In Living Waters from Ancient Springs: Essays in Honor of Cornelis Van Dam.
Ed. Jason Van Vliet. Eugene, OR: Pickwick – Wipf & Stock, 2011. Pp. 41–55.
The Church Fathers' Spiritual Interpretation of the Psalms
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The world of the church fathers may seem far removed from our everyday lives. In some respects, that is indeed the case. It would be foolish to try to appropriate their writings into our theological and cultural contexts without taking into account the many centuries that separate us from the Fathers. Despite the obvious developments and changes that have taken place since the patristic era, however, there is an underlying commonality that links faithful biblical interpretation today with the exegetical endeavors of the early church. Over the past number of years, there has been a growing recognition of the shortcomings of historical critical exegesis and, as a result, an increasing appreciation for the church fathers and their spiritual or theological interpretation of the Bible.1 In this essay, I will focus on three theological concerns that we, along with the Fathers, may continue to bring to bear on our reading of the book of Psalms. In particular, I am thinking of (1) the Psalms’ focus on the harmonious virtue of the person who sings them, (2) the Psalms’ christological focus, and (3) the need to appropriate the Psalms in a personal manner.
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