Psalms: Songs that Nurture the Soul (BA9294B)

Postgraduate, 24.0 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: BA9294B

Unit status: Approved (New unit)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: Old Testament

Proposing College: Eva Burrows College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Critically 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.

Exegete and interpret selected psalms.
4.

Evaluate the contribution of the psalms to personal and communal, contemporary Christian life and worship.
5.

Assess the connections between the psalms located in the Psalter and psalmic materials employed in both the Old and New Testaments.

Unit sequence

Prerequisite: 24 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.
  • Schottroff, Luise, and Marie-Theres Wacker, eds. Feminist Biblical Interpretation: A Compendium of Critical Commentary on the Books of the Bible and Related Literature. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)

Variant 1

Exegesis 2100 30.0
Essay

Creative work based upon exegesis

 1750 25.0
Essay 3200 45.0

Variant 2

Short Answer Responses

selected questions from workbooks

 2250 30.0
Seminar or Tutorial 2500 35.0
Exegesis 2500 35.0

Variant 3

Audio recording or Podcast 1800 25.0
Exegesis 2400 35.0
Learning Resource 2800 40.0

Variant 4

Short Answer Responses 2200 30.0
Exegesis 2500 35.0
Journal 2700 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 10:39:26 +1000