The biblical psalms are perhaps the most commented-upon texts in human history. They are at once deeply alluring and deeply troubling. In this addition to the acclaimed Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible, a highly respected scholar offers a theological reading of Psalms 1-50, exploring the various voices in the poems to discern the conversation they engage about God, suffering, and hope as well as ways of community belonging. The commentary examines the context of the psalms as worship--tending to both their original setting and their subsequent Jewish and Christian appropriation--and explores the psychological dynamics facing the speaker. Foreword by William P. Brown.

Through close readings of a number of classic texts, Charry develops the thesis that classic Christian theology is thoroughly shaped by pastoral and moral purposes. Charry's hope is to show contemporary theologians how to teach the faith in a morally constructive fashion, transcending the current destructive opposition between "academic" and "pastoral" theology.

Synopsis: The Austin Dogmatics brought the theology of Karl Barth to the United States in an accessible and forceful statement of the most exciting theology of the day. In addition, the yearlong course of lectures proposed a radical theology of Christian mission and ministry to the American churches that grew from the author's three years of working in the inner city. While at times hammering home a single point, the lectures often flower into a passionate homiletical style that is still captivating half a century later. Publication of the Austin Dogmatics fills a gap in American theological history. In 1963, the author published The Secular Meaning of the Gospel, which the press identified with the death of God movement. While the author denied the association, the Austin Dogmatics explains how he moved from the strict Barthianism of his early period to the linguistic analysis of his middle period. His late and perhaps most important work that lay ahead was yet in another direction entirely, making van Buren one of the most versatile and adventuresome American theologians of the second half of the twentieth century. The current publication includes personal reminiscences by friends and colleagues after the author's passing. Endorsements: "This hitherto unpublished cycle of early career lectures makes absorbing reading for those interested in the reception of Barth's theology as well as for those concerned with constructive doctrinal work . . . Here we catch a glimpse of how a] deep admiration for Barth's theological achievement inspired van Buren] to a vigorous practical dogmatics." --John Webster, Professor at University of Aberdeen Author Biography: Paul van Buren was Assistant Professor of Theology at the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest (1957-1960) when he wrote the Austin Dogmatics and Associate Professor there (1960-1964) when he wrote The Secular Meaning of the Gospel. He was later Professor of Religion at Temple University (1964-1986) when he wrote the trilogy A Theology of the Jewish-Christian Reality. Ellen Charry is the Margaret W. Harmon Professor of Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. Her most recent book is God and the Art of Happiness (2010).

Poignant meditations occasioned by a unique convergence of commemorative events. On Good Friday, April 14, 1995, Christians remembered the crucifixion of Jesus, Jews reenacted the Passover, and the world at large observed the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II and the Holocaust. That unusual juxtaposition formed the backdrop as Joel Marcus-a Jew by birth, a Christian by choice-took the pulpit at St. Mary's Cathedral in Glasgow, Scotland. This book presents Marcus's stirring meditations that day on the relationship between the deaths of six million innocent Jews in the Holocaust and the death of one innocent Jew on the cross. Through reflection on Bible passages in light of stories and poems about the Holocaust, Marcus shows how the hope that Christians have always found hidden in the darkest hour of their liturgical year can shed light on the most tragic moment of our recent history-and vice versa.