The Penitential Psalms
The Rise, Fall, and Future of the Seven Psalms
- Biblical Studies & Commentaries
- History & Biography
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Published: 2025
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Publisher's Description
Seven psalms became known as the Penitential Psalms around the time of Augustine of Hippo. These psalms--Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130 and 143--took on great prominence in the medieval period in culture, literature, doctrine, liturgy, and personal piety. After the Reformation they slowly receded from centuries-long ubiquity, having been all but eclipsed by other texts and concerns. As this rise and fall is explored, well-known figures from the past, including Saint Augustine, Dame Eleanor Hull, Martin Luther, John Donne, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and C. H. Spurgeon, will be encountered. Less well-known monks, mystics, and martyrs who celebrated these psalms will also lend their voices. Seven contributors chart this narrative across nine chapters. Four other contributors then celebrate the enduring legacy of these psalms in music, worship, preaching, and poetry.
Endorsements (5)
“Without discounting the scholarly challenges to treating the Penitential Psalms as a single literary unit, the authors of this book make a persuasive case for the coherence of this ‘Seven Psalm’ collection and, even more so, for their fitting use within the liturgical and devotional life of the church. The Penitential Psalms represents an important contribution to psalms scholarship as well as an inspiring resource for preachers, worship leaders, and lay persons who take seriously the holy call to confess one’s sins and, after such confession, to receive the equally holy gift of forgiveness.”
“Professor Whiting describes himself as a ‘distracted materials scientist,’ which makes this volume all the more impressive. Mark’s commitment to the Psalms is deeply inspiring, as is his editing of such a wide array of chapters. This volume is an authoritative guide to the content and histories of the Penitential Psalms, serving both the church and the academy. Its varied approaches and meticulous scholarship deserve to be read widely and often.”
“Mark J. Whiting has gathered an array of authors to produce a fine example of reception history. One can debate the legitimacy of The Seven as a formal group—indeed, one can disagree with some of the book’s content—but a volume which encourages us to take seriously the Psalms and sin, confession, forgiveness, and reconciliation should be appreciated.”
“This thoughtfully curated volume restores the Penitential Psalms to their rightful place in literary, devotional, and cultural history. Spanning centuries, from Augustine and Cassiodorus to Spurgeon and Bonhoeffer, the essays gathered here explore the reception of these seven psalms in theology, liturgy, music, and poetry. A rich and multifaceted resource for preachers, scholars, artists, and all readers drawn to the enduring poetics and spiritual resonance of penitence.”
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