Song, Prayer, Scripture

Experts from the field of biblical studies shed light on the many ways in which the Psalter psalms have been used through the ages. The focus across the volume is on the role that these psalms play in scribal, liturgical, didactic, iconographic, and literary contexts. The book is structured in four parts, covering different styles/uses of the Psalms. In part I (song) the focus in on psalms as songs, and how their uses in different performative settings have generated new interpretations. In part II (prayer) the focus is on the liturgical uses of psalms, not only how they can be used as prayers in various communities of faith but also on how they may not be used. In part III (scripture: interpretation) the focus in on the reception of several individual psalms in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions. Finally, in part IV (scripture: manuscripts) the focus is on scribal activity: transmission, translation, and illumination.