Erhard S. Gerstenberger – författare

Psalms, with an Introduction to Cultic Poetry, is Volume XIV of The Forms of the Old Testament Literature, a series that aims to present a form-critical analysis of every book and each unit in the Hebrew Bible. Fundamentally exegetical, the FOTL volumes examine the structure, genre, setting, and intention of the biblical literature in question. They also study the history behind the form-critical discussion of the material, attempt to bring consistency to the terminology for the genres and formulas of the biblical literature, and expose the exegetical process so as to enable students and pastors to engage in their own analysis and interpretation of the Old Testament texts. Erhard Gerstenberger begins this volume with an examination of the nature of cultic poetry, its role in ancient Near Eastern religion, and more specifically its role in the religion of Israel. He goes on to survey the genres of cultic poetry, including lament, complaint, and thanksgiving. He then focuses on the book of Psalms as an example of cultic poetry, first analyzing the book as a whole and then working through Psalms 1-60 unit by unit, discussing structure, genre, setting, and intention.The work is enhanced by extensive bibliographies and a glossary of genres and formulas that offers clear, thorough definitions with examples.

Multiple essays on the Psalms by the influential Psalms exegete, Erhard Gerstenberger. Erhard Gerstenberger (1932-2023) has been a highly influential exegete of the Psalms for several decades. He demonstrated how the Psalms were able to modulate the deepest feelings of individuals and communities, encompassing a wide variety of existential experiences relating to God and the world. Gerstenberger believed that psalmic poetry grew out of diverse and real-life situations.The first two essays in Charting the Course of Psalms Research deftly review the secondary literature. The first covers the 'lyrical literature' of the Old Testament, and the second considers the history of interpretation of the Psalms. The remaining essays explore the social settings of the Psalms and their connection to theology and communication theory, and include two chapter translated into English for the first time and edited by K.C. Hanson. Student and researcher alike will be enriched by the insights Gerstenberger provides.

This is a history of religion rather than a theological book. In the introduction, Erhard Gerstenberger argues that the Old Testament contains many different theologies and he pays attention to the context in which the Old Testament is studied. He follows this up with an outlined study of the history of Ancient Israel, and goes on to examine faith, cultic practices and ethics as illustrations of belief in God (or gods, or goddesses) in each of the different stages. The approach is essentially sociological with close attention paid to both archaeology and the biblical texts, and each chapter raises the issue of what these investigations mean for belief in the modern world.

The author here offers a radical departure from traditional treatments of Old Testament theology. Rather than offering a systematic approach, he discusses the various theological voices coming from different social settings within ancient Israel: the family and the clan, village, tribal alliance, and kingdom. Gerstenberger concludes with his reflections on how the biblical witness informs contemporary theology, and must be contextual and ecumenical in order to be authentic.

Psalms, Part 2, and Lamentations is Volume XV of The Forms of the Old Testament Literature, a series that aims to present a form- critical analysis of every book and each unit in the Hebrew Bible. Fundamentally exegetical, the FOTL volumes examine the structure, genre, setting, and intention of the biblical literature in question. They also study the history behind the form-critical discussion of the material, attempt to bring consistency to the terminology for the genres and formulas of the biblical literature, and expose the exegetical procedures so as to enable students and pastors to engage in their own analysis and interpretation of the Old Testament texts. This volume completes Erhard Gerstenberger's widely praised discussion of the psalms literature begun in Volume XIV, and includes as well an admirable study of the book of Lamentations. Gerstenberger interprets the different kinds of songs and prayers that comprise the book of Psalms in light of their socio-historical settings and provides a concise formal and structural analysis of each biblical text based on an illuminating comparison with other ancient Near Eastern prayers and hymns. Seeing the biblical writings in relation to the social, cultic, religious, and theological conceptions of Israel's neighoring peoples allows contemporary readers to better grasp the purpose and spiritual meaning of the psalms and Lamentations to the Jewish community that composed them.

For six decades, Erhard Gerstenberger was a leader in the study of the Psalms and ancient Israelite poetry. The essays in this volume bring together some of his key contributions reflecting on two fundamental forms of prayer in the biblical tradition: praise and petition. Both the student and the experienced researcher will be enriched by the depth and clarity of perspective that Gerstenberger brings. One of the essays (chapter 4) appears here for the first time in any language.Contents1. Petition and Praise: Basic Forms of Prayer in Babylonian and Hebrew Traditions2. "Where Is God?" The Cry of the Psalmist3. Complaint and Confession: Psalm 694. Form Criticism in Action: Psalm 225. New Form Criticism: Psalm 556. Jeremiah''s Complaints: Observations on Jer 15:1-217. Elusive Lamentations: What Are They About?

For the past several decades, Erhard Gerstenberger has been a leader in the study of the Psalms. These essays bring together some of the key contributions that both reflect on the history of interpretation and the path forward for research. Both the student and the experienced researcher will be enriched by the depth and clarity of perspective that Gerstenberger brings. Two of the essays appear here in English for the first time.Contents1. The Lyrical Literature2. Psalms3. The Psalm Genres4. Theologies in the Psalms5. Modes of Communication with the Divine in the Hebrew Psalter6. The Psalms and Ritual Praxis7. Non-Temple Psalms: The Cultic Setting Revisited8. The Psalter as Book and as Collection

In this brilliant work, Gerstenberger examines the Israelite legal tradition. He argues against the thesis that the so-called "e;apodicitic"e; laws in the Old Testament were distinctively Israelite, a single form, or originating in the liturgy and covenant-making. Using the story of Jonadab and the Rechabites in Jeremiah 35 and the incest prohibitions in Leviticus 18, the author argues that the setting in life of prohibitions was the ethos of the tribe. The literary settings in the Covenant Code, Holiness Code, and Deuteronomic are all secondary uses.

Die sumerische Literatur des 3. und 2. Jahrtausends v.u.Z. bietet auch zahlreiche hymnische Texte, die überwiegend der kultischen Tradition entstammen. Sie feiern Macht, Ansehen und Fürsorge von Gottheiten, Königen, Tempeln, usw. Erhard S. Gerstenberger analysiert, ausgehend von dem formelhaften, archaischen Heilsruf: "[Name] sei Preis!" = "[dGN] zà-mí" (vergleichbar dem biblischen "Halleluja"), die mannigfachen Aussagen des Lobpreisens (zà-mí). Er zeigt, dass es im sumerischen Lob nicht nur um die untertänige, pflichtgemäße Anerkennung von Übermächten geht, sondern um eine effektive Kraftübertragung von Seiten der Lobenden auf die Rezipienten der Huldigung. Stärkendes oder Existenz begründendes Lob kann also nicht nur von Machtträgern ausgehen. Auch das Geschöpf Mensch nimmt am Welt gestaltenden, erhaltenden, heilsamen Preisen teil, vor allem durch Bitten und Loben. Es übernimmt damit seine Verantwortung inmitten der geheimnisvollen Interaktionen aller kosmischen Wirkkräfte personhafter sowie unpersönlicher Art.

Der alttestamentliche Psalter ist eine überaus reiche Sammlung von Liedern und Gebeten Altisraels. Diese stammen aus dem 10. bis 4. Jahrhundert v. Chr. und sind ursprünglich in unterschiedlichsten gottesdienstlichen Feiern gebraucht worden, von der Krankheitsbeschwörung bis zur Königskrönung, vom Tora-Unterricht bis zur Haussegnung, vom Dankgelübde bis zu den alten Erntefesten. Die Gedichte vermitteln Glauben und Anschauungen ihrer jeweiligen Zeit und Gesellschaft. Aber sie sind oft überraschend aktuell, weil sie urmenschliche Begeisterung und Angst, Hoffnung und Verzweiflung, Nachdenklichkeit und Bewunderung wortmächtig zum Ausdruck bringen. Der Band informiert über die Entstehung des Psalters und gibt im Hauptteil ausführliche Anleitungen zur Erarbeitung und zum tieferen Verständnis der Texte. Abschließend werden Wege zu übergreifenden Psalmenthemen und zur Aneignung von Psalmen-Grundwissen aufgezeigt.