The Psalms: An Introduction
by James L. Crenshaw
Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2001. 187 pp. $15.00. ISBN 0-8028-0854-9.

The Gift of the Psalms
by Roland E. Murphy Hendrickson,
Peabody, 2000. 178 pp. $16.95. ISBN 1-56563-474-8.

Nowhere in the bible is the chasm between critical study and devotional practice wider than in the Psalter. Psalms, moreover, presents some of the most pressing theological challenges for the modern interpreter. Two important introductions have come to the rescue. Both authors are seasoned teachers and prodigious interpreters of the Hebrew Writings (particularly wisdom literature), and it is a blessing that both have risen to the task of presenting Psalms to students and non-academic readers. Yet, despite their common audience, these two studies could not be more different. As introductions, how do they serve their intended audiences?

Crenshaw prefaces his study with a compelling personal reflection: “I have heard the voices of individuals who basked in the ecstasy of perceived divine presence and others who agonized over a sense of an absence” (p. ix). The Psalms have been formative, Crenshaw claims, in helping him discern “the mystery that enriches life and introduces pathos when least expected.” This introduction offers an overview of various scholarly approaches, complete with critical assessment, some history of (primarily Jewish) interpretation, and exegetical treatments of certain psalms. Distinctive of his introduction is the attention he gives to theological themes among the collections, biblical texts outside the Psalter that relate to those themes, and a host of current approaches. Any deference to “mystery” and “pathos,”
however, is reserved for the separate treatments of Psalms 24, 71, 73, and 115, which round out the book.

Crenshaw begins by covering the basic and more technical issues of textual history, dating, poetic devices, and literary structure. His discussion of origins highlights the distinctive nature of this corpus: the Psalms “originated from below,” whereas “most other books purport to present God’s revelation to humanity or give an account of divine action” (p. 14). Most useful is Crenshaw’s search for theological coherence among the various collections: the David Psalms and Songs of Ascents, for example, express intimacy between God and the psalmist. Psalm 73, Crenshaw argues, alludes to life beyond the grave (pp. 25–26, 126). The Psalms of Asaph are sensitive to issues of theodicy. Crenshaw also surveys psalms outside the Psalter, providing brief discussions on the Qumran Thanksgiving hymns and New Testament hymns.

Crenshaw identifies four major approaches to the psalms: psalms as prayers, psalms as sources of historical data, classification by types, and artistic or theological design. Under the first approach, Crenshaw provides a helpful discussion on metaphors for God. He registers deep concern about recent treatments (Erich Zenger’s in particular) that seek to salvage the imprecation psalms “in terms of altruistic concern for the victims of injustice, or defense of divine honor” (p. 68). As for the second approach, Crenshaw admits that the historical enterprise “would not satisfy many readers” (p. 75). Iconographic analysis, however, offers a promising approach, confirming that “the ancient people believed in a multiplicity of approaches to reality” (p. 79). For the third approach, Crenshaw surveys the various ways the psalms have been categorized and concludes with a somewhat esoteric excursus that debunks all attempts to identify “wisdom psalms,” a discussion better suited for a scholarly journal (cf. “Wisdom Psalms?” CurBS 9 [2000] 9–17). Moreover, the excursus is problematic in a number of ways that cannot be elucidated here (e.g., Crenshaw’s claim that the plural address of “sons” in Ps 34:12 has no parallel in the wisdom literature [but see Prov 4:1; 5:7; 7:24; 8:32]). Crenshaw’s criteria, if stringently applied, would seem to exclude much of the wisdom literature, too!

The brunt of Crenshaw’s critical assessment is reserved for the fourth approach. He finds that many of the poetic features that excite interpreters today are accidental. Numerous analyses of psalmic poetry indicate “too high an appraisal of the literary quality of the psalms.” For Crenshaw, issues of poetics must deal with the question of authorial intent. The impact of such literary features upon the reader is found to be largely irrelevant. As for the “shaping of the Psalter,” Crenshaw is suspicious of any claim that identifies a theological center or gradual movement from lament to praise. Crenshaw finds particularly problematic the argument that the Psalter was editorially configured as “torah,” despite the strategic placement of Psalms 1, 19, and 119, as well as the Psalter's fivefold division. Psalm 1, moreover, fails as an effective introduction; it is “simplistic, almost Pollyannish” in view of the preponderance of laments featured in the Psalter (p. 58). As an introduction, Crenshaw’s work has its strengths and weaknesses. His survey of the literature, both primary and secondary, is informative and wide ranging, and his theological honesty is provocative. His exegetical treatments, also, are judiciously and engagingly presented. Yet the voices of pathos and praise that point to the “mystery that enriches life” tend to get lost amid the polemics.

Roland Murphy’s introductory text, a revision of The Psalms are Yours (1993), is designed to serve two purposes: to show how the Psalms were the “prayerful experiences of an ancient people” and how they can be appropriated by modern readers (pp. ix–x). The first half of this book covers literary and form-critical issues, interpretive approaches, and historical background; the second half provides a mini-commentary on all 150 psalms. Murphy classifies, albeit “hesitantly,” six psalms as sapiential, with Psalm 37 constituting the prime example (p. 15). Murphy delves deeply into the discussion of canonical arrangement, highlighting what is both helpful and problematic about this approach. Editorial arrangement is a factor but not the only one that determines the meaning of particular psalms. Murphy finds the editorial linkage of the first two psalms to be artificial from a thematic standpoint (p. 21). Also, Murphy refuses to grant “too much [interpretive] power to the superscriptions” (pp. 23–24). The canonical approach and the historical-critical method,
Murphy judiciously claims, need each other.

On the theological side, Murphy enlists a wide range of Christian interpreters including Augustine and John Cassian,Martin Luther, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Karl Rahner. Opting for a a theocentric Christian reading, Murphy identifies particular themes for discussion, including God, creation, salvation, vengeance, sin and suffering, and kingship. Like Crenshaw, he is troubled by the psalmist’s cry for vengeance and questions whether the formulaic profiles of the enemy actually refer to human beings. Recognizing that identification with the “mood and will of the psalmist” is not always preferable,Murphy espouses a “selfcritical approach” that allows such psalms to convict us: “These expressions of rage exemplify the demonic in every human heart” (p. 50). Murphy’s analysis concludes with reflections on praying the psalms.

Each of these introductions to Psalms has its own agenda, yet they are designed to serve the same audience. On the one hand, Crenshaw’s work provides a wealth of up-todate material, accompanied by polemically charged assessments, and presupposes some acquaintance with critical study. Murphy, on the other hand, is more deliberate about addressing the existential and pastoral issues of (Christian) faith development, while seeking common ground with scholarship, albeit of a narrower scope.

William P. Brown
UNION-PSCE
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

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Creative Spirituality: The Way of the Artist
by Robert Wuthnow
University of California Press, Berkeley, 2001. 274 pp. $27.50. ISBN 0-520-22500-7.

THIS BOOK IS THE FRUIT OF EXTENSIVE INTERVIEWS conducted by Wuthnow with individuals and families. He found that artists of all kinds were among the most outspoken. This led Wuthnow to focus on their insights into spirituality. His stated aim is to reach first the community of active artists and those associated with them by common interests, then those interested in contemporary existential problems, and finally all concerned with spirituality, whether individually or as religious professionals. He should have considerable success in reaching these groups with this well written and finely focused book.

Wuthnow discovered that many artists—writers, poets, playwrights, actors, dancers, music composers and performers, as well as those engaged in the fine arts—had experienced conflict between inculcated religious views and their lifestyles and artistry. Obviously, some of this conflict had to do with the way their religions viewed the arts.

The work of artists requires premeditation. This leads many into meditation, from which may follow a serious interest in spirituality. Thus begins a dialogue between what is discovered through personal experience and what is inherited.Wuthnow's point is that this questioning approach makes it possible for artists to help others raise similar questions.

What seems to distinguish artists from many religious leaders is their ability to take themselves lightly, playfully. The wood-carver Bob McGovern is quoted as saying that everyone focuses on the river, but that we also need to pay attention to the drift, “the seemingly trivial details of life.” As many have noted, God is in the details rather than in the great religious systems, which can trap us in their sweeping statements on matters spiritual.

Wuthnow then focuses on spiritual issues. One should nurture one’s own identity rather than copying a ready-made model. There is a congruity, sometimes amounting to identity, of art and spirituality and creation.Work one enjoys is more highly valued than the making of money in order to be able to spend on leisure pursuits. Artistic work should be allowed to come from the center of the person outwards in an orderly fashion. Finally, mentors are necessary in this process.

Wuthnow wisely points out that a lack of accountability is the weakness of the American attempt to develop indigenous spiritualities. I would add that one should be cautious about trying on imported spiritualities without sufficient understanding of the cultures that gave rise to them. The same caveat applies to the adoption of Native American spiritualities. A sense of geography and history is essential.

Wuthnow points out that there is a strange disconnect between the Christian doctrine of the incarnation and the popular notion that the body is the main venue of temptation to evil, thus leaving us free to indulge in all kinds of spiritual temptations! Artists’ critique of the underlying concept in Western spirituality that spirit is holier than body is a valuable contribution to theology. The playwright Richard Foreman says that he, like some who work in the visual arts, sees the deliberate use of degraded material and of degrading situations as an attempt to redeem outcast persons and throw-away items. If one sees creation and redemption as ongoing, these artists are co-creators and co-redeemers. An artist faces the dark or evil side of the world. The true artist does not run from evil but sees the remedy in creativity.

Consideration of the relationship of spirit to the human body leads Wuthnow to the relationship between the earth and spirituality, and to that between the visual and the auditory arts. Gardens developed with a specific spiritual intent are the obvious exemplars, since these combine the earth, human creativity, and human senses. For many, such as the poet Greg Glazner, the experience of beauty, especially of the natural world, has led to the questioning of several aspects of American society, particularly consumerism.

Wuthnow also points out that for the artist aware of the spiritual nature of his or her creativity, the same touchstone of sincerity applies as for all engaged in living in a contemplative fashion. That is, any serious attempt at spiritual growth should lead the individual to become more fully human, more engaged in the community.

Another important matter is the need for accountability. This is especially important for persons who take responsibility for their own spirituality outside organized religion or a structured peer group. At the very least, artists must continue to develop their skills in artistic endeavors and spiritual growth alike. The artist may frequently be in the role of prophet and spiritual guide for our times.

Avril M.Makhlouf
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA
WASHINGTON, D.C.

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