Psalms: Songs that Nurture the Soul (BA3294B)

Undergraduate, 18.0 points

Content

The Psalms: Songs that Nurture the Soul explores the book of Psalms within Israel’s historical, social and cultic environment and the broader Ancient Near East context. We will study how the Psalms provided the people of Israel with prayers, songs, and cries for God’s intervention and the ways they have been woven into the fabric of Christian worship and experience. We will explore the theological contribution of the Psalms and how they have informed and shaped the lives of people of faith across the centuries and continue to do so in our contemporary world.

Unit code: BA3294B

Unit status: Approved (New unit)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 3

Unit discipline: Old Testament

Proposing College: Eva Burrows College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Analyse the literary features of the psalms including their poetic form and type.
2.

Interpret the psalms within the historical and socio-cultural context of ancient Israel and other ANE settings.
3.

Demonstrate exegetical and interpretive skills on selected psalms.
4.

Illustrate the contribution of the psalms to personal and communal, contemporary Christian life and worship.

Unit sequence

Prerequisite: 36 points in BA

Pedagogy

Students will complete workbooks which are keyed to readings and a range of other learning materials. They will complete targeted questions, regular learning activities, conduct independent research, and attend structured synchronous online engagement sessions. Assessment strategies are integrated into the learning design of the unit.

Indicative Bibliography

  • Alter, Robert. The Art of Biblical Poetry. New and rev. ed. New York: Basic Books, 2011.
  • Anderson, Bernhard W., and Steven Bishop. Out of the Depths: The Psalms Speak for Us Today. 3 ed. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000.
  • Bateman, Herbert W., and D. Brent Sandy. Interpreting the Psalms for Teaching & Preaching. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2010.
  • Brown, William P. The Oxford Handbook of the Psalms. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014.
  • DeClaissé-Walford, Nancy L., Rolf A. Jacobson, and Beth LaNeel Tanner. The Book of Psalms. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014.
  • Gillingham, Susan. Jewish and Christian Approaches to the Psalms : Conflict and Convergence. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
  • Goldingay, John. Psalms. Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006.
  • Lee, Nancy C. Lyrics of Lament: From Tragedy to Transformation. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2010.
  • Moore, Erika, J. M. Houston, and Bruce K. Waltke. The Psalms as Christian Worship : A Historical Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010.
  • Witherington, Ben, III. Psalms Old and New : Exegesis, Intertextuality, and Hermeneutics. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2017.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)

Variant 1

Exegesis 1500 30.0
Essay - Creative work based upon exegesis 1300 25.0
Essay 2000 45.0

Variant 2

Short Answer Responses - selected questions from workbooks 1500 30.0
Seminar or Tutorial 1700 35.0
Exegesis 1600 35.0

Variant 3

Audio recording or Podcast 1200 25.0
Exegesis 1700 35.0
Learning Resource 1800 40.0

Variant 4

Short Answer Responses 1500 30.0
Exegesis 1700 35.0
Journal 1700 35.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 11 Sep, 2024

Unit record last updated: 2024-09-11 10:39:01 +1000