The Oxford Handbook of the Psalms

The Psalms-the longest and most complex book in the Bible-is a varied collection of religious poetry, the product of centuries of composition and revision. It is the most transcribed and translated book of the Hebrew Bible. Intended for both scholar and student, The Oxford Handbook of the Psalms features a diverse array of essays that treat the Psalms from a variety of perspectives. Beginning with an overview of the Psalms that touches on the history of scholarship and interpretation, the volume goes on to explore the Psalms as a form of literature and a source of creative inspiration, an artifact whose origins remain speculative, a generative presence in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and a still-current text that continues to be read and appropriated in various ways. Classical scholarship and traditional approaches as well as contextual interpretations and practices are well represented. The Handbook's coverage is uniquely wide-ranging, covering everything from the ancient Near Eastern background of the Psalms to contemporary liturgical usage. This volume offers a dynamic introduction into an increasingly complex field and will be an indispensable resource for all students of the Psalms.

William P. Brown is an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. Bill has also taught at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond and at Emory University. He is the author of several books and numerous essays in biblical studies, including The Seven Pillars of Creation: The Bible, Science, and the Ecology of Wonder, Seeing the Psalms: A Theology of Metaphor, and Psalms.

Preface
Abbreviations
List of Contributors

1. The Psalms: An Overview - William P. Brown

Part I. Ancient Near Eastern Backgrounds
2. Mesopotamian Parallels to the Psalms - Anna Elise Zernecke
3. Canaanite Backgrounds to the Psalms - Mark S. Smith
4. Egyptian Backgrounds to the Psalms - Bernd U. Schipper

Part II. Language of the Psalms
5. Poetry of the Psalms - F. W. Dobbs-Allsopp
6. The Psalms in Poetry - Peter S. Hawkins
7. Language of Lament in the Psalms - Carleen Mandolfo
8. Praise and Metonymy in the Psalms - Travis J. Bott
9. Wisdom Language in the Psalms - Diane Jacobson

Part III. Translating Psalms
10. The Aramaic Psalter - David M. Stec
11. The Septuagint Psalter - Joachim Schaper
12. Jerome's Psalters - Scott Goins

Part IV. Composition of the Psalms
13. The Levites and the Editorial Composition of the Psalms - Susan E. Gillingham
14. On the Ordering of Psalms as Demonstrated by Psalms 136-150 - Yair Zakovitch
15. Unrolling the Dead Sea Psalms Scrolls - Peter W. Flint

Part V. History of Interpretation and Reception: A Sampling
16. Some Aspects of Traditional Jewish Psalms Interpretation - Alan Cooper
17. Psalms in the New Testament - Stephen P. Ahearne-Kroll
18. Psalms in the Qur'an and in the Islamic Religious Imagination - Walid A. Saleh
19. Reception of the Psalms: The Example of Psalm 91 - Brennan Breed

Part VI. Interpretive Approaches
20. Psalms and the Question of Genre - William H. Bellinger, Jr.
21. Psalms of the Temple - Richard J. Clifford
22. Non-Temple Psalms: The Cultic Setting Revisited - Erhard S. Gerstenberger
23. The Shape and Shaping of the Psalter: Psalms in their Literary Context - J. Clinton McCann, Jr.
24. The Meta-Narrative of the Psalter - Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford
25. Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and the Psalms - Joel M. LeMon
26. Rhetoric of the Psalms - Robert L. Foster
27. Poetic Attachment: Psychology, Psycholinguistics, and the Psalms - Brent A. Strawn
28. Feminist Interpretation of the Psalms - Melody D. Knowles
29. Kingship in the Book of Psalms - Norman K. Gottwald

Part VII. Culturally Based Interpretations
30. Singing a Subversive Song: Psalm 137 and "Colored Pompey" - Rodney S. Sadler, Jr.
31. Rising from Generation to Generation: Lament, Hope, Home, and Dream - John J. Ahn
32. Psalms in Latin America - Edesio Sanchez

Part VIII. Theologies of the Psalms
33. Jewish Theology of the Psalms - Marc Zvi Brettler
34. Christian Theology of the Psalms - Rolf A. Jacobson

Part IX. Anthropologies of the Psalms
35. On "Being Human" in the Psalms - Walter Brueggemann
36. The Righteous and the Wicked - Jerome F. D. Creach

Part X. Practicing the Psalms
37. The Psalms in Christian Worship - Kimberly Bracken Long
38. Preaching Psalms - Thomas G. Long
39. Singing the Psalms - Michael Morgan
40. Psalms as Resources for Pastoral Care - Carol L. Schnabl Schweitzer
41. The Psalms: A Monastic Perspective - Edmée Kingsmill SLG
42. Ecological Use of the Psalms - David Rensberger

Appendix I "Apocryphal" Psalms in the Psalms Scrolls and in Texts Incorporating Psalms - Peter W. Flint
Appendix II Contents of the Psalms Scrolls and Related Manuscripts - Peter W. Flint

Subject Index
Scriptural Index