The Psalms as Christian Prayer

PURPOSE OF THIS COURSE:

This course begins with a study of the biblical psalms as they were used in the worship of Israel. It looks at the way the psalms were used in the worship of the New Testament Church and traces this development through the ancient church and into the Middle Ages. Particular attention is given to the revival of psalmody at the time of the Protestant Reformation and the development of the various Protestant psalters through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries until the present.

TEXTBOOK:

Hughes Oliphant Old, The Psalms as Christian Prayer (This is at present an unpublished manuscript. Availability will hopefully be forthcoming.)

PREPARATION:

Begin to observe the Christian discipline of praying through the psalms on a daily basis. Try to do this for at least a month before class, averaging ten psalms a day. Discuss your thoughts and meditations, writing them down in a spiritual journal. This journal should be no more than thirty pages, no less than twenty. Let your thoughts be guided primarily by the psalms, but also consult some of the classic psalm commentaries such as those of John Calvin, Matthew Henry, Patrick Miller, Mark Futato, Peter Martyr Vermigli, and H.-J. Kraus. This may take half an hour to an hour a day. These prayer journals should be a sort of pastor’s daily prayer ministry as he prays for and with his congregation.

SOURCE DOCUMENTS, PSALM COMMENTARIES, AND SUPPLEMENTARY READING:

Mark D. Futato, Transformed by Praise: The Purpose and Message of the Psalms (Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing Co., c. 2002)

Millar Patrick, Four Centuries of Scottish Psalmody (London: G. Cumberlege, Oxford University Press, 1949).

Peter Martyr Vermigli, Sacred Prayers Drawn from the Psalms of David, The Peter Martyr Library, trans. John Patrick Donnelly (Kirksville, Missouri: Sixteenth Century Essays and Studies, 1996).

John Cassian, The Twelve Books of the Institutes of the Cenobia, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, second series, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1973)

Athanasius, The Life of Antony and the Letter to Marcellinus, Classics of Western Spirituality (New York, Ramsey and Toronto: Paulist Press, 1980).

Terrence Kardong, Benedict’s Rule: a Translation and Commentary (Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press, c. 1996)

Korneel Vermeiren, Praying with Benedict: Prayer in the Rule of St. Benedict (Kalamazoo, Mich.: Cistercian Publications, 1999)

John Calvin, Commentary on the Psalms (Several editions are available; most easily available from a second hand bookstore)

Matthew Henry, Exposition of the Whole Bible (Here we are interested only in the exposition of the psalms in an unabridged edition. Several editions are available, Fleming Revell being the most recent.)

Hans-Joachim Kraus, Psalms, 2 vols. (Minneapolis: Augsburg, c. 1988 and 1989)

C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms (London: Collins, 1961, c. 1958)

Ross J. Miller, “Calvin’s Understanding of Psalm-Singing as a Means of Grace,” Calvin Studies VI (Davidson, North Carolina: Colloquium on Calvin Studies, 1992)

Emily Brink, Psalter Hymnal Handbook (Grand Rapids: CRC Publications, c. 1998).

Samuel Jan Lenselink, ed., Clément Marot, The Genevan Psalter, French title: Les Psaumes de

Clément Marot (Assen: Van Gorcum, 1969). (Although this work is in French, it is essential to an understanding of Reformed psalm piety.) Erik Routley, Exploring the Psalms (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975)

James H. Charlesworth, ed., The Odes of Solomon (Chico, California: Scholars Press, 1977)

Rendel Harris, The Odes and Psalms of Solomon (Cambridge, England: The University Press, 1909) (This is hard to find but worth searching out.)

Sigmund Mowinckel, The Psalms in Israel’s Worship (New York: Abingdon Press, c. 1962; Sheffield, England: JSOT Press, 1992) (While some of us may find problems with Mowinckel’s conclusions he is very helpful in showing us how the psalms were originally used.)

Jean Daniélou, The Bible and the Liturgy (Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 1956). (A key work for the liturgical renewal movement)

The Psalter Hymnal (Grand Rapids: CRC Publications, 1988)

(It is to be hoped that taking this course will be an occasion to add a number of good psalm commentaries to your library.)

TERM PAPER: Present a series of four to six sermons, either in manuscript or tape recorded form, which you have preached to your congregation. Each sermon should treat a different psalm, showing how the psalm teaches us to pray. These sermons should show us how the psalm was originally understood and used in the worship of Israel and how Christians have understood the psalm in the past or in the present. Each sermon should be a Christian meditation on one of the canonical psalms. These sermons should be submitted no later than Labor Day.

Another alternative would be a collection of twenty psalm prayers similar to those by Peter Martyr Vermigli, using, of course, contemporary language and devotional needs. The deadline would be the same.

DAILY SCHEDULE:

8:00-9:30 am–instruction 9:30-9:45 am–break 10:00-10:30 am–morning prayer (part of the course) 10:30 am-12:30 pm–instruction 12:30-4:00 pm–lunch and free time

4:00-5:30 pm–instruction 5:30-6:30 pm–evening meal time 7:00-8:30 pm–instruction 8:30-8:45 pm–evening prayer (part of the course)

In accordance with the usual practice of Erskine Seminary attendance will be taken at the beginning of both the morning and evening sessions. Absence from one session is allowed without explanation. More frequent absences may reflect on the grade.

SCHEDULE OF SESSIONS

MONDAY, May 23, 2005:

THE LITURGICAL FUNCTION OF THE CANONICAL PSALMS IN THE WORSHIP OF ISRAEL

Introduction: The Lord’s Song”–The prayers of the Holy Spirit

–Psalms as the divinely inspired prayer of Israel: Psalm 42:8 and Psalm 137:4 –The perfections of the Word of God in Psalm 19:7-13

1–Processional Psalms: Psalms 24, 84, 132, 68, Songs of Zion

2–Lamentations: Psalms of ordeal; Psalms of repentance–psalm 6, “Do not rebuke me in your anger,” psalm 51, confession of sin, psalm 130, “Out of the depths”; Therapeutic psalms–psalms 91 and 23; The story of Hannah; Psalm 22, the pattern of votive prayer; I Kings 8; Psalms of ordeal, psalms in time of famine of drought or pestilence, Jonah’s lamentation

3–Psalms for Fast Days: The prophet Joel

4–Festal Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving for salvation history–Psalms 105, 78, 136 and the Passover psalms (Basic to the study of the liturgical psalms is the work of Sigmund Mowinckel.)

TUESDAY, May 24, 2005:

THE LITURGICAL FUNCTION OF THE CANONICAL PSALMS IN THE WORSHIP OF ISRAEL (Continued)

5–Votive thanksgiving psalms: Psalm 107, a communal votive thanksgiving

6–Wisdom psalms: Psalm 1, the psalms as text for meditation; Psalm 19, the parallel between the gift of creation and the gift of the Law; The liturgical use of psalm 119, psalm 34, and

psalm 37 as Wisdom psalms

7–The Royal Psalms: Psalms used at the coronation of the king-Psalms 2, 72, and 110; Psalm 45, the royal wedding psalm; Psalm 18, prayer for the blessing of the king in battle

WEDNESDAY, May 25, 2005:

THE SECOND PHASE OF PSALM PIETY 1–The second Temple–Psalm 30 and the feast of Hanukkah: psalms 93-100, psalms for the Sabbath; Psalms 145-150, psalms for morning prayer

2–The synagogue–Psalm 137

3–Psalms 2 and 72 and Messianic prayer

THE PSALMS AS CHRISTIAN PRAYER IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

1–Acts 4 testifies to the use of psalms in Christian worship

2–Revelation 19: the development of psalm pendants and paraphrases in the New Testament Church

3–Hebrews and the Christian interpretation of the psalms

4–Psalms 118, 110, and 2, frequently referred to in all strata of the New Testament show the Christian interpretation

5–Nativity psalms in Luke

THURSDAY, May 26, 2005: PSALM PIETY FROM THE ANCIENT CHURCH TO THE MIDDLE AGES

1–Odes of Solomon (It is hoped that the student will buy a copy of this collection of psalm pendants produced by the earliest Christians.)

2–Introit psalms, gradual psalms and communion psalms–How does psalmody fit into the Mass?

3–John Cassian and the psalm piety of the desert saints (As preparation for this session one should read not only Cassian but the two works of Athanasius as well.)

4–The function of antiphons and doxologies

5–The psalmody of Jerusalem in the early Byzantine period

6–The Rule of St. Benedict

7–Cistercian reform and monastic psalmody

FRIDAY, May 27, 2005: PSALMODY AND THE REFORMATION

1–Luther’s psalms set to German tunes

2–Bucer’s psalm commentary as the first modern psalm commentary

3–The development of the Strasbourg Psalter, 1525-1537

4–The Psalter of Constance

5–The Augsburg Psalter

6–Clement Marot and the Huguenot Psalter (Listen to a good tape or CD of the Genevan Psalter, such as “Music of the Genevan Psalter” from Calvin College, “Psalms of the Trinity Psalter” by the Scottish Festival Singers, or “Psalms of Scotland” by the Scottish Philharmonic Singers)

7–Theodore Beza and his metrical psalms

8–Peter Martyr Vermigli and his psalm collects (This is another book which the student should have a copy of.)

ATTEMPTS AT AN ENGLISH PSALTER

(As preparation for this session see the work of Millar Patrick.)

1–Day’s Psalter

2–Sternhold and Hopkins Psalter

3–Sir Philip Sidney’s Psalter

4–The Scottish Psalter (Listen to a good CD or tape of the Scottish psalter. See suggestions under Genevan Psalter.)

5–The Bay Psalter

ISAAC WATTS AND THE PSALMODY OF PIETISM

1–Watts paraphrases

2–Watts and the Christian interpretation of the Psalms

3–The hymns of Watts

4–The psalms of Charles Wesley

(Note bene! More details will be filled in as we get closer to the time of class.) SUPPLEMENTARY BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PSALTERS FOR THOSE ESPECIALLY INTERESTED IN THE SUBJECT (Mined from the Princeton Seminary Library)

William Beveridge, A Defence of the Book of Psalms, Collected into Metre by Thomas Sternhold, John Hopkins and Others (London: Printed by R. Smith, and sold by W. Taylor, 1710)

Nicholas Brady and Nahum Tate, A New Version of the Psalms of David (London: Printed by M. Clark, 1969)

A Brief and Full Account of Mt. Tate’s and Mr. Brady’s New Version of the Psalms (London: Printed for Joseph Wild, 1698)

The Genevan Psalter, 1562-1865 (Geneva: Bibliothèque publique et universitaire, 1986)

Rendel Harris, An Early Christian Psalter (London: James Nisbet & Co., 1909)

John West MacMeeken, History of the Scottish Metrical Psalms with an Account of the Paraphrases and Hymns and the Music of the Old Psalter (Glasgow: M’Culloch, 1872)

The New England Psalter, or, Psalms of David: With the Proverbs of Solomon and Christ’s Sermon on the Mount (Boston: Printed for, and sold by J. Perkins, 1774)

Waldo Selden Pratt, The Music of the Pilgrims: A Description of the Psalm-book Brought to Plymouth in 1620 (Boston: Oliver Ditson Co., 1921)

The Scottish Psalter of 1635, ed. Richard Runsiman Terry (London: Novello, 1935)

Philip Sidney, The Psalmes of David (Chiswick: From the Chiswick Press, by C. Whittingham for R. Triphook, 1823)

Rochelle A. Stackhouse, The Language of the Psalms in Worship: American Revisions of

Watts’ Psalter (Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 1997)

Sternhold and Hopkins Psalter, 1848 ed. (London: Printed for the Society for Promoting Christain Knowledge, 1848)

Trinity Psalter: Psalms 1-150 (Pittsburgh: Crown & Covenant Publications, c. 1994)

Charles Wesley, The Wesleyan Psalter, ed. Thomas O. Summers (Nashville: E. Stevenson & F. A. Owen, M. E. Church, South, 1855).

John Wesley, John Wesley’s Prayer Book: The Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America, ed. James F. White (Cleveland, Ohio: OSL Publications, c. 1991)

SEMINARY POLICIES

–STYLE MANUALS FOR RESEARCH PAPERS: Erskine Seminary recommends the following style manuals for use with research papers: William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White,

Elements of Style, 3rd ed. (New York: Macmillan, 1979); Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for

Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6th ed., rev. by John Grossman and Alice

Bennett (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996); or The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003). For a Turabian software program, one may wish to consider StyleEase at http: //

–POLICY ON INCOMPLETES: As in the case of all the grades, the grade of “I” or incomplete is given at the discretion of the professor. A grade of “I” is normally given when a student has substantially completed the requirement for a course but has been prevented by extraordinary circumstances from completing all the course requirements. An “I” in any course must be removed by April 1 for a January Term, August 1 for Spring Term, November 1 for Summer Term, and March 1 for Fall Term. Otherwise, these grades automatically become “F.” Special arrangements can be made with the professor in consultation with other seminary officials in extenuating circumstances.

–NOTE REGARDING REGISTRATION/DROP ADDS: I understand that once I have completed, signed, and submitted my registration to the Registrar for this class, it is a BINDING CONTRACT, and my billing will be based on this registration. I further understand if I decide not to take this class, a “drop-add” form must be completed, including securing the appropriate signatures. Failure to properly withdraw from the class will result in receiving a grade of “F” for the course and full tuition charges will apply. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE TO THIS POLICY.