The psalms, both gathered in the Book of Psalms and as well as those scattered throughout both Testaments, are poems of faith, written over several centuries and reflecting the times, circumstances, religious beliefs and cultures of the different authors. Collected in the Book, they became the hymnal of the Hebrew people and, as such, were taken up into Christian spirituality. It is impossible to imagine Christian spirituality if the Book of Psalms had never found its place in the canon. Here is the humanity of the life of faith laid bare in all its wonders – and in all its ambiguity.

There is no point in disguising the fact that many of the psalms are embarrassing, and sometimes repelling and repulsive. I have chosen, in these recordings, to omit sections of some psalms, and omit other psalms altogether. I have, however, chosen to retain some verses that are omitted from usual liturgical use. These verses express elements within ourselves that generally we would prefer not to face. The psalms in their glory and their earthiness are a mirror of the human soul in all times and cultures.

These writings were, by and large, written in a period of violence, of radical dislocation and alienation. On occasions, in order to gain a feel for what the psalmist is conveying, we may need to project ourselves into the horror currently or recently experienced by those afflicted by violence and oppression.

The Psalms in context

The Hebrew psalms in general have a specific context in political and religious history. As far as possible, and to the best of the knowledge available to me, I have endeavoured to identify that context where it is relevant to understanding the psalm. As a broad overview, the central feature, as for the whole of the Hebrew Testament,  is the capture of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 598BC, with the initial exile, largely of the religious, political  and economic leaders followed, 11 years later, by the final siege, capture and total destruction of the city and the Temple with the major exile of the population to Babylon. The exile had devastating consequences for the belief of the Hebrews in their god, Yahweh, whom they believed to be their unassailable protector but who had now been exposed as weak and helpless in the face of the stronger aggressor. Furthermore, Yahweh was god only in Palestine, having no presence in Babylon, while without a temple for hes cultic worship there could be no contact or relationship between Yahweh and the Hebrew people.

It was the agony of the exile that generated a revolutionary new faith,  a cosmic vision of God, a story going back to the very creation of the world and a calling to be a sanctified people living under Law. Then, wholly unexpectedly, Babylon was defeated by the Persians and the Hebrews, having resisted assimilation into the general population of the empire, were enabled to return to their home, rebuild their Temple and re-establish their faith – but a faith and a community now totally transformed by the experience in the exile.

The various psalms that comprise the Book of Psalms record almost every phase of this process, stretching over at least two centuries.

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