The Spirituality of the Psalms.The Spirituality of the Psalms Psalms (sämz) or Psalter (sôl`tər), book of the Bible, a collection of 150 hymnic pieces. Since the last centuries B.C., this book has been the chief hymnal of Jews, and subsequently, of Christians. Carroll Stuhlmueller Liturgical li·tur·gi·cal also li·tur·gic adj. 1. Of, relating to, or in accordance with liturgy: a book of liturgical forms. 2. Using or used in liturgy. Press, $19.95, 208 pp. When Carroll Stuhlmueller died in 1994, he left behind a nearly finished manuscript on the psalms. Carol Dempsey, O.P., and Timothy Lenchak, S.V.D., completed the work, and we owe them an immense debt. This wonderful study, blending fine scholarship with a keen sense of the psalms as prayer, honors the memory of a great priest and teacher. I have a small collection of books on the psalms, which favors studies that draw upon the classic commentators, while addressing the life of prayer. This volume fits my twin criteria: solid scholarship, combined with a sense of why the psalter is the prayer book of the synagogue synagogue (sĭn`əgŏg) [Gr.,=assembly], in Judaism, a place of assembly for worship, education, and communal affairs. The origins of the institution are unclear. One tradition dates it to the Babylonian exile of the 6th cent. B.C. and of the church. The opening chapters concern themselves with the place of the psalms in the Bible and in the Christian community, and with ways of studying and praying the psalms. Successive chapters deal with the types of psalms. There is no total agreement on the taxonomy taxonomy: see classification. taxonomy In biology, the classification of organisms into a hierarchy of groupings, from the general to the particular, that reflect evolutionary and usually morphological relationships: kingdom, phylum, class, order, of psalm-types, so Stuhlmueller has every right to make his own choice. His taxonomy is not only useful but insightful. For example, along with such standard categories as lament, praise, and thanksgiving, he gives us a chapter on psalms for sickness and dying, as well as the royal psalms of David. Stuhlmueller provides us with many practical hints on how to read the psalms. He suggests that we read many translations; that we look for key words and key ideas; that we identify our sentiments with Jesus, who was a reader and prayer of the psalms. Finally, he invites us to pray the psalms in accordance with the liturgy and the classic commentators. The Spirituality of the Psalms is a fitting tribute to a man praised in the preface pref·ace n. 1. a. A preliminary statement or essay introducing a book that explains its scope, intention, or background and is usually written by the author. b. An introductory section, as of a speech. 2. to this book by his fellow Passionist, Donald Senior, as a person of "humane spirit" and "genuine holiness." Both elements shine through this work. Lawrence S Lawrence. 1 City (1990 pop. 26,763), Marion co., central Ind., a residential suburb of Indianapolis, on the West Fork of the White River. It has light manufacturing. 2 City (1990 pop. 65,608), seat of Douglas co., NE Kans. . Cunningham is John A. O'Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame Notre Dame IPA: [nɔtʁ dam] is French for Our Lady, referring to the Virgin Mary. In the United States of America, Notre Dame . |
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