Psalms 1–50: Sighs and Songs of Israel by Ellen T. Charry

Abstract

Reviewed by: Psalms 1–50: Sighs and Songs of Israel by Ellen T. Charry Andrew W. Dyck ellen t. charry, Psalms 1–50: Sighs and Songs of Israel (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible 16; Grand Rapids: Brazos, 2015). Pp. xxvi + 271. $35. Ellen T. Charry, professor of theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, authors the first of Brazos's commentaries on the Psalms. In his foreword to the volume, William P. Brown observes that C. moves away from the standards of form criticism for understanding the Sitz im Leben of the Psalms to what he designates as "life criticism" (p. xv), an emphasis on the theological and pastoral instructions of the Psalms for readers of all generations. C.'s volume features interests in ethics and historical theology as she draws on an assortment of patristic, rabbinic, and medieval interpretations. In an important comment concerning the nature of her theological commentary, she states that "[t]he interpretation undertaken herein does not make a sustained argument about psalmic theology, but it does work from a conviction about the theological foundation of the first fifty psalms" (p. xxi). C.'s founding theological convictions are that the Psalms express that there is only one true God, the God of Israel, and that the authors also depict an urgency that arises from the duplex of identity and way of life as the psalmists triangulate God, Israel, and the gentiles. [End Page 703] Concerning the actual content, I find C.'s commentary to be unique when compared to what is already available on the Psalms. She does not offer a typical verse-by-verse analysis of a psalm. Instead, she discusses a psalm according to its "Structure and Dynamics," though this may more plainly be understood as its thematic or theological dynamics. In her commentary, she draws heavily on sources of historical interpretation while also facilitating an in-depth intertextual analysis that goes far outside the Psalter to show a greater canonical unity between the Psalms and the entirety of Scripture. In addition to her discussion of a psalm's dynamics, she explores its "theological pedagogy." For example, discussing the canonical context of Psalm 1, she argues that its place at the beginning of Psalter, and especially the beginning of Book 1 (Psalms 1–41), drives the greater message of a division in theodicy, "the goodness and power of God in light of human suffering and Israel's public defeats" (p. 1). This theme is present throughout her commentary, taking into account the Psalms of lament, penitence, and so on, within Psalms 1–50. This volume will be especially helpful for pastors and Bible teachers working through Psalmls 1–50. Further, as C.'s commentary features an engagement with a variety of historical interpreters, I consider this also to be a valuable source for introducing an individual to some significant traditions. As such, the present volume is a worthy addition to a library on biblical and theological interpretation of the Psalms. Andrew W. Dyck Wycliffe College, Toronto, ON M5S 1H7 Canada Copyright © 2018 The Catholic Biblical Association of America