God in the Dock: Dialogic Tension in the Psalms of Lament
Overview
This book examines the dialogic structure of biblical Psalms of lament. Observations about voicing are developed out of the work of Mikhail Bakhtin, and are utilized to reevaluate the theological expression of lament psalms as well as components of Israel's rhetorical relationship with its deity. What emerges is a theology that gives voice to the tension that existed between faith in a god who practices flawless "hesed," or covenantal loyalty, and the experience of God's failure to uphold his side of the bargain.
- Bibliographical References
- Indexes
Top Highlights
“the change in mood that often accompanies these interjections.” (Page 8)
“Overall, his message seems mixed: cultic prophets delivered oracles in a ‘prophetic’ style, but prophetic literature, in general, shows signs of having relied heavily on psalmic forms.” (Page 20)
“How do voicing shifts function, rhetorically, within certain psalms, and then how do multi-voiced psalms function within the religious expression of ancient Israel?” (Page 5)
“Not every shift in voice and mood implies a change in speaker, of course, and sometimes a shift may be discerned when the grammar is ambiguous.” (Page 8)
“these psalms had revelatory or didactic characteristics at their inception, not just late in their transmission history,” (Page 6)
- Title: God in the Dock: Dialogic Tension in the Psalms of Lament
- Author: Carleen Mandolfo
- Publisher: Sheffield Academic Press
- Publication Date: 2003
- Pages: 232