Invitation to the Psalms: A Reader's Guide for Discovery and Engagement - Paperback

by Rolf A. Jacobson (Author), Karl N. Jacobson (Author)

The Book of Psalms is perhaps the most cherished book in the Old Testament. In this lively volume, two experienced teachers invite students to read and explore the Psalter and roam widely among its poems. The book introduces the dynamics of the biblical text, helping students become careful and attentive readers. It covers how to read Hebrew poetry, the Psalter's basic genres, the idea of "the psalmist," the metaphorical world of the Psalms, and the theology of the Psalms. Sidebars, discussion questions, and plenty of examples enhance the reading experience. This clear and concise guide is accessible to all serious students of the Bible.

Back Jacket

"One of the most accessible introductions to the Psalter available"

"A winsome, accessible introduction to the psalms that invites readers to fresh understanding and engagement. Invitation to the Psalms combines discerning theology with a lightheartedness that brings the reader along in doing interpretation in imaginative, real-life ways."
--Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary

"One of the most accessible introductions to the Psalter available. From the character of the psalms as poetry to their function as a testimony to the God whose ways are at the center of all the psalms, the authors have taken up basic aspects of the psalms in simple, fresh, and genuinely inviting ways. Readers at all levels will enjoy and learn from this presentation of the richness of the psalms."
--Patrick D. Miller, Princeton Theological Seminary

"This is the best kind of introduction to a book of the Bible--informative, engaging, scholarly with a light touch, well calculated to help people read the Bible but not to be a substitute for reading it, and capable of encouraging people to water-ski across the psalms (as the authors themselves put it)."
--John Goldingay, Fuller Theological Seminary

"Invitation to the Psalms does just that in a very winsome fashion. It is most readable, using literary insights from modern poetry to illuminate the character and message of the ancient psalms. It is up-to-date in its scholarship without overburdening the reader with technicalities. In short, it is an ideal introduction to interpreting the psalms for individual or classroom use."
--Gordon Wenham, Trinity College Bristol

"In their characteristically vivid, lively, engaging, and often humorous way, Rolf and Karl Jacobson succeed wonderfully in their stated goal of enabling readers not only to study the psalms but also to experience them. While this book is aimed at and clearly accessible to the nonspecialist, more advanced students of the psalms, including pastors and teachers in churches and synagogues, will also appreciate and benefit from this volume. Psalms scholars will recognize and appreciate the authors' solid interpretive foundation as well as the careful, concrete, and creative way that they invite a wider audience to experience the riches of the psalms."
--J. Clinton McCann Jr., Eden Theological Seminary

Author Biography

Rolf A. Jacobson is professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. His teaching interests include the Psalms, the Old Testament prophets, biblical poetry, biblical theology, and biblical narrative. Karl N. Jacobson is assistant professor of religion at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Both authors are ordained pastors. They collaborated on Crazy Book: A Not-So-Stuffy Dictionary of Biblical Terms and Crazy Talk: A Not-So-Stuffy Dictionary of Theological Terms.