fuller Theological Seminary, USA 6. Pastoral Concerns in Conflict: The Place and Use of Imprecatory Psalms in the Liturgy of the Hours - Elisabet Nord, Lund University, Sweden 7. The Potential of the Psalmist's Anger - Rachel Wrenn, Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University, USA 8. How the Psalms Made Their Way into the Swedish Lectionary - LarsOlov Eriksson, Johannelund School of Theology, Sweden Part III: Scripture: Interpretation 9. Luther and Calvin Read Psalms 1–2 - Susan Gillingham, University of Oxford, UK 10. Psalm 16 in the New Testament and Early Christian Literature - Antti Laato, Åbo Akademi University, Finland 11. One Psalm Across Four Traditions: Psalm 48 - Robert Miller, The Catholic University of America, USA 12. “Please Open Your Ear, My People, To My Torah ...!” What Psalm 78 Wants to Say to Whom - Beat Weber, University of Pretoria, South Africa 13. The Psalter and King David: A Reception Historical Perspective - Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer, Örebro School of Theology, Sweden Part IV: Scripture: Manuscripts and Translations 14. The Continuity between Jewish and Christian Psalms Manuscripts - Tommy Wasserman and Andreas Nilsson, Örebro School of Theology, Sweden 15. Going to the Zoo with Saint Jerome: The Rendering of Animal and Plant Names in Jerome's Latin Psalm Translations - Martijn Jaspers, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium 16. Updates on the Göttingen Project “Die Editio critica maior des griechischen Psalters” (2020–2040) - Margherita Matera, Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, Germany 17. Speaking Images: Illuminating the Psalter in Byzantium - Barbara Crostini, Uppsala University, Sweden Bibliography Index

About the Author :
David Davage is Reader in Old Testament Exegesis at Örebro School of Theology, Sweden. Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer is Professor in Old Testament Exegesis at Örebro School of Theology, Sweden.