This unit introduces students to the Psalms as poetic, theological, and liturgical texts central to Jewish and Christian faith and prayer. It examines the literary forms, poetic features, and genres of the Psalms, as well as the historical and editorial processes that shaped the Psalter as a collection. Through exegetical engagement with selected psalms, students explore their theological themes and consider how the Psalms are interpreted, translated, and used within contemporary worship and faith contexts.
Unit code: BA2013Z
Unit status: Approved (Major revision)
Points: 18.0
Unit level: Undergraduate Level 2
Unit discipline: Old Testament
Delivery Mode: Blended
Proposing College: St Francis College
Show when this unit is running| 1. | Describe the literary forms, genres, and poetic features of selected psalms. |
| 2. | Analyse the Psalter as an edited collection within its historical and theological contexts. |
| 3. | Interpret theological themes in the Psalms in relation to prayer and worship. |
This unit requires two undergraduate foundation units in Biblical Studies.
Synchronous and asynchronous lectures and text-based tutorials
Alter, Robert. The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary. W. W. Norton, 2007.
Brown, William P. Seeing the Psalms: A Theology of Metaphor. Westminster John Knox Press, 2002.
Brueggemann, Walter, and William H. Bellinger Jr. Psalms. New Cambridge Bible Commentary. Cambridge University Press, 2014.
Charry, Ellen F. Psalms 1–50. Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible. Brazos Press, 2015.
deClaissé-Walford, Nancy, Rolf A. Jacobson, and Beth LaNeel Tanner. The Book of Psalms. New International Commentary on the Old Testament. William B. Eerdmans, 2014.
Hossfeld, Frank-Lothar, and Erich Zenger. Psalms 2: A Commentary on Psalms 51–100. Translated by Linda M. Maloney. Edited by Klaus Baltzer. Hermeneia. Fortress Press, 2005.
Hossfeld, Frank-Lothar, and Erich Zenger. Psalms 3: A Commentary on Psalms 101–150. Translated by Linda M. Maloney. Edited by Klaus Baltzer. Hermeneia. Fortress Press, 2011.
McCann, J. Clinton, Jr. “The Shape and Shaping of the Psalter.” In The Oxford Handbook of the Psalms, edited by William P. Brown, 350–365. Oxford University Press, 2014.
Rienstra, Deborah. Swallow’s Nest: A Feminist Reading of the Psalms. William B. Eerdmans, 2003.
Sherlock, Charles. Australian Anglicans Worship: Performing APBA. ATF Press, 2019.
Stewart, Evan. “Loop, Hook, Pull: Disabled by Design.” Theology Today 80, no. 3 (2023): 215–230.
| Type | Description | Word count | Weight (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 0 | 100.0 |
Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 15 Apr, 2026
Unit record last updated: 2026-04-15 10:11:01 +1000