The Writings
- The Writings
B. argues "the Psalms are about real acts of worship that express the relationship between God and congregation in word and deed" (p. 10). He addresses the "word and deed" concept via the notion of the Psalter as a "grammar for faith and the language of life" (p. 7) insofar as "grammar serves the purpose of characterizing what is being discussed" (p. 6), i.e., an articulated understanding of God, and consequentially formulates a person's language of life. B. evaluates the Psalter's grammar of faith according to the categories of "prayer and praise" (p. 21). Psalms of "prayer" are represented by the laments (individual and communal) while those of "praise" have a broader definition (e.g., enthronement, thanksgiving, etc.). The Psalms as "prayer and praise" then form the literary context (Sitz in der Literatur) that shapes the grammar of faith, and links up, via the movement of "prayer and praise" in the Psalter, to people's faith experiences.—A.W.D.
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W. and H., in this their third volume of the Historical Commentary series on the Psalms, explore "the depths of Christian praise" as "[p]raise is the essence of the Psalter" (p. xi). They focus on the Psalms of Book IV that proclaim "I AM reigns" (p. xi) and are thematically driven by God's kingship (Psalms 90–93, 95–100, and 103–104). These Psalms are individually and systematically analyzed in four parts where W. and H. investigate the use of these sacred texts in Christian praise of the past and present by asking: (1) "what" (the voice of the Psalmist); (2) "why" (commentary on the Psalm); [End Page 633] (3) "who, where, and when" (the voice of the church in response to the Psalmist's words); and (4) "how" (the canonical context and message of the given psalm). Like the previous volumes, their commentary draws heavily on the works of Augustine, Martin Luther, and John Calvin (among others).—A.W.D.
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In this monograph. V. provides a thorough analysis of the text, structure, and genre of Psalm 91. Already in its earliest interpretations, the psalm has been associated with the demonic realm. The use of the psalm on ancient amulets and in magical texts calls for an explanation. Examining the psalm's images of threat from a cognitive science perspective, V. shows that many of these images carry associations with sorcery and magic, incantations and curses, diseases and demons. The psalm takes demonic threats seriously, but also draws attention to the protection offered by Yhwh. In conclusion, V. proposes the sketch of a situational context in which the psalm may have functioned. [Adapted from published abstract]
V. divides up his work, which is richly illustrated with photos and drawings of ANE iconography, into three parts, each of which consists of two or more chapters. In the concluding section of his introduction, entitled "composition of this study," he provides the following helpful account of the three parts and their component chapters:
Part 1: Context. Chap. 2 (chap. 1 is the introduction) studies the place and activities of demons in the ANE worldview. Using representative texts from the Umwelt, we investigate the role that was accorded to demons in that worldview. Were they held to be the cause of sickness and evil? How was the presence of demons determined in a given case? How could one...
