B-716: THE PSALMS. Spring, 2002

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1 B-716: THE PSALMS Spring, 2002 Marti Steussy Office: 206 Phone: "[The Psalter] might well be called a little Bible. In it is comprehended most beautifully and briefly everything that is in the entire Bible....Anyone who could not read the whole Bible would here have anyway almost an entire summary of it, comprised in one little book." (Martin Luther, cited in Kraus, 1986: 12). INTRODUCTION The purpose of this course is to help you understand the Book of Psalms as (1) the hymnal/prayer book of ancient Israel and (2) a resource for contemporary faith. By the end of the semester, you should be able to: * identify key psalm genres and their functions * understand common images and ideas of the Psalms * describe the flow of the Psalter as a whole * use psalms in worship in several ways * comment upon the spiritual lessons to be learned from Psalms Because the book is so large, we will focus on selected psalms, but this should give you the skills to continue study of the entire Psalter on your own. TEXTS A three-credit class presumes about six hours of preparation per week. Begin with the biblical text, using at least three different versions of different types. (Include the MT and/or LXX, if you have the requisite language skills. You are not limited to the versions listed below, although you should use at least two standard translations).

2 Grammatical Equivalence Moderate Dynamic Equivalence Paraphrase/Specialty NRSV REB CEV NIV NJB NLBcheck JPS/TNK NAB TEV RSV KJV We have three required background texts: Bellinger, William H., Jr. Psalms: Reading and Studying the Book of Praises. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, This little introductory handbook provides some excellent suggestions for how to go about studying a psalm. Prevost, Jean Pierre. A Short Dictionary of the Psalms. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, This book discusses thirty-nine key terms used in the psalms. Readings are assigned by word in the calendar portion of this syllabus. Steussy, Marti J. Psalms, still in manuscript form but due for publication in the Chalice Commentary for Today series. A typescript is on reserve in the library; the chapter files are also posted on the class Blackboard web site (see below). I strongly recommend that you also purchase the HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, Revised Edition (1996), edited by Paul Achtemeier. Be creative in thinking of topics to look up: people, places, theological concepts, historical articles, daily-life topics such as sheep and musical instruments... Experiment with a variety of resources in your remaining study time. The bibliography at the end of this syllabus are organized in five categories (asterisks mark especially helpful resources): Full commentaries cover every psalm. The asterisked volumes are written for scholarly use and discuss linguistic and historical issue in detail. (These will tell you WHY a certain Psalm is considered post-exilic, or whatever.) Many have excellent theological discussions. Partial commentaries typically seek to introduce the reader to Psalms or to explore a particular "angle." They tend to focus on the interpretive "bottom line" and are usually relatively easy reading, but often fail to discuss alternative interpretations. The section on reading biblical poetry cites several volumes aimed at helping you appreciate and interpret the poetic techniques of ancient Hebrew writers.

3 A separate bibliography gathers discussions of the shape of the Psalter. This bibliography will be of special interest on during the weeks when we discuss the Psalter book-by-book. The final section contains a miscellaneous assortment of studies on other special topics, such as enemies in the psalms, royal imagery, and faith appropriation of the psalms. These works are less convenient to use than commentaries (because most are not arranged sequentially by psalm), but are often more interesting. I encourage you to explore some of these works. Articles and essays on particular psalms are generally not listed on the bibliographies, but are usually more interesting than commentaries. You can locate them via the library's ATLA Religion Database or from references in other sources such as technical commentaries and Bible dictionaries. In addition to the HarperCollins dictionary, I recommend the Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible (four volumes plus supplement) and the new Anchor Bible Dictionary (six volumes). If your research turns up any real gems, please post reference information on the web site! In addition to such secondary reading, you may choose to spend a significant amount of your preparation time on primary research: outlining the psalm, word study (looking up and comparing other usages of significant words), and exploration of particular motifs. ASSIGNMENTS Weekly Papers (8 due during semester. If you do extras, I will use the 8 highest grades.) A weekly paper is a one-page reflection on ONE of the week's assigned Psalms. Please do NOT treat these as major composition assignments; they are intended to help you prepare for class discussion and me see where your interests lie. (If possible I like to read these before class, but early turn-in is not required.) Single-space, no cover page, put your name on the BACK of the sheet, not the front. Divide the page into thirds: TOP THIRD: After reading the Psalm (in at least three versions), record your initial reflections. What strikes you? What is this Psalm about? What questions do you have? MIDDLE THIRD: What issues dominate scholarly discussion of the psalm? Which particularly catches your attention and why? BOTTOM THIRD: Choose a single issue and explain where you are now. What have you learned about the issue? What are the implications? What additional questions does it open up?

4 Interpretive Presentation. (10 MINUTE LIMIT unless you clear a longer format with me in advance. TIME IT before you do it!) Proposal (due Feb 1) should identify the base psalm, target audience, presentation medium and resources for development. Explore the meaning of a psalm in a liturgical dance, slide show, drama, sermon, or other non-academic presentation. Or, you may design a psalm-centered service for CTS Tuesday morning prayer (25 minute limit). We will discuss each presentation after it is given -- be ready to reveal the solid exegesis which (of course) underlies your interpretation. Graded by the class for faithfulness to the source text, effectiveness in engaging interest, and quality of execution. Monograph. (5-7 pages, plus cover sheet, notes, and bibliography. Proposal due Feb 8, draft due date to be scheduled, final paper due May 10.) An intensive study of some aspect of a psalm or psalms -- this is the part of the course where you try out a scholar's role. Choose a NARROW subject (technical commentaries will help you find ideas) and really dig into it. Graded by traditional academic criteria, including quality of research, writing, and analysis. "Power, Justice and Peace: An Exegesis of Psalm 72" by Patrick D. Miller (Faith and Mission 4 [1986]: 65-70) is a good example of a well-written exegesis. GRADES Attendance and participation15% Weekly papers (top 8)25% Monograph30% Interpretive presentation30% PRESENCE AND PROMPTNESS Your presence and participation are integral to this course. The attendance and participation grade defaults to 11 points of the possible fifteen. It will drop if you miss more than 2 class sessions or are consistently late. It will rise through high-quality participation in verbal and on-line class discussions. Note: I will not read beyond the assigned page limits on papers, and I will stop you if your presentations go overtime. ON-LINE DISCUSSION We have a class web site set up at < (Web access is available through CTS if you do not already have it.) I invite you to use the site to (1) pose questions about the psalms for the upcoming class session, especially if you need help with text and translation issues; (2) alert the professor and classmates to particularly interesting articles regarding those psalms (or Psalms in general); and (3) solicit input on your project plans. I would like to see a dozen or so postings from each of you during the semester (that is, about one per week). Please read through your classmates' postings (and respond if you see fit) before writing your own -- somebody may already have asked (or answered) the question you had in mind! I will check the web site daily during the class week.

5 CALENDAR (Subject to revision. Asterisks mark psalms appearing in the lectionary this spring. Words in quotation marks should be looked up in Prevost.) WEEK I. (Jan 25): GETTING ORIENTED Reading: Steussy, "Intro" and "Getting our Bearings" Section A. Psalm for the week: Psalm 1 Syllabus, resources for studying psalms WEEK 2 (Feb 1): ROYAL PSALMS AND THE MONARCHY Reading: Steussy, "Getting our Bearings" section B; Bellinger, chs. 1 & 6; Prevost, ix-xiv, 11-12, and "David," "God," "love," "king." Psalms for the Week: Psalms 2, 63 DUE: PRESENTATION PROPOSALS WEEK 3 (Feb 8): ROYAL PSALMS AFTER THE MONARCHY Reading: Steussy, "Getting Our Bearings" Sections C and D; Bellinger, chs. 2, 3, & 8; Prevost, 47-48, "call," "bless," "seek," "save," "trust," "truth" Psalms for the Week: 132*, 110 DUE: MONOGRAPH PROPOSALS WEEK 4 (Feb 15): LAMENTS Reading: Steussy, Book 1, Section A; Bellinger, ch. 4 and excursus; "fear," "flesh," "grace," "psalm," "sin" Psalms for the Week: 22*, 31* WEEK 5 (Feb 22): OTHER PSALMS OF BOOK 1 Reading: Steussy, Book 1, Sections B, C, D, and E. Bellinger, ch. 5; "holiness," "law," "praise," "prayer," "thanksgiving." "human" Psalms for the Week: 8, 16*

6 WEEK 6 (Mar 1): MUSIC AND THE PSALMS (Joint session with hymnody class?) Reading: J. Witvliet, "The Spirituality of the Psalter: Metrical Psalms in Liturgy and Life in Calvin's Geneva," Calvin Theological Journal. 32 (1997): ; P. Milne, "Psalm 23: Echoes of the Exodus." Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses 4 ( ): ; Prevost, 29-30, 82-88; "soul," "way," "live" Psalm for the Week: 23* WEEK 7 (Mar 8): BOOK 2 OF THE PSALTER Reading: Steussy, Book 2, Sections A & B; "breath," "glory," "heart," "rejoice," "Zion" Psalms for the Week: 46, 51* WEEK 8 (Mar 15): BOOK 3 OF THE PSALTER Reading: Steussy, Book 3; Bellinger, ch. 7; "happy," "just," "listen," "Sheol," "wicked," and at least one of the following: Blumenthal, David R. "Who is Battering Whom?" Cons. Judaism 45 (1993):72-89; Bonhoeffer, Prayerbook of the Bible, Zenger, A God of Vengeance? Psalms for the Week: 73, 88* READING WEEK (Mar 22) AND HOLY WEEK (Mar 29): NO CLASS WEEK 9 (April 5): BOOK 4 OF THE PSALTER Reading: Steussy, Book 4; "peace," "pity," "people," "praise," "word" Psalms for the Week: 90; 103

7 WEEK 10 (April 12): BOOK 5: OPENING PSALMS Reading: Steussy, Book 5, Section A; Prevost, 33-34, 76-77, "poor," "wicked" Psalms for the Week: 109, 118* WEEK 11 (April 19): THE PSALMS OF ASCENTS Reading: Steussy, Book 5, Section B; "help" Psalms for the Week: 121*, 130* WEEK 12 (April 26): BOOK 5, THE CLOSING PSALMS Reading: Steussy, Book 5, Section C; Psalms for the week: 137*, 148 WEEK 13 (May 3): FINISHING UP Reading: "Hymn to the Aton" in ANET, " Psalms for the week: 104, 67 EXAM WEEK (May 10) DUE: MONOGRAPHS FAREWELL CELEBRATION 10:00 AM to noon