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Liturgy Corner – Feb. 5, 2023
The Psalms: Part 1
The psalms are part of the Wisdom Books of the Bible. The Wisdom Books are: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiates, Song of Songs, Wisdom & Sirach.
The Book of Psalms or The Psalter contains 150 psalms. The number is based on the Hebrew Psalter. We now have 150 psalms; however, some of the longer psalms have been split and shorter psalms combined. Seventy-three of the psalms are attributed to David but no sure way exists in dating any psalm.
The psalms were composed for liturgical worship. They follow certain distinct patterns of literary forms. The psalms fall into different categories or themes. These categories are: Praise, Lament, Thanksgiving, Confidence, Kingship and Wisdom. It is important to note that some psalms are from the I/me/my reference ( individual ), while others are from the we /us/our reference ( communal ). Next week, we will take a look at other specific aspects of the psalms.