Psalms - The Prayer Book of the Bible (Dietrich Bonhoeffer & Walter Brueggemann) - Review
PSALMS: The Prayer Book of the Bible. By Dietrich Bonhoeffer. New Introduction by Walter Brueggemann. Minneapolis, MN: Broadleaf Books, 2022. 98 pages.
The Psalms have always played a
significant role in both Jewish and Christian life. For much of Christian
history, they have served as the primary hymnbook. As such, the Psalms have provided
prayers and hymns that speak to the divine-human relationship. Traditionally
attributed to David, even though the Psalter itself attributes many of the
Psalms to other sources, such as Asaph. Modern biblical scholarship will allow
the possibility of some Davidic authorship, but it questions many of the
Davidic attributions. While that might true, it doesn’t take away from the
power of the Psalms, which continue to speak to our hearts. In any case, the
figure of David stands over these songs, even as Moses stands over the
Torah/Pentateuch. Figures from Augustine to Luther to Calvin have reflected on
these songs, finding in them inspiration for the Christian faith. As for modern
interpreters, none is as well-known as Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In more modern
times, none other than Dietrich Bonhoeffer has offered a reflection on the
Psalms for our use.
Bonhoeffer's Psalms is not a lengthy book (less
than seventy pages of text by Bonhoeffer in this new publication). While
Bonhoeffer published his brief reflection on the Psalms in 1940, likely the
last work he had published before the German government placed a ban on his
publications, it has been available in English translations beginning in 1970
with a paperback published in 1974 (I purchased my copy of that edition back in
the 1980s). The translator for this edition was James Burtness. Although a new edition
of the Prayerbook of the Bible was made available as part of volume five of Fortress Press’s Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works (together with Life Together),
Broadleaf Books has once again made available the Burtness translation for the
reader desiring an affordable and compact version of the text. While Burtness
is the translator for the DBW edition, the DBW edition is accompanied by a scholarly
apparatus that might not be necessary for a reader who is simply interested in
reading what Bonhoeffer has to say about the Psalms. What makes this edition
different from the earlier version is that it carries a new introduction by
Walter Brueggemann. Thus, this edition makes for a nice resource to keep close
at hand as one reads the Psalms.
There are a couple of things that
mark Bonhoeffer's brief reflections on the Psalms. First, he emphasizes the
role the Psalms play in Christian life as a book of prayers. He invites the
reader to read the Psalms with the question that led Jesus to offer the Lord’s
Prayer as a guide to prayer: "Lord teach us to pray." In Bonhoeffer’s
view, the Psalms should be read, at least by Christians, through the lens offered
by the Lord's Prayer. That is, it should be read Christologically. He writes
that "If we want to read and to pray the prayers of the Bible and
especially the psalms, therefore, we must not ask first what they have to do
with us, but what they have to do with Jesus Christ" (p. 14). While
Bonhoeffer was thoroughly trained in the historical-critical method of biblical
interpretation (he was a student of German liberals—Adolph Harnack, Reinhold Seeberg,
and Karl Holl), in his book on the Psalms he reads them as if they are Davidic
in origin. He notes that of the 150 Psalms, seventy-three are attributed to
David, twelve to the children of Korah, two to Solomon, and one to another set
of people, whom Bonhoeffer suggests were employed by David and Solomon. While
acknowledging that not all the Psalms came from David’s hand, he believed we
can read them fruitfully and prayerfully as if the Psalter comes to us from
David. Not only that, but "it is important to note that even David did not
pray out of the personal exuberance of his heart, but out of the Christ who
dwelled in him." (p. 19).
If you are looking for a critical
analysis of the Psalms, you won't find it here. What you will find are brief
comments about how to pray in the name of Jesus (Lord's Prayer), who himself prays
the Psalms. He also speaks about the musical forms that the Psalms take and how
they fit into worship. He focuses briefly on a method of classifying the
Psalms. As such, he offers up eight categories—Creation, Law, Holy History, the
Messiah (remember this is a Christological reading), the Church (again this is
a Christian reading), Life, Suffering, Guilt, and Enemies (imprecatory Psalms).
Concerning this last category, Bonhoeffer acknowledges that no category of
Psalms gives the reader greater difficulty today than the imprecatory psalms. When
it comes to praying the imprecatory psalms—prayers against one’s
enemies—Bonhoeffer suggested that the key to praying them is to use the cross
of Christ as the lens because "only in the cross of Jesus Christ is the
love of God to be found" (p. 69). That is, since only the crucified Christ
can forgive enemies we must pray for our enemies in Christ, using these Psalms
to express our concerns.
Bonhoeffer concludes his reflections
on the Psalms by acknowledging the eschatological nature of the faith. That is,
he suggests that the Psalms speak to the reality of death and God's final
victory in Christ. With that in mind, he writes about a prayer for the Spirit
of Life to be made present in the current moment. Finally, he ends by offering
a word of encouragement to participate in morning prayers, which determines the
day. Thus, we have the Prayer Book of the Bible to guide us.
As with the original 1970 edition
of the book, the publisher has chosen to include a brief biography of
Bonhoeffer by Eberhard Bethge. While Bethge wrote a lengthy biography and
several recent biographies have been published (the best are by FerdinandSchlingensiepen and Charles Marsh; please avoid the Metaxas pseudo-biography),
in just a few pages Bethge sets out the key points of Bonhoeffer’s life and
sets the book on the Psalms in context.
This leads us to what makes this
edition different, which is the new introduction by Walter Brueggemann. In his
introduction, Brueggemann helpfully points out that while Bonhoeffer surely was
familiar with the scholarly/critical analysis that was available for reading
the Psalms, Bonhoeffer chose to embrace a traditional reading in this edition that
affirms first that "David prayed the Psalms." Secondly "Jesus prayed the Psalms after
David." And third, "we pray the Psalms after Jesus, and with Jesus,
and through Jesus." (p. 3). In this introduction, Brueggemann helps us see
how this small book fits into Bonhoeffer's deep spirituality where prayer is
foundational (see Bonhoeffer’s Life Together). Brueggemann concludes that
"the sum of Bonhoeffer's study is that the book of Psalms is converted
from a collection of 'nice' poems of spirituality to a vigorous articulation of
faith. The daily practice of praying the Psalms thus cannot be simply a
comfortable devotional exercise. Rather, it is the reframing of all of life
toward the rule of Christ." (p. 6).
This edition of Bonhoeffer’s Psalms
is designed to serve as a spiritual companion to one’s prayer life. It is
unencumbered by the scholarly apparatus found in the Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Works and thus might be less intimidating to the general reader. It is a
nicely laid out edition, that one can carry in a small backpack. If I have one
question for the editors of this edition it is why they occasionally make use
of readings from the English Standard Version for some of the scriptural
passages, especially in the sidebars. I ask this because the foundational text
is assumed to be the NRSV. Nevertheless, this is a good place to start if
you’ve not read Bonhoeffer before. You might follow up with Life Together, which
offers Bonhoeffer’s insights into the Christian life. From there, there is much
to explore.
Comments