Psalms (review)

Hebrew Studies 44 (2003) 265 Reviews commentary, but it offers a detailed reading of Nahum through Malachi that reveals the logic of each book as well as many fresh exegetical proposals. Pamela J. Scalise Fuller Theological Seminary Seattle, WA 98109 pscalise@jul/er.edu PSALMS. By Konrad Schaefer. Berit Olam: Studies in Hebrew Narrative & Poetry. Pp. xlv + 399. Collegeville, Minn.: The Liturgical Press, 2001. Cloth, $49.95. The author works and lives in the world-wide Benedictine community and its peculiar tradition of praying and singing the psalms. But besides being the abbot of "Our Lady of the Angels" in Cuemavaca. Mexico, he is an Old Testament scholar, well versed in Hebrew poetry and religion. From these two life-situations he is drawing his inspiration to create a spiritual guide through the whole Psalter based on deep insights into language, metaphors, structure. and the theology of each individual text. Konrad Schaefer expounds his basic views on psalm-study and psalmpraying in a concise and illuminating introduction (pp. xi-xlv). Poetry for him constitutes a special condensation of reality, accessible to anyone because of its universal beauty and meaning. Therefore, the ancient "community of faith adopted them [Le., the psalms] as a fitting expression of their life" (p. xi). "...poetry is approached as it is composed-calmly, so that it can be absorbed naturally, convincingly" (p. xi). But the art of ancient word-weaving transcends individual experience: " ...the Hebrew poem is both deeply personal and the patrimony of a flesh and bone community of faith" (p. xi). It is important for modern readers and meditators to know what the old poetic imagery was like, how the repetition and parallelism worked, and how the linguistic structure was set up. Likewise, the dramatic dimension of the Psalms should be recognized: "If we consider the psalms as liturgical texts, these sudden changes of discourse and mood are not so surprising. In the liturgy, shifts of address and modes of discourse are natural and necessary" (p. xxiv). All this means to say. that the psalms in their essence are a "School of Prayer." "The poet provides the words and images, and the orante infuses them with new meaning.... To appreciate the psalms is to understand them as the poetic expression of a religious experience. preserved by a worshipping faith community which extends to the present" (pp. xxv-xxvi). Here is the strong point of Schaefer's interpretation: He has clear hermeneutical conceptions of how the interplay between poet and congregation, reader and texts Hebrew Sllldies 44 (2003) 266 Reviews may function. All of these agents are actively taking part in the formation of prayer and praise, meditation and preaching within the Psalter (cf. especially pp. xxvi-xxxii). What many Christians consider to be obstacles in adapting psalms today-namely, the ancient treatment of violence, enemies, retribution , disease and sin, death and resurrection, curses and demons-K. Schaefer magnificently incorporates into his contextual hermeneutics pointing inclusively to modem situations which in fact coincide with ancient experiences (p. xliv). The largest part of the book (pp. 3-358), naturally, goes to the interpretation of individual psalms and-this is a marked sideline of Schaefer's thought-to the cohesive book-length text of the whole Psalter (in my opinion an idea inherent in the Benedictine tradition more than in the Hebrew Psalter). Each psalm receives careful attention in terms of its Hebrew concepts and metaphors, poetic structure, typical agents (expressive: the poet; descriptive: supplicant; enemies; friends), modes of expression, experience and argumentation, theological conclusions, etc. Schaefer proves to be the fine scholar whom we expect: His sensibility to linguistic and poetic matters is profound, producing mountains of valuable results. Surprisingly enough, however, most of the discussion and interpretation remains strictly on the level of ancient composers and constituents. The "Introduction" raised hopes for much more concreteness in situating prayers as well as demonstrating that interaction of ancient and modem experience while reading, studying, and praying the psalms. Yet, there are only very scant allusions to the involvement of the modem reader and interpreter in Schaefer's commentary. Concomitantly, there are few inferences from typically ancient occasions of suffering and joy, as extant, for example, in biblical narratives...