This is a history of religion rather than a theological book. In the introduction, Erhard Gerstenberger argues that the Old Testament contains many different theologies and he pays attention to the context in which the Old Testament is studied. He follows this up with an outlined study of the history of Ancient Israel, and goes on to examine faith, cultic practices and ethics as illustrations of belief in God (or gods, or goddesses) in each of the different stages. The approach is essentially sociological with close attention paid to both archaeology and the biblical texts, and each chapter raises the issue of what these investigations mean for belief in the modern world.

Die sumerische Literatur des 3. und 2. Jahrtausends v.u.Z. bietet auch zahlreiche hymnische Texte, die überwiegend der kultischen Tradition entstammen. Sie feiern Macht, Ansehen und Fürsorge von Gottheiten, Königen, Tempeln, usw. Erhard S. Gerstenberger analysiert, ausgehend von dem formelhaften, archaischen Heilsruf: "[Name] sei Preis!" = "[dGN] zà-mí" (vergleichbar dem biblischen "Halleluja"), die mannigfachen Aussagen des Lobpreisens (zà-mí). Er zeigt, dass es im sumerischen Lob nicht nur um die untertänige, pflichtgemäße Anerkennung von Übermächten geht, sondern um eine effektive Kraftübertragung von Seiten der Lobenden auf die Rezipienten der Huldigung. Stärkendes oder Existenz begründendes Lob kann also nicht nur von Machtträgern ausgehen. Auch das Geschöpf Mensch nimmt am Welt gestaltenden, erhaltenden, heilsamen Preisen teil, vor allem durch Bitten und Loben. Es übernimmt damit seine Verantwortung inmitten der geheimnisvollen Interaktionen aller kosmischen Wirkkräfte personhafter sowie unpersönlicher Art.

Internationally renowned scholar Erhard Gerstenberger here offers a radical departure from traditional treatments. Rather than a systematic approach to theological topics in the Old Testament, Gerstenberger discusses its various theological voices rooted in different social settings within ancient Israel: the family and clan, the village, the tribal group, and the kingdom. Further, he discusses the variety of Israel's views concerning the divine-polytheism, syncretism, and monotheism. Gerstenberger concludes with his reflections on how contemporary theology is informed by the biblical witness and how it must be contextual and ecumenical in order to be authentic.

PSALMS, Part 2, and LAMENTATIONS is Volume XV of The Forms of the Old Testament Literature, a series that aims to present a form-critical analysis of every book and each unit in the Hebrew Bible. Fundamentally exegetical, the FOTL volumes examine the structure, genre, setting, and intention of the biblical literature in question. They also study the history behind the form-critical discussion of the material, attempt to bring consistency to the terminology for the genres and formulas of the biblical literature, and expose the exegetical procedures so as to enable students and pastors to engage in their own analysis and interpretation of the Old Testament texts. This volume completes Erhard Gerstenberger's widely praised discussion of the psalms literature begun in Volume XIV, and includes as well an admirable study of the book of Lamentations. Gerstenberger interprets the different kinds of songs and prayers that comprise the book of Psalms in light of their sociohistorical settings and provides a concise formal and structural analysis of each biblical text based on an illuminating comparison with other ancient Near Eastern prayers and hymns. Seeing the biblical writings in relation to the social, cultic, religious, and theological conceptions of Israel's neighboring peoples allows contemporary readers to better grasp the purpose and spiritual meaning of the psalms and Lamentations to the Jewish community that composed them.

Psalms, with an Introduction to Cultic Poetry, is Volume XIV of The Forms of the Old Testament Literature, a series that aims to present a form-critical analysis of every book and each unit in the Hebrew Bible. Fundamentally exegetical, the FOTL volumes examine the structure, genre, setting, and intention of the biblical literature in question. They also study the history behind the form-critical discussion of the material, attempt to bring consistency to the terminology for the genres and formulas of the biblical literature, and expose the exegetical process so as to enable students and pastors to engage in their own analysis and interpretation of the Old Testament texts. Erhard Gerstenberger begins this volume with an examination of the nature of cultic poetry, its role in ancient Near Eastern religion, and more specifically its role in the religion of Israel. He goes on to survey the genres of cultic poetry, including lament, complaint, and thanksgiving. He then focuses on the book of Psalms as an example of cultic poetry, first analyzing the book as a whole and then working through Psalms 1-60 unit by unit, discussing structure, genre, setting, and intention. The work is enhanced by extensive bibliographies and a glossary of genres and formulas that offers clear, thorough definitions with examples.

Although the Persians are seldom mentioned explicitly in the Hebrew Bible, the Persian period (539 331 B.C.E.) gave new shape to ancient Israel, as the biblical text evolved and the foundations of the Judeo-Christian tradition were laid. Therefore, contrary to earlier views, Persian politics, culture, and religion were the setting within which the nascent Jewish community lived and took shape. Against the backdrop of the history and intellectual world of Persia, Gerstenberger describes this exciting 200-year period in the history of Israel, which saw both the creation of biblical literature (historical, prophetic, and poetic writings, especially the Psalms) and important theological developments (e.g., the shape and characteristics of the Jewish community, monotheism, and new means of shaping one s world).