The Storied Ethics of the Thanksgiving Psalms

The Storied Ethics of the Thanksgiving Psalms
Author: Joshua T. James
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2017-08-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0567675203

Drawing on research from the field of narrative ethics, The Storied Ethics of the Thanksgiving Psalms argues that story and storytelling function as important instruments in a given community's ethical shaping. While this argument has gained some traction in the field of Old Testament ethics, it has yet to inform an ethical reading of non-narrative texts, such as the Psalter. However, because the thanksgiving psalms are characterized by their inclusion of the worshipper's story, they stand to benefit from the application of a narrative ethical approach. In the present study, this argument is tested through a close reading of three thanksgivings – Psalms 116, 118, and 138 – each of which clearly demonstrates a didactic concern. Yahweh is presented as one who is worthy of trust, even in the midst of personal disaster. The affirmation of Yahweh's character provides the framework for the community's continued (or renewed) commitment and trust, hope and expectancy. The example provided by the worshipper challenges the audience to pray as they prayed, to trust as they trust, to live with hope as they live with hope. In addition, these psalms, and the stories they retell, invite the audience to tell their story when God answers their prayers, and to do so in public, in corporate worship, for the benefit of the community. These intended results – prayer, commitment, trust, hope, expectancy, public storytelling and thanksgiving – are not typically pursued in “ethical” studies, but they are clearly part of the Psalter's comprehensive vision of the ethical life and are, therefore, worthy of careful consideration.

Divine Council, Ethics, and Resistance in Psalm 82

Divine Council, Ethics, and Resistance in Psalm 82
Author: David G Firth
Publisher: James Clarke & Company
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2024-07-25
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0227180046

Psalm 82 can often be overlooked as simplistic, confusing, or out of place. With an understanding of ethical liturgy, Monge-Greer illuminates this mythopoeic psalm as a deeply sophisticated, prophetic summons to actively embrace justice for the poor, marginalised, and disenfranchised in our communities. Monge-Greer's interpretation provides a new opportunity for biblical study of this psalm, offering clarity and relevance to this heavily discussed psalm. Divine Council, Ethics, and Resistance in Psalm 82 explores the origins of the Psalm, its use as liturgy in early Israelite cultic practice, and its reception as resistance literature in the Second Temple period. By examining the historical usage of the psalm, Monge-Greer reveals to the reader how Psalm 82 can be used to inform their own lives and actions. Divine Council, Ethics, and Resistance in Psalm 82 is a new approach for biblical scholars, historians, and those seeking justice in the everyday.

The Power of Psalms in Post-Biblical Judaism

The Power of Psalms in Post-Biblical Judaism
Author:
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2023-09-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 900467828X

The powerful poetry of the Hebrew Psalms articulates a unique range of experience, even in translation. They explore the deepest concerns of individuals and communities. They are central to the performance of religion for both Jews and Christians. New discoveries, such as the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, have transformed our view of their role in Judaism, as has modern re-evaluation of the complicated relationship between Judaism and Christianity. Here a group of leading scholars sheds fresh light on the uses of the Psalms in post-biblical Jewish life in a multi-cultural world.

Canon Formation

Canon Formation
Author: W. Edward Glenny
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 374
Release: 2023-01-12
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0567692108

Contributors to this volume examine the various collections of canonical sub-units in the canon, considering the state of the question regarding each particular collection. The chapters introduce the issues involved in sub-collections being accepted in the canon, summarize the historical evidence of the acceptance of these collections, and discuss the compositional evidence of “canonical consciousness” in the various collections. The contributors consider paratextual evidence, for example, the arrangement of the books in various manuscripts, the titles of the books, and also include evidence such as the presence of catchwords, framing devices, and themes. The book begins with a consideration of the two overarching collections – the Old and New Testaments. Next, several sub-collections within the Hebrew Bible (OT) are considered, including the Torah, Prophets, the Megilloth, the Twelve (both in their Masoretic Text and Septuagint forms), and the Psalter. In addition, sub-collections in the New Testament include the four-fold Gospel, the Pauline Collection (usually with Hebrews in the early manuscripts), the function of Acts within the New Testament, the Praxapostolos (Acts along with the Catholic Epistles), and the function of Revelation as the end of the canon.

The Story of Christ in the Ethics of Paul

The Story of Christ in the Ethics of Paul
Author: Stephen E. Fowl
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2015-01-29
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1474230954

In this book Fowl examines the role played by three poetic texts, Phil. 2.6-11, Col. 1.15-20, and 1Tim. 3.16 in the arguments of their epistles. Rather than functioning as criteria of christological orthodoxy, these poetic narrations of Christ's person and work are used by Paul to support various ethical positions. For Paul and the Christians he addresses, these stories of Christ are exemplars for the life and practice of the church.

Religious Ethics

Religious Ethics
Author: William Schweiker
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 328
Release: 2020-04-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1118610253

An inclusive and innovative account of religious ethical thinking and acting in the world. Rather than merely applying existing forms of philosophical ethics, Religious Ethics defines the meaning of the field and presents a distinct and original method for ethical reflection through comparisons of world religious traditions. Written by leading scholars and educators in the field, this unique volume offers an innovative approach that reveals how religions concur and differ on moral matters, and provides practical guidance on thinking and living ethically. The book’s innovative method—integrating descriptive, normative, practical, fundamental, and metaethical dimensions of reflection—enables a far more complex and nuanced exploration of religious ethics than any single philosophical language, method, or theory can equal. First introducing the task of religious ethics, the book moves through each of the five dimensions of reflection to compare concepts such as good and evil, perplexity and wisdom, truth and illusion, and freedom and bondage in various theological contexts. Guides readers on understanding, assessing, and comparing the moral teachings and practices of world religions Applies a disciplined, scholarly approach to the subject of religious ethics Explores the distinctions between religious ethics and moral philosophy Provides a methodology which can be applied to comparative ethics for various religions Compares religious traditions to illuminate each of the five dimensions of ethical and moral reflection Religious Ethics: Meaning and Method will help anyone interested in the relation between religion and ethics in the modern world, including those involved in general and comparative religion studies, religious and comparative ethics, and moral theory.

Portraits of the Righteous in the Psalms

Portraits of the Righteous in the Psalms
Author: Daniel C. Owens
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 158
Release: 2013-08-23
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1621898466

What have the Psalms to do with ethics? Readers prize the Psalter for its richly theological prayers, but into these prayers are woven a variety of ethical issues. This book explores the ethics of the Psalter by examining the four portraits of the righteous person that punctuate Book I. It begins by studying these psalms as individual compositions and then employs both the canonical approach and dialogic criticism to identify the complex relationship between the portraits' vision of the righteous life and its outcome. Does the righteous person enjoy security and the good life? The answer may be surprising, but joining the psalmist on the rocky path of the interface of faith and experience is certain to prove a formative experience.

The Oxford Handbook of Ezekiel

The Oxford Handbook of Ezekiel
Author: Corrine Carvalho
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 561
Release: 2023-08-30
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0190634510

The current state of scholarship on the book of Ezekiel, one of the three Major Prophets, is robust. Ezekiel, unlike most pre-exilic prophetic collections, contains overt clues that its primary circulation was as a literary text and not a collection of oral speeches. The author was highly educated, the theology of the book is "dim," and its view of humanity is overwhelmingly negative. In The Oxford Handbook of Ezekiel, editor Corrine Carvalho brings together scholars from a diverse range of interpretive perspectives to explore one of the Bible's most debated books. Consisting of twenty-seven essays, the Handbook provides introductions to the major trends in the scholarship of Ezekiel, covering its history, current state, and emerging directions. After an introductory overview of these trends, each essay discusses an important element in the scholarly engagement with the book. Several essays discuss the history of the text (its historical context, redactional layers, text criticism, and use of other Israelite and near eastern traditions). Others focus on key themes in the book (such as temple, priesthood, law, and politics), while still others look at the book's reception history and contextual interpretations (including art, Christian use, gender approaches, postcolonial approaches, and trauma theory). Taken together, these essays demonstrate the vibrancy of Ezekiel research in the twenty-first century.