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One of the most respected Old Testament scholars of our time introduces us to the history of scholarship on the Psalter and provides hermeneutical guidelines for interpreting the book— making accessible to us the transforming messages of the Psalms.
- Sales Rank: #335420 in eBooks
- Published on: 2013-02-28
- Released on: 2013-02-15
- Format: Kindle eBook
Review
“It is hard to imagine a better introduction to the book of Psalms, whether for pastors, seminary students, or general readers. Gordon Wenham, one of the most respected Old Testament scholars of our time, makes a compelling case for the relevance of the psalms for both public and private worship. The Psalter Reclaimed is engagingly written, well informed, practical, and genuinely inspiring.”
—Gordon P. Hugenberger, Senior Minister, Park Street Church, Boston
“We are grateful to Professor Wenham for gathering in one volume many of his special studies on the Psalms, for many the favorite book of the First Testament. The essays included here not only introduce readers to the history of scholarship on the Psalter, but also provide us with hermeneutical guidelines for interpreting the book. And best of all, they make accessible to us its inspiring and transforming message.”
—Daniel I. Block, Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College
“This collection of essays is vintage Gordon Wenham. Taking seriously both the church’s tradition of using the psalms and the possibilities provided by the latest exegesis, he shows us what it means to make use of the Psalter and how this can be done. The result is a rich theological and exegetical brew that nourishes both heart and head.”
—David G. Firth, Lecturer in Old Testament, St John’s College, Nottingham, United Kingdom; author, Hear, O Lord: A Spirituality of the Psalms
“This book’s many virtues make it instructive and refreshing: I appreciate its stress on the psalms’ place in public worship, and the speech-act notion of self-involvement in singing. Wenham also offers helpful arguments for respecting the titles of the psalms. And the creative approach to ‘canonical reading’ allows us to view each psalm both as a composition for public singing and as a part of the canonical book (which may guide our interpretation). I heartily commend this work!”
—C. John Collins,�Professor of Old Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary; author, The God of Miracles, Science,�and�Faith: Friends or Foes?� �
“As someone who comes from an Asian (Filipino) context, I find it heartwarming to read The Psalter Reclaimed. This book helps those of us in the majority world, where the church continues to grow, by showing us a way of reading the psalms that brings us closer to God.”
—Federico G. Villanueva, Associate Professor and Director of Biblical Studies, Alliance Graduate School, Manila, Philippines; author, It’s OK to Be Not OK: The Message of the Lament Psalms
“The Psalter Reclaimed is an absolute delight! This study takes us on a whirlwind journey through the book of Psalms, hitting all the high points along the way. Themes like the dynamic of singing our theology; reading the Psalms as a book, as prayers, and in the light of Christ; and dealing with the ‘nasty’ psalms are all considered with real exegetical insight and winsomeness. If your desire is to ‘reclaim the Psalter,’ then this is definitely the book for you.”
— Jamie A. Grant, Lecturer in Biblical Studies, Highland Theological College, Dingwall, Scotland; author, The King as Exemplar: The Function of Deuteronomy's Kingship Law in the Shaping of the Book of Psalms
About the Author
Gordon Wenham (PhD, University of London) is an adjunct professor at Trinity College, Bristol. He previously studied theology at the universities of Cambridge, London, and Harvard, and taught Old Testament at Belfast and Gloucestershire Universities. He has also authored a number of critically acclaimed Bible commentaries and books. Gordon and his wife, Lynne, have four children.
Most helpful customer reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful.
A very solid canonical and theological introduction to Psalms
By Jeremy Hoover
This is a very good book on Psalms. It serves as introduction, though it's made up of a collection of essays that began as individual lectures on different aspects of Psalms.. Wenham's focus is canonical criticism and throughout the chapters of the book he pays close attention to the arrangement of the entire book. A key interpretive point is this: it is not so much the individual psalm, or it's (reconstructed) social setting, matters; rather, it is the psalm's placement within the whole psalter that matters. He regularly inquires what the editor of the psalter intended.
In addition to the focus on canonical criticism, Wenham also includes a chapter that discusses speech-act theory. As we verbally pray and sing the psalms we commit ourselves to learning and doing the psalms. Regularly worshiping with these psalms will enable us to grow spiritually.
There is also a chapter on the ethics of the psalms, which Wenham notes is a neglected area of study. In this chapter, he compares the psalter to the Decalogue and discusses the treatment in Psalms of the righteous and the wicked.
Overall, the book is a very good introduction to Psalms. My own canonical reading and understanding of not only Psalms but of the entire Bible has been improved by reading this book.
I disagree with the earlier reviewers who note that the book is too technical and not devotional. I was repeatedly driven back to the Psalms and have renewed my daily reading of these great poems of faith. If one is looking for a devotional commentary, this is not your book. If you are a general reader and not versed in biblical criticism, this is not your book. But if you have at least a passing knowledge of criticism you will be fine with this book. It is technical to a point, but canonical criticism is very accessible and rewarding to those who work to understand its basic tenets.
Spend some time with this book. You will be driven back to the Psalms in faith and wonder.
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful.
An Introduction
By revtcr
An Overview
Chapter 1. What Are We Doing Singing the Psalms? Wenham makes the case that the people of God have been praying and praising with the Psalms from the time of David to the Second Temple to Jesus and the early church, all the way through the Middle Ages and the Reformation, up till the eighteenth century. The reader will also find Wenham use of speech-act theory to explore what we are doing when reciting publicly or singing the Psalms quite instructive.
Chapter 2. Praying the Psalms. Wenham argues that the Psalms are designed to be prayed. With the help of the Apostle Paul, Athanasius and Calvin he makes his case. After lamenting largely the absence of the Psalms in our churches and seminaries, Wenham explores the various uses and categories of the Psalms.
Chapter 3. Reading the Psalms Canonically. This is perhaps the most academic of the work. Here the reader finds Wenham engaging scholars from 1926 to 2005 on the editing of the Psalter to the titles attached to many of them (David, Asaph, etc). Wenham argues that final-form and canonical readings of the Psalter have to take seriously the Psalm titles.
Chapter 4. Reading the Psalms Messianically. Wenham explores what Psalms should be called messianic, how the NT reads them, and how the practice of canonical reading contributes to resolving the issue. After making the point that originally many of the Psalms were not understood messianically, Wenham, however, argues that a historical interpretation is not the last word, by appealing to sensus plenior or fuller sense of what would be called messianic.
Chapter 5. The Ethics of the Psalms. In this chapter Wenham builds on the assumption that people give utterance to their deepest and most fundamental convictions. At the heart of these convictions for the Hebrew people are the Ten Commandments and the character of God.
Chapter 6. The Imprecatory Psalms. Here the reader finds Wenham engaging various works on how best to approach these psalms. In the end, his view may be summed up thus: "To eliminate prayers that God would pour out his wrath on our enemies `would reduce the biblical God to a spectator uninterested in this world'" (see my post here).
Chapter 7. Psalm 103: The Song of Steadfast Love. The reader is treated to an exposition here. Wenhams approach is to consider Psalm 103′s place in the Psalter, its connection with other psalms, and its title. The reader will also find more of Wenham and less of his interaction with other works. In good homilectical style, Wenham moves from the text to a modern day application.
Chapter 8. The Nations in the Psalms. This is a treat. Psalm 1 and 2 are seen as providing something of an outline for how the rest of the Psalter should be read. For example, from Psalm 2, Wenham outlines five themes that he finds recurring in the Psalter. He then proceeds to trace these themes throughout the Psalter. Also, in keeping with the title of the chapther, Wenham sees in Psalm 87:4-6 the names of nations that mark the four heavenly quarters: west (Egypt), east (Babylon), north (the land of the Philistines and Tyre), and south (Cush), and how these nations, once Israel's traditional great enemies, are being granted citizenship of Jerusalem, "this one was born there."
A Critique
First, I believe the sub-title of the book is a bit misleading, "Praying and Praising with the Psalms." It would have been better titled: The Psalter Reclaimed: An Introduction. Why do I say this? Well, the reader seeing this title is looking for a work that will help him or her reclaim the Psalms in their personal life and essentially that of the church. The reader is thus looking for a more practical work. But Wenham's work is more academic, which the average, lay member will not appreciate.
Second, apart from chapter 7, "Psalm 103: The Son of Steadfast Love," the reader finds himself reading more about what others have said rather than what Wenham truly believes about a particular issue. I was hoping to hear more of Wenham throughout. But as I said above, this work would better be served as an introduction.
Conclusion
More on the positive side, the reader gets a better feel for the structure of the Psalm. Rather than viewing it as a collection of isolated psalms, drawing on the final editor(s) of the Psalter, Wenham convinces the reader that their is indeed structure, five books, patterned after the Pentateuch, and that each psalm must be read in connection with other psalms and the Psalter as a whole.
As an introduction, and I don't know if Wenham himself is responsible for the book's title, I find it a solid contribution.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
Solid and Valuable Approach to Understanding and Exegeting the Psalms
By Michael C. Boling
The Psalms are arguably one of the most well known yet perhaps most overlooked portion of Scripture when it comes to understanding the theological depth they contain. Many of the Psalms have been a source of comfort for believers most notably the 23rd Psalm with its depiction of God guiding and protecting His people no matter what may befall them. With that said, do we really understand or comprehend how to study the Psalms from a hermeneutical and exegetical approach? Dr. Gordon Wenham, in his book The Psalter Reclaimed provides a helpful and lucid approach to gaining a more in-depth understanding of the Psalms.
Wenham rightly notes the Psalms are in essence a mini-Bible, providing an overview of biblical events such as creation, the conquest of Canaan, the life of King David, temple worship, the time of the exile as well as vastly deep theological concepts such as the character of God and His dealings with sinful man.
Yet another interesting aspect of the Psalms is the manner in which they were written. Given the fact most people today do not read the Psalms in Hebrew, many of the beautiful poetic elements of the Psalms that are present in the original language have been "lost in translation" so to speak. Wenham aptly reminds the reader of the ability of ancient societies such as the Greeks and the Hebrews to set large amounts of information to memory. This is an important concept to grasp, especially when reading the Psalms. In many churches today, Psalms have been turned into worship songs and rightly so as the Psalter is replete with the message of praise and adoration to God. What many perhaps forget is the Israelites often sung what became known as the Psalter on various occasions and at numerous events throughout the year. The Psalms were written in such a manner as to promote memorization. Wenham comments "Not only does the content make the Psalter useful as a summary of the Old Testament and its teaching, but there are many features that may be viewed as aids to memory." It is those features that Wenham spends the vast remainder of his book engaging.
Wenham first outlines the different categories of Psalms such as the Psalms of Praise, Psalms of Lament, Penitential Psalms, and Messianic Psalms. Subsumed within those categories are subsets of Psalms that further elaborate on for example various types of praise psalms or Messianic Psalms. When the reader of the Psalter understands what type of Psalm they are reading, it is much easier to understand the context, connect the historical event that is being described by the Psalmist to a particular Psalm, and most importantly to properly apply the message of that particular Psalm within the grand context of Scripture.
The next method of studying the Psalms Wenham addresses is viewing and understanding them by how they are arranged within the Psalter as a whole. This approach largely began under the influence of Gerald Wilson's book, The Editing of the Hebrew Psalter. While other scholars had presented the importance of understanding how the Psalter was arranged, it was Wilson's book that presented a holistic approach on this issue. Wenham provides an interesting quote from Wilson that elaborates on why one should be cognizant of the arrangement of the Psalter:
"The effect of the editorial fixation of the first psalm as an introduction to the whole Psalter is subtly to alter how the reader views and appreciates the psalms collected there. The emphasis is now on meditation rather than cultic performance; private, individual use over public, communal participation. In a strange transformation, Israel's words of response to her God have not become the Word of God to Israel."
Wenham also saliently discusses the importance of recognizing the titles given to the individual Psalms as a means of comprehending the subject matter of that Psalm. Often, the title bears some attribution of the authorship of that Psalm, although titles such as "by David" often meant they were a Psalm about David and not specifically by him.
Most believers are likely aware of the many Messianic themed Psalms. For those who are not, a Psalm is considered Messianic if it predicts or discusses the life of the Messiah. Sometimes it is difficult to assert which Psalms are truly Messianic in nature given the idea of the Messiah is multi-faceted within Old Testament Jewish thought. In this section, Wenham critically analyzes a number of scholarly approaches to the Messianic understanding of the Psalms, noting where some scholars succumbed to liberal theological approaches and where others have stayed true to the text at hand. This was a very fascinating chapter especially given the subject matter. Wenham does a great job of analyzing the various potential Messianic psalms noting key terms to look for, in particular references to David, noting the importance of understanding the reality that some of these Psalms are specifically related to David, others related to David and the Messiah, and some specifically speak of the Messiah.
Another fascinating element of The Psalter Reclaimed is the discussion on the ethical value contained in the Psalter. Quite honestly, this was an approach I had not thought much about and one that was not discussed even in graduate level classes on the Psalms. Wenham rightly notes the scarcity of scholarly work on this element of theological research on the Psalms so it was certainly valuable for him to engage this topic in his book. He avers "The Psalms are first and foremost prayers, so they constantly bring God into the picture, not least in their ethical statements. God's character is constantly appealed to as the guarantor of the ethical system: he will ensure that the wicked are punished, and the righteous are rewarded. But more than that, God's actions are often seen as a model for human behavior." This concept is perhaps most applicable when it comes to understand the purpose of what are called the Imprecatory Psalms, the Psalms that speak of God judging the wicked. While the Psalmist certainly calls for God to smite the wicked, it is always within the framework of allowing God to be the righteous Judge, with calls for personal vindictiveness completely absent from the conversation.
The Psalter Reclaimed is a valuable book for anyone who desires to engage the Psalms on any number of levels. It is written in such a manner that scholars and layman alike will appreciate its depth and ease of reading. Wenham stands firm on a sound theological approach to the Psalter, rejecting liberal scholarship in favor of letting God's Word speak. His consistently excellent exegesis of the Psalms is greatly appreciated. I highly recommend this book given the value the Psalms provide the believer and given the reality that most people have only a surface level understanding of the vast theological depth this book of Scripture has within its pages.
I received this book for free from Crossway for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
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