Portraits of the Righteous in the Psalms
An Exploration of the Ethics of Book I
Imprint: Pickwick Publications
What have the Psalms to do with ethics? Readers prize the Psalter for its richly theological prayers, but into these prayers are woven a variety of ethical issues. This book explores the ethics of the Psalter by examining the four portraits of the righteous person that punctuate Book I. It begins by studying these psalms as individual compositions and then employs both the canonical approach and dialogic criticism to identify the complex relationship between the portraits' vision of the righteous life and its outcome. Does the righteous person enjoy security and the good life? The answer may be surprising, but joining the psalmist on the rocky path of the interface of faith and experience is certain to prove a formative experience.
Daniel C. Owens is a lecturer at Hanoi Bible College and a regional director for reSource Leadership International. He completed his MDiv at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and his PhD at Wheaton College.
"Daniel Owens provides a responsible treatment of four key psalms linked to character, a valuable case study for canonical approaches to the Psalter, and an intriguing experiment in applying Bakhtinian and virtue-oriented concepts to Psalms interpretation. Not the final word on its broader subjects, this book nevertheless advances the dialogue at multiple points."
--Daniel Treier, Professor of Theology, Wheaton College
"Daniel Owens has given a forward thrust to the ethical study of the Psalter, which helps fill a lacuna in Psalms research, and currently joins a plethora of scholarly efforts to examine the Psalms for their ethical content. His careful and sensitive exegesis of Psalms 15, 24, 34, and 37 leads him to propose a form-critical shift from their traditional identification as entrance liturgies to character sketches, based upon the model of Deuteronomy 10:12-22, and designed to enable and encourage character formation."
--C. Hassell Bullock, Emeritus Professor of Biblical Studies, Wheaton College
"The Psalter has been relatively ignored in the field of Old Testament ethics. This work is a major step toward remedying that lack. It offers a careful reading of key psalms to demonstrate that their portraits of the righteous challenge readers to live virtuously and to persevere in the hope of Yahweh's presence. This is excellent scholarship at the service of the people of God."
--M. Daniel Carroll R. (Rodas), Distinguished Professor of Old Testament, Denver Seminary