Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 66:3 (Sep 2023)
Article: Viewing The Psalms Through The Lens Of Theology: Research Trends In The Twenty-First Century
Author: Kyle C. Dunham

JETS 66:3 (September 2023) p. 455

Viewing The Psalms Through The Lens Of Theology: Research Trends In The Twenty-First Century

Kyle C. Dunham*

^* Kyle C. Dunham is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary, 4801 Allen Rd., Allen Park, MI 48101. He may be contacted at [email protected].

Abstract: Psalms studies have undergone significant changes in the past century. From Gunkel’s form criticism to Wilson’s canon criticism, scholars have alternated between focusing on individual psalms and focusing on the whole Psalter as the key to interpretation. A corollary to these changes has emerged in studies of the theology of the Psalms. This article analyzes how these changes have influenced approaches to the theology of the Psalter since 2000. Seven interpretive methods attending to the Psalter’s theology have blossomed in the twenty-first century: the Psalter as structured theology, central themes, individual psalms and psalm groups, reception history, sacrament/liturgy, single center, and pluralistic theologies. This article assesses these developments, along with a few challenges, and proposes paths for future studies in the theology of the Psalms.

Key words: Psalms, Psalter, biblical theology, canon, liturgy, reception history, theology

From its inception the Psalter has proved a rich repository for theological reflection.1 The New Testament writers cite Psalms more than any other Old Testament book.2 Noting that the Psalms feature prominently in the liturgy of the church, John Chrysostom observed in the fourth century that many Christians of his day memorized the book.3 Martin Luther famously called the Psalter “a little Bible,” while John Calvin dubbed it “an anatomy of all parts of the soul,” for its reflection of every emotion a believer can experience.4 Given its long and varied

JETS 66:3 (September 2023) p. 456

reception history, the Psalter has provided Jews and Christians abundant material for theological formulation.

I. Twentieth-Century Shifts In Psalms Studies

The foundation for understanding recent trends in the theological study of the Psalter must begin, nonetheless, with mention of two seismic shifts in Psalms study in the twentieth century.5 In 1926, Hermann Gunkel’s Die Psalmen introduced the form-critical or genre approach, with the psalms understood as individual songs arising largely from the culti...