• Franciscan School of Theology Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages

Learn More About How To Download a Study Guide Here

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.

The study guide included contains outlines for each topic, study questions, and suggested readings. You will be emailed instructions on how to download a color PDF copy of the study guide and may print and distribute up to 7 copies. So make sure to include a valid e-mail address at checkout!