Introducing the Book of Psalms

An introduction to the Book of Psalms with an emphasis on its spirituality. The following topics to be considered: creation, Israelite history and institute of kingship, communal pilgrimage, sacred space and time, covenant and law, messianic expectations, exile and restoration, individual and corporate worship, and biblical ethics as reflected in the Hebrew Psalter. The class will be also familiarized with the conventions of Hebrew poetry, the use of psalms in Jewish and Christian liturgy, the history of Psalms interpretation (particular attention will be paid to the New Testament and Patristic hermeneutics), canon, structure, authorship, and dating. The objective of this course is to help students to develop exegetical skills and apply those to the study of individual Psalms. A complete reading of the Book of Psalms is mandatory. Instructional methods: lecture notes, assigned readings, online participation, assignments, final paper.