Synopsis: Lamentations is a book that has never had a place of honor at
the table of Christian spirituality. This is an unfortunate state of
affairs because its challenging poetry has much to offer. This volume
explores the how the biblical book of Lamentations may be engaged afresh
so that it can function as Holy Scripture for the ekklesia. Four main
chapters consider issues in hermeneutics, exegesis, the use of
Lamentations in worship, and pastoral reflections. These chapters have
been supplemented by seventeen reception history studies written by an
international team of Jewish and Christian scholars. These studies
introduce a wide range of interpretations and uses of the book of
Lamentations from throughout the history of Judaism and Christianity.
They include examinations of the use of Lamentations in Isaiah 40-55,
the Targum, Rashi, and contemporary Jewish thought, the Patristic
period, Calvin, Jewish and Christian worship, music, Rembrandt, and
psychological and feminist interpretation. Appendices include new
English translations of LXX Lamentations and Targum Lamentations.
Endorsements: "The question mark in this title points to the fact that
sadness, loss, and grief are now the order of the day in Western
culture. For that reason the book of Lamentations now draws great
attention and energy among us. This book, with its long historical sweep
of interpretations and its broad ecumenical reach in rereading
Lamentations, is sure to become a point of reference for our continuing
response to the question. The question of the title requires endless,
continuing engagement among us. These pages provide guides and models
for continuing answering." -Walter Brueggemann Columbia Theological
Seminary "The essays in Great is Thy Faithfulness? focus upon one
question: How is Lamentations a word of God? Responses are deep, rich,
and many. They draw from interpretations, contemporary and ancient,
Jewish and Christian, and from the arts, pastoral care, and liturgical
usage. They reveal how Lamentations has been and can be embraced by
believers. For pastors and classrooms, this book promises to stir up
conversation, questions, and faith." -Kathleen M. O'Connor Columbia
Theological Seminary Editor Biographies: Robin A. Parry is an Editor at
Wipf and Stock Publishers. He is the author of a commentary on
Lamentations in the Two Horizons series. Heath A. Thomas is Assistant
Professor of Old Testament & Hebrew at Southeastern Seminary in Wake
Forest, North Carolina. He is author of Poetry & Theology in
Lamentations: The Aesthetics of an Open Text (Sheffield Phoenix Press,
forthcoming).
