Book Of Psalms Research Articles

A plea for vengeance in Psalm 35: 1-3 and its reflections in Africa (Yoruba) indigenous churches

Psalm 35 is one of the most popular, widely read and used Psalm among the African indigenous churches (Yoruba) in Nigeria. This article investigates why and how Psalm 35 vv. 1-3 is used as a plea for vengeance among the Yoruba Christians in African indigenous churches in Nigeria. The article explores how the plea for vengeance is understood and expressed in the African traditional context. African biblical hermeneutics with the view of providing a useful lens to reread biblical text in African context was adopted for the study. It was discovered that as early as the 3rd-century Christian era, the book of Psalms was used in the liturgy of the church. The notion of vengeance as found in Psalm 35 vv. 1-3 is a recurrent theme in African indigenous churches in Nigeria. This Psalm is used among the Yoruba Christians in African indigenous churches as a plea for divine intervention against their enemies. Through a synthesis of biblical and traditional African sources, this article demonstrates how the plea for vengeance is expressed in the cultural practices and beliefs of African indigenous churches. The plea for vengeance in this Psalm is a reflection of African indigenous churches’ understanding of key social issues such as justice, relationships between individuals and groups, and the need to maintain social integrity. Psalm 35 is usually read, sung, memorised, inscribed on parchment, and chanted by African christians and non-christians as expression of faith in God to intervene in the issues confronting them as he did for the Psalmist.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The Yoruba Christian readers of Psalm 35vv. 1-3 appeal to God for intervention against their enemies. The article emphasises that Christians should not take laws into their hands but trust in God for justice.

The Verbal Usage of עבד in the Book of Psalms: Exploring its Contextual Meaning and Theological Implications

Abstract This article delves into the multifaceted meaning of the Hebrew word עבד, commonly translated as “serve,” holds significant theological implications in the Book of Psalms, particularly concerning worship of God. This article addresses a notable gap in scholarship by examining the contextual meanings of עבד in its verbal form across the Psalms and exploring its theological implications. Contrary to previous limited interpretations, this research reveals a broader semantic spectrum including total submission, gratitude expression, offering gifts, trust in God, and proclamation of His name. Furthermore, this study explores the theological implications derived from the contextual analysis עבד in Psalms. It highlights the significance of divine kingship in messianic Psalms where עבד appears frequently. The importance of knowledge is emphasized as essential for genuine worship, providing a basis to understand God’s nature and actions. Additionally, the study reveals the interconnectedness of submission, trust, and praise, forming a holistic framework for faithful service to God.

Recurrent and current trends in the study of the Book of Psalms

Recurrent and current trends in the study of the Book of Psalms

La simbolica dello straniero nel Salterio

Who is a foreigner in the Hebrew Psalter? The article answers this question in two sections. First, seven terms referring to “foreigner” are examined to determine their individual characteristicsin the Psalms and their correspondence to biblical texts outside the Psalter. Second, other literary motifs are analyzed in a cursory reading of Psalms 105, 106 and 137. The Psalter outlines a partial picture of the foreigner, which is subordinated to theological and symbolic issues. The Psalms primarily recall the adventures of Israel, which had to frequently change its place of residence for various reasons. As a foreigner, deprived of land and permanent residence, he experienced the ups and downs of migrant life and ultimately strove to integrate into a new socio-cultural environment. Defending one’s identity and maintaining national and religious integrity is portrayed as a difficult process, at risk. Another type of foreigner in the Psalms is the non-Jew, individually or communally, who enjoys the social and legal protection to which the poor are entitled. Either he is a well-integrated member of society, or he remains unassimilated. In the latter case, his false words, harmful actions and physical hostility toward Israel come to the fore. Finally, in the Book of Psalms, terms associated with “foreigner” are part of figurative language. The vocabulary sometimes either evokes non-literal associations with foreign countries, nations and foreign gods, or denotes an emotional state of suffering and isolation. Moreover, key lexemes symbolize the transitory human condition, emphasizing the marginalization and even segregation of the petitioner from the household.

Flourishing through Prayer by Singing in a Liturgical Choir

Prayer in human life enables directing attention to God and a transcendent goal beyond Earthly life. Singing has been present in the life of Israel since the oldest times, which is proved on the pages of the Holy Scriptures, in the Books of Exodus and Psalms. In the New Testament, there is a lot of encouragement to sing the glory of God in psalms and songs, as well as praising God Most High in Revelation. The Catholic Church is concerned with the quality of liturgical music through a number of recommendations and requirements defining the pieces that may become a part of the liturgy. Liturgical choir singing is a special form of common prayer. The aim of the present paper is to examine the effect of prayer by choral singing on human flourishing. The aim was achieved by analyzing recommendations of the Church on liturgical music, presenting the assumptions of the theoretical model investigating the effect of art on human flourishing, and then conducting empirical studies. Sixteen in-depth interviews were carried out with members of fourteen choirs. There were four groups of respondents according to their gender and family status. All obtained codes were organized into five main themes with four subcategories. They confirmed the assumptions of the model presented in the theoretical part and made it possible to identify the effect of choral singing on the performers’ health and the improvement of their skills. In addition, they showed a direct relation between prayer and spiritual well-being when singing in a choir, a coherence of activities with values as well as the striving for happiness.

Battle of the Bands: The Psalter vs. Demonic Noise

Abstract When scholars discuss the use of the Psalms in early Christianity, they typically underscore how the Psalter functioned as an instrument to harmonize the self with the divine. In other words, the Psalms transformed Christian readers, allowing them to internalize the Gospel and exorcize their inner demons. This article argues, however, that there is a more externalized aspect of apotropaism to the Psalter in the writings of Athanasius. According to the bishop of Alexandria, the Psalter had real prophylactic power against embodied evil forces. Conceptualizing the Book of Psalms as an aural incarnation of Jesus that anticipated his physical incarnation, Athanasius believed that the Psalter contained Christ’s presence and could be employed to drive demons out of their strongholds and Christianize the landscape. In his Life of Antony, Athanasius’ Antony uses the Psalter in this manner as he advances into demonic territory and threatens demonic hegemony. In response, demons launch sonic attacks of their own on the great ascetic, producing a terrible cacophony. More than mere distraction, this demonic noise signifies resistance to the shifting power dynamics in the unseen realm. Thus, Life of Antony recounts a holy battle of the bands, where Christ via the Psalter competes with the devil and his motley crew of noisy demons.

“Instruction” and “Justification” in the Masoretic text, Septuagint, Elisabethian Bible and the Book of Psalms by archbishop Ambrose (Zertis-Kamensky): The translation of the lexeme חקָֻּה

The article is about the analysis of the variants of the translation of the Masoretic text’s lexeme חקָֻּה in the Septuagint, Elisabethian Bible and the Book of Psalms by archbishop Ambrose (Zertis-Kamensky), the translation from Hebrew made in the 2nd half of the 18th century. The causes of the distinctions in Greek, Church Slavic texts and in this Psalter are analyzed in this article. Archbishop Ambrose wished to clear the verses, which are the cases of the usage of this lexeme, by showing obviously, that the instructions should be understood there. The possible influence of the Church Fathers’ and medieval theologians’ exegesis on the translation of archb. Ambrose is philologically and theologically analyzed. Also the correlation between it and the academical exegetes, both Russian and West, is researched. The works of st. Athanasius the Great, st. Theodoret of Cyrus, st. Augustinus, st. Jerome of Stridon, st. Hilarius of Pictavium, Euthimius Zigaben and Cassiodorus are chosen from the first ones. The commentaries of the Lopukhin’s Explanatory Bible, of P. A. Iungerov, the Americans E. S. Gerstenberger, S. L. Terrien, the Germans F.-L. Hossfeld, E. Zenger, H.-J. Kraus and New Geneva Bible are from the second ones. The parallel between the analyzed Psalter and the Church Fathers is mostly in the works, where the “justification” is differed from the commandments. As for the academicals, only Lopukhin’s Explanatory Bible and Iungerov’s commentaries have it. Therefore, these works are also near to the analyzed Psalter.

Praying the Psalms as a Nursing Resilience Intervention.

Nurses face a range of unhealthy organizational, physical, psychological, and spiritual issues that can lead to burnout, turnover, and leaving the profession. Nurses who use prayer for support may find their faith to be another source of tension when stressors endlessly continue without change despite prayer. Walter Brueggemann's states of orientation, disorientation, and reorientation in his classic work on praying the Old Testament book of Psalms offer a means for managing spiritual tension. Praying using the psalms can become a self-care tool for building resilience.

Comparative Textual Criticism of the Peshitta of the Book of Psalms

Comparative Textual Criticism of the Peshitta of the Book of Psalms

Saʿadia Gaon’s Tafsīr of the Hebrew Bible in an Arab-Muslim Context: A Paradigm Shift?

There is a widely held assumption that translating sacred texts in line with the sociocultural and linguistic contexts of specific audiences is a recent trend that came out of nowhere, one that is motivated by the eccentric interests of an isolated group of translators whose translation strategies and products are deemed non-conformist at best or heretical at worst. This article calls this assumption into question using a case study of the work of Saʿadia Gaon (882–942), one of the pioneer translators of the Hebrew Bible into Judaeo-Arabic. The key hypothesis on which this paper is premised is that Saʿadia’s tafsīr strategies effected a paradigmatic shift in the Arabic translation of the biblical text. Through studying specific examples from Saʿadia’s translation of the Torah and the book of Psalms, this article seeks to identify his translation strategies, locating them in the sociocultural context in which he produced the translations. Specific focus is laid on issues around anthropomorphism and the use of idiomatic Islamic expressions. The article also reflects on the reception of Saʿadia’s work and the impact it had on later generations of translators and readers.

Does the Hebrew Bible construct a social trauma? Three case studies

With the rise of a trend to reread biblical texts through the lens of trauma, some scholars have begun to apply Jeffrey Alexander’s definition of social trauma to reading biblical texts in the Hebrew Bible, such as Jeremiah and Lamentations. This reading assumes that the Hebrew Bible constructs a social trauma to shape ancient Israelites’ national identity. However, this article points out that Alexander’s theory does not fit well with the narratives of the Hebrew Bible. The main argument consists of three case studies concerning the book of Jeremiah, Lamentations, and communal psalms of lament; the author argues that none of these writings answers the four questions crucial for the construction of a socially mediated trauma in Alexander’s theory.

"Abba Father”, Jesus' Call to God in the Biblical Theological Perspective of Psalm 89:26

We have been accepted as sons by the redemption of Jesus Christ, so that we may call God the Father. Therefore, let us live truly as children of God; live well and truly. For we want to touch his heart, call him by the name he loves. Call him Abba, Call Him Father. Of all his names, Abba The Father is Jesus ' call to God. We know that Jesus loved this name because it is the name that is most often used. When Jesus was on earth, he called God” Father " several times. In the prayer of victory on the cross, Jesus cried out with a loud voice; "Father, into your hands I commit my life” (Luke 23:46). God loves to be called Father. Jesus taught us to begin prayer with the words “Our Father”. Perfect love speaks of God's love. Since Jesus called God Abba, the love that can eliminate fear is the love of the Father. Agape love is perfect love, and that is the love of the father. He cares about us, he cares about us. Jesus cried Abba, O Father, so that we Christians who are given strength and salvation by-yes, can cry Abba, Father. We call him Abba, the Father because he is our Father, he cares for us, and He understands us. Perfect love exists only in the father and is able to eliminate all worries. If the Father loves Jesus as his son, the Father in heaven also loves us as his children as Christians who believe in the truth and the way of eternal salvation. For this reason, the author chose the title: "Abba Father", Jesus ‘call to God in the perspective of Biblical Theology from the book of Psalms 89:26, he will also cry out to me: 'My Father You Are God and my rock my salvation.’

The Book of Psalms in a New Ukrainian Translation, Psalms 90-106

The Book of Psalms in a New Ukrainian Translation, Psalms 90-106

Telling Stories for Healing and Resilience: A Trauma-informed Reading of Psalms 105 and 106

The poetic telling of stories—especially stories of ancestral failings and ongoing relationship to those failings—is a key aspect of how the book of Psalms moves audiences from trauma to healing and resilience. Trauma blocks the ability of survivors to narrate a coherent story of their experiences. Learning to tell traumatic stories—and integrate them into life moving forward—is a significant factor in healing from past traumas and building the resilience necessary to survive and sustain well-being through future ones. The “twin” Psalms 105 and 106 are an example of how the book of Psalms equips audiences for this work of processing trauma, moving toward healing, and building resilience through its poetic language, narrative structures, and community context. In particular, these psalms narrate a shared history, acknowledge the good and the bad within that history, and demand participation and response.

Human on human violence in the Psalter

Violence takes many forms in the book of Psalms: descriptions of violence against the psalm singer(s), violence inflicted by the wicked upon others, violence enacted by God against the psalm singer(s), and violence enacted by God against the enemies of the psalm singer(s). This study mainly examines the first two categories: human on human violence. Focusing on Psalms 55, 139, and 109, the work explores three types of human on human violence (direct or immediate violence, textual or symbolic violence, and structural and cultural violence), including interpretations from feminist scholars and voices from South Africa. The concluding discussion attempts to answer questions of how people might understand these psalms and incorporate them into their own language of freedom and faith.

Discovering “Place” and “Space” in Psalm 104

Taking cues from Gert Prinsloo’s work on “space” and “place” and employing a canonical reading of the book of Psalms, this article attempts to find the “space” and “place” of Ps 104. Psalm 104 is located in Book 4, which, according to the story-line of the Psalter, reflects the exilic period of Israel’s history. After introducing the psalm and examining its provenance, the article moves on to a detailed study of “place” and “space,” using Claudia Camp’s categories of “firstspace,” “secondspace,” and “thirdspace,” and employing “Chatman’s Box” to further define “secondspace” and “thirdspace.” The article concludes that the words of Ps 104, directed to exilic and postexilic hearers, were a reminder that God is sovereign over and provides for all creation, and as part of the created order, humanity should recognise God’s provision for it despite life

Too Good Is Bad: On a Forgotten Translation of the Book of Psalms From 1700

This contribution is devoted to an English translation of the Book of Psalms made by John Caryll and David Nairne at the exiled court of James II in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The Psalmes of David, translated from the Vulgat first printed in 1700, received a corrected and revised edition brought out in 1704. Despite the significant place it occupies in the history of translations of the Psalter from the Vulgate into English, it has hardly received any scholarly attention. The paper examines the circumstances in which this translation emerged, looks at its language and compares it with its rival texts, examines its reception, circulation, and sociolinguistic context with a view to determining why the text ceased to be printed and why it has suffered neglect in the literature dealing with biblical translations. The contribution also presents for the first time the text of Psalm 1 from the newly discovered manuscript version of the Psalmes preserved in SCA in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Choroba i paradygmaty izolacji na przykładzie wybranych bohaterów biblijnych

Illness and its consequences, as an integral part of human life, are often presented in biblical accounts. The Bible, however, puts the main focus of interest not on the depiction of the dramatic experience of the individual but rather on the theological interpretation of disease as a righteous punishment for sin. Hence, except for the Book of Job, the description of man’s suffering is one-sided, concise and laconic. Descriptions of isolation are another matter. The examples analysed in this article — Job, King David, Jesus of Nazareth, st. Elizabeth, the anonymous daughter of Jephthah, John the Baptist and the Hebrews during their journey to Canaan — illustrate various models of experiencing the phenomenon of isolation. They can be assigned to three paradigms: isolation–alienation, isolation–integration, as well as isolation–crisis–rebellion. Due to the specific nature of the literary genre, this paper is based on the narrative books of the Bible. The Book of Psalms and prophetic books were excluded from this analysis.

Intercultural Worship and Decolonialization: Insights from the Book of Psalms

This essay unpacks the relationship between an intercultural approach to worship and the vision of decolonization. It argues that for justice and liberation to be front and center in intercultural practices, there is a need to analyze the power dynamics that are present in the midst of a diverse worshipping community. Equally important is that the vision of decolonization needs the intercultural approach because of its ability to build bridges between people who are different, so that the faith community can overcome fragmentation by experiencing truth telling, healing, and transformation. The essay goes on to suggest that the book of Psalms offers rich resources for envisioning an intercultural worship that seeks to embody alternatives to oppressive, exclusionary, and alienating politics of assimilation and segregation. The book of Psalms, which was, for the most part, composed or redacted in the shadow of different empires, proclaimed God’s reign as a faith posture in the face of oppressive empires. This central motif of God’s reign, which appears in psalms of lament and psalms of praise, restores the agency of the oppressed by giving them a voice and holds those who abuse their power accountable. Practices such as lament and praise allow a diverse worshipping community to pay attention to how people experience power differently, and it calls them to be authentic and truthful so that these diverse people may work together towards transformation, justice, and healing.

Il commento di Atanasio ai Salmi e la tradizione catenaria

Athanasius of Alexandria (about 300-373) commented on the book of Psalms, as Jerome stated in 393. This exegesis has not been preserved directly, but it appeared from the sixth century in the Greek catena, and in an unusual form. The commentary, which includes all the Psalms, is divided into 22 centuries, each century being a series of hundred passages. In all there are 2,161 passages, numbered with great precision in a 10th century Constantinopolitan manuscript, the Vaticanus Gracus 754. This division can be dated back to the sixth century, because the text in this form is confirmed by four oriental versions and by a Byzantine anthology from the end of the 11th century.