What role did the psalms play in ancient Israel? Why are the Psalsm the most frequently quoted book in the New Testament (along with Isaiah and Genesis)? How have people interpreted and used them through the centuries? How mighty they give us life today, whether in individual use or corporate worship, in providing comfort to the distressed or afflicting the comfortable? In this course, we will pursue answers to these question about the Book of Psalms along with other psalm-like compositions in and outside the Bible.
Finding answers to these questions will lead us through some of the main social, literary, and theological dimensions of psalms in
ancient Israel and its evolution in the exilic and post-exilic eras and beyond. Just as the Bible does not speak with one voice, so too, the book of Psalms reflects a host of voices, sharing joys, crying out laments, and giving thanks.