Seeing the Psalms: A Theology of Metaphor

Seeing the Psalms: A Theology of Metaphor

by William P. Brown
Seeing the Psalms: A Theology of Metaphor

Seeing the Psalms: A Theology of Metaphor

by William P. Brown

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Overview

William Brown introduces a new method of exegesis, particularly for biblical poetry, that attends to the metaphorical contours of the Psalms. His method as proposed and demonstrated in this book supplements traditional ways of interpreting the Psalms and results in a fresh understanding of their original context and contemporary significance.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780664225025
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Publication date: 10/31/2002
Pages: 256
Sales rank: 344,099
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.66(d)

About the Author

William P. Brown is William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary. He has published numerous works, including Seeing the Psalms: A Theology of Metaphor and Ecclesiastes in the Interpretation series. He also serves on the editorial board for the esteemed Old Testament Library series, published by Westminster John Knox Press.

Table of Contents

Illustrationsvii
Prefaceix
Abbreviations and Symbolsxi
Introduction: A Poetics of the Psalmic Imagination1
The Iconic Metaphor3
The Poetic Imagination8
Contemporary Context13
Modus Operandi14
1."In the Shadow of Shaddai": The Metaphor of Refuge15
Introduction16
The Refuge Metaphor18
2."I Shall Walk in Freedom": The Metaphor of Pathway31
The Way of Tora32
Path of Peril and Salvation36
Pathway and Refuge39
The "Ritual" of Habitation51
3.The Transplanted Tree: Psalm 1 and the Psalter's Threshold55
Translation55
Tree and Tora57
True Tree: Positive Connotations58
Knotty Tree: Negative Connotations71
The Arbor in the Psalter's Landscape75
Conclusion78
4.The Sun of Righteousness: Psalm 19 and the Joy of Lex81
Translation81
Deus Praesens: The Background of Solar Imagery84
Reading Psalm 1989
The Purification of the Individual97
The Light of the Law99
Image and Icon: The Synagogue Mosaics100
Conclusion103
5.The Voice of Many Waters: From Chaos to Community105
Fear of Drowning106
Affliction as Desiccation121
Refreshment and Renewal122
From Thirst to Inundation: Psalm 42:1-8132
6.The Song of Leviathan: God's Theater of Praise135
Animals as Metaphors136
From Metaphor to Creation153
Call of the Wild: The Conclusion of the Psalter162
7."On You I Was Cast from My Birth": The Anatomy of a Personal God167
The Distinctiveness of Divinity167
Divine Anatomy169
Roles of God187
8."As the Mountains Surround Jerusalem": Mapping the Divine197
Light197
Metaphors of Protection199
Fountain203
Possession: "Portion" and "Cup"204
Conclusion: In Defense of Iconic Reflection: The Case of Psalm 139207
The Metaphorical Contours of Psalm 139207
Postscript: A Theology of Prayer and Poesis213
Notes217
Scripture and Ancient Source Index263
Author/Subject Index271
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