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The Book of Psalms is the single greatest prayer book or hymnal ever compiled. It is a treasury of ways to talk, sing, complain, confess, laud, reflect upon and give thanks to God. Explore the many paths of prayer lit up for us by the psalmists' divinely inspired brilliance.

You will cherish this series.

Of all the Old Testament, the Book of Psalms may be the part most familiar to us. Now you can explore and learn about these treasures with one of our most popular presenters, scripture scholar Fr. Michael Guinan, O.F.M., Ph.D.

Enter into the ancient thought world of the psalms. How did the first psalmists think about and express themselves as the ones praying the psalms (e.g., 'As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God' [Ps 42:2]).

The central image of God in the psalms is 'Yahweh is King!' How can this image pull together other important themes in the psalms? What are the literary forms of the psalms, especially praise and lament?

How can this book guide us in prayer? How does the New Testament use the psalms? How did the early Christians use them? The psalms have their origin in the worship and prayer of ancient Israel. How can they, as models and guides, inform us in our life of prayer?

These are some of the questions this course will address. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, 'The Psalms constitute the masterwork of prayer in the Old Testament. They present two inseparable qualities: the personal, and the communal. Prayed and fulfilled in Christ, the Psalms are an essential and permanent element of the prayer of the Church. They are suitable for people of every condition and time." (#2596-2597).

This course will help us to enter more fully and personally into this great collection of inspired prayer.

With this order you will receive, free of charge, a detailed Electronic Study Guide. With your confirmation email, you will receive a link that will take you to this Electronic Study Guide, which includes outlines for each topic, review questions and suggested readings for further study. The link to access this Electronic Study Guide will also be included on the case of your CDs or DVDs. You are allowed to print up to 7 copies of your guide. Simply click on the link, or type it into your browser, to access the file.

About Your Presenter

Michael D. Guinan, O.F.M (Ph.D., Catholic University of America) is a Franciscan priest and a Professor of Old Testament, Semitic Languages and Biblical Spirituality at the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, Ca. He has published 10 books, several pamphlets and many articles in publications such as The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, The Collegeville Bible Commentary, and The Message of Biblical Spirituality series. He has taught the Old Testament, Hebrew and Aramaic languages, and biblical spirituality at St. Bonaventure University, St. Patrick's Seminary and the Franciscan Seminary in Manila.
 

Topic Titles

• The Psalms: Introduction
• The Psalms: Poetry and Anthropology
• Theology of the Psalms: Yahweh is King
• Theology: Royal Psalms
• Theology: Creation and Zion Psalms
• Theology: Torah/Wisdom Psalms
• Forms: Praise
• Forms: Lament, Part I
• Forms: Lament, Part II
• The Canonical Book of Psalms
• Psalms, the New Testament and Christian Usage
• The Psalms: Worship and Prayer