Singing the Ethos of God

In assigning a role for the Bible to play in Christian ethics, the popular question is, "How ought we to read?" Brian Brock contends the question we ought to consider is, "How can we genuinely pray and sing the Psalter?" Noting the central importance of the Psalter in the development of the church's doctrine and worship, he sets out an extended study of the Psalm exegesis of Augustine and Luther, examining the evidence showing both men felt that these performed Scriptures claim and reshape Christian action. Brock then suggests how this tradition must inform contemporary ethical and biblical interpretive judgments.With a unique combination of a survey of contemporary methodologies linking the Bible and Christian ethics, a close theological reading of the Psalm exegesis of these two revered theologians, and a theological analysis in a line-by-line exegesis explaining the Psalter's importance, Brock brings us a fresh, significant work.

Brian Brock is lecturer in moral and practical theology at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland.