The Anglican paper presented by Mrs. Clare Amos highlighted the dialectic of whether the Psalms should be considered as ‘our words to God’ or ‘God’s words to us’ and reviewed the changing place and role of Psalms in Anglican liturgy and life. In response, Chief Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen examined the place of David as temporal and spiritual leader and how this was reflected in specific Psalms.
The papers and the ensuing discussion reflected on the way in which Psalms may serve as a calibrating resource to curb human arrogance and combat despair. Furthermore, in highlighting the creative tensions between the transcendent and the immanent, the Psalms demonstrate both the constancy and intimacy of the Divine Presence.
This is some of the very worthwhile work going on. And how interesting; I do hope they publish these papers on the Psalms.
This “Anglican” body is made up of representatives from:
1 Ireland
1 Palestine
4 England
Second #1 on this. The emphasis on the cyclical use of the Psalms as bedrock of liturgical tradition is wonderful. Still, the “dialectic” of “God’s word to us” or “our words to God” is a little concerning. The issue here is not verbal inspiration or inerrancy; it’s whether we will submit ourselves to Scripture or relativize and stand in judgment of it. “God’s word to us” includes a mirror of ourselves — and it is God’s word even, or especially, when we do not like what we see.