Psalms through the Centuries, vol. 3: A Reception History Commentary on Psalms 73–151 by Susan Gillingham (review)

Reviewed by: Psalms through the Centuries, vol. 3: A Reception History Commentary on Psalms 73–151 by Susan Gillingham Paul Sander susan gillingham, Psalms through the Centuries, vol. 3: A Reception History Commentary on Psalms 73–151 (Wiley Blackwell Bible Commentaries; Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell, 2022). Pp. xxix + 523. 100. This book is the final installment of Susan Gillingham's masterpiece, Psalms through the Centuries, which is divided into three volumes. The first examines the larger trends in the interpretation of the Psalter over six eras, spanning from the eleventh century b. c. e. to the present day (see the excellent review by Harry P. Nasuti, CBQ 72 2010 110–12). The second and third volumes contain G. 's examination of the history of interpretation of the individual psalms in the Psalter. Volume 2 (published in 2018) examines Books 1–2 of the Psalter (Psalms 1–72). This final volume analyzes the history of interpretation of Books 3–5 of the Psalter (Psalms 73–150), along with Psalm 151. The author's overall approach in this volume is selective in nature. As she notes in her preface, space does not permit a comprehensive examination of the history of reception for each psalm (pp. xx–xxi). To give you an idea how large such an endeavor would be, her exhaustively comprehensive analysis of Psalms 1–2 is 612 pages just by itself (Susan E. Gillingham, A Journey of Two Psalms: The Reception of Psalms 1 and 2 in Jewish and Christian Tradition Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013). While her work is better suited for individuals with some background in the Psalter, it is written in a manner that is accessible to a wider audience, not just scholars. Her discussions of Hebrew lexemes are brief and clearly translated for those who are not acquainted with Biblical Hebrew. Her analysis focuses on the primary texts themselves. Secondary works are rarely discussed. Footnotes are kept to a minimum, generally reserved for references to the specific work being discussed. The author's selective approach to the material restricts her discussions to a manageable amount of information for a given psalm. G. 's examination of later interpretative works from the last few centuries clearly emphasizes English texts. In addition to St. Francis of Assisi's adaptation of Psalm 104 in his "Canticle to the Sun" (p. 146), G. notes numerous interpretations of the Psalter found in contemporary culture, including the use of Ps 137: 2 by the Broadway musical Godspell in the climactic song "On the Willows, " which is sung before Jesus goes to the Garden of Gethsemane (p. 363) ; the speech based on Psalm 145 by a repentant Adam in John Milton's Paradise Lost (p. 411) ; End Page 373 Bob Marley's use of Psalm 133 in his album Survival, which calls for the liberation of Africa from Babylon (= Western society) (p. 336) ; and the recitation of Psalm 130 "From the depths, I cry out to you O Lord. . . " by thousands of Hasidic Jews as they entered the gas chambers at Dachau (p. 320). Gillingham's analysis is concise and well structured. Her examination of the individual psalms is prefaced by brief introductions to the themes and structure of each book and subsection of the Psalter. The author follows the same basic approach in each psalm. First, she examines the psalm's important thematic and textual connections with the larger Psalter, the "earliest stage of its reception" (p. xx). She then examines the use of the psalm in other books of the Hebrew Bible and in the Christian Scriptures, as well as evidence of significant variations in the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Septuagint, Latin texts, and Targums. After this, G. proceeds to Jewish and Christian interpretation of the psalm, ranging from the Church Fathers and the Mishnah to later commentators such as Rashi and Luther. Liturgical traditions are also discussed. She then shifts to nonverbal reception, including illustrations of the Psalters, liturgical music, and poetry, before concluding with interpretations in the modern era, including post-Holocaust illustrations of the psalms, popular music, and cinema (pp. xx–xxi). G. concludes each section with a brief comparison of Jewish and Christian interpretations of each psalm, stressing. . .