This volume is the result of a symposium held at Baylor University in May of 2006, entitled "Baylor University Symposium on the Psalms." The participants were carefully selected to represent the diversity of approaches currently employed in the study of the Psalter. Although a number of volumes in print offer the reader introductory information related to the Psalter, perhaps even noting various methodological approaches, very few actually "model" the diversity of such approaches. This volume exposes readers to the variety of approaches as practiced by leading scholars in the field.

With a helpful amount of scholarly information on organization, form, and context, Bellinger will help you and your class explore the depths of the poetry and wisdom of Psalms, Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. The Psalms, or hymns, of lament and praise nurture honest dialogue with God. The pragmatic teaching of Proverbs remind us of the sacred nature of all that God has created. And the speculation of Job and Ecclesiastes allows us to raise questions about the unexplainable and ambiguous aspects of life. These are texts from the community of faith for the community of faith.

"The Study of the Old Testament Psalter has undergone great changes during the twentieth century in an effort to recover a fuller awareness of their original setting and purpose . . . Bellinger's book admirably fulfils the task of exploring the many insights of modern scholarship on the psalms in order to clarify the faith to which they bear witness. It does this by showing the real-life situations which occasioned the formulation of prayers of complaint and praise, opening up a warm sense of the humanity and faith which they nurtured. Readers will find a great richness of scholarship here set out in vigorous and exciting language to make plain that the psalter retains a powerful challenge for the present day. These psalms explore the whole range of human experience and provide a vehicle by which faith can become articulate and sharply focused, even when faced with pain and doubt. The sheer honesty of these prayers challenges contemporary complacency."--Ronald E. Clements, professor of Old Testament studies, King's College, University of London
"Bellinger has created an excellent primer for the Psalms. . . . I like his use of examples in each section and his references in each chapter to what has gone before."--Victor Matthews, professor of religious studies, Southwest Missouri State University

The Psalter as Witness considers the complexity of the Psalms as well as their role in bearing witness to the theological claims that comprise Israel's traditions. While no single volume can readily capture the full range of the Psalter's theology, these chapters provide rich reflection on significant themes in selected psalms, in collections of psalms, and even across the structure of the Psalter itself. The result of the Baylor-Bonn symposium, The Psalter as Witness employs the full array of methodological approaches to the Psalms practiced in both Germany and North America. The Psalter as Witness thus effectively mirrors the theological, thematic, and generic intricacies of the Psalms in the myriad ways interpreters read the Psalter. The Psalms here become a window into the central, life-giving commitments of Israel in its call to justice and mercy, its practice of ethics and politics, and its worship and life with God.