The Sensitivity of a Poet and the Honesty of a Scholar

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	• Reflections on the Psalms (Harvest Book) C.S. Lewis Harvest Books, 1964 - 168 pages average customer review:based on 11 reviews view larger image
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The Sensitivity of a Poet and the Honesty of a Scholar

With the sensitivity of a poet and the honesty of a scholar, C.S. Lewis delves into the Psalms. In doing so, he is not afraid to raise uncomfortable questions, such as how to understand the apparent self-righteousness and gleefulness of many psalmists; or the question whether God is an egocentric monarch who demands people to praise Him as if He needed such praise. Other issues Lewis deals with are the concept of Judgment in the Psalms, as well as their portrayals of death, nature, and the beauty of God. He also devotes two chapters to understanding the prophecies, or second meanings, in the Psalms

For me, however, the most interesting part was C.S. Lewis's view on the Bible as seen in the book. Except for some of his essays, letters, and recorded Q&A sessions, C.S. Lewis has been rather sparse on clearly stating his view on Scripture. This makes his Reflections on the Psalms a valuable resource to a Lewis scholar, since it shows his view on the Bible more clearly than any other of his books.

To summarize his view, he emphasizes that the Bible is not a Divine encyclopaedia. We cannot simply turn the Bible to the headwords stars, earth, animals, homo sapiens, and find a Divine exposition that explains God's perspective on the topic in a systematic manner. The Bible is a canon of various types of literature, to be approached in various ways. It is not an encyclopaedia but an anthology: God selecting a canon which, taken as a whole, portrays the history of the Incarnation, using myth, chronicle, poetry and prophecy to do so.

Many people would of course rather have a Divine encyclopaedia than a Divine anthology of human literature. The latter seems to be rather an "untidy and leaky vehicle," as C.S. Lewis puts it. We much prefer "something we could have tabulated and memorised and relied on like the multiplication table." But only because we wish the Bible were different, it does not mean that it is different. God does not necessarily share our opinion that a Divine encyclopaedia would be best for us. As C.S. Lewis says: "There is one argument which we should beware of using for either position: God must have done what is best, this is best, therefore God has done this. For we are mortals and do not know what is best for us, and it is dangerous to prescribe what God must have done - especially when we cannot, for the life of us, see that He has after all done it."

Even Jesus, the Word that truly was perfect, does not measure up to some people's expectations of the Bible. He did not communicate a Divine encyclopaedia to mankind. Jesus wrote no book. "We have only reported sayings, most of them uttered in answer to questions, shaped in some degree by their context." He preached and conversed rather than lectured, using thereby the whole range of human expressions such as we can expect from a carpenter: "paradox, proverb, exaggeration, parable, irony." If we took all of His sayings literally, they would contradict each other. One can therefore not reduce His teachings to a neat set of Divine principles. Bible teachers who do that lose the essence of the Word made flesh. His teaching "cannot be grasped by the intellect alone, cannot be `got up' as if it were a `subject.' If we try to do that with it, we shall find Him the most elusive of teachers. He hardly ever gave a straight answer to a straight question. He will not be, in the way we want, `pinned down.'" The attempt is, Lewis says, "like trying to bottle a sunbeam."

Neither does the Apostle Paul give us a Divine encyclopaedia. When it comes to lucidity and orderly exposition, Paul is a very bad writer indeed. His letters are a "turbulent mixture of petty detail, personal complaint, practical advice, and lyrical rapture." They are not a collection of treatises on systematic theology. But what we do get from the letters is an example of a Christian's life in action. "Follow me as I follow Christ" is Paul's maxim. We see "Christ Himself operating in a man's life" - which is more valuable than a simple set of dogmas.

If, therefore, even the Word made flesh and the great Apostle cannot be approached like Divine encyclopaedias, how much less the Old Testament? - how much less the documents which portray the history of the Incarnation gradually coming into focus? Indeed, "the value of the Old Testament may be dependant on what seems its imperfection. It may repel one use in order that we may be forced to use it in another way - (...) to re-live, while we read, the whole Jewish experience of God's gradual and graded self-revelation, to feel the very contentions between the Word and the human material through which it works. For here again [as in Jesus' and Paul's teachings], it is our total response that has to be elicited."

Thus far a summary of C.S. Lewis's view on Scripture. For a full exposition, and much more besides, buy the book. You will not regret it.

- Jacob Schriftman, Author of The Crack Beneath the Worlds and Other Books

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A Master of Literature Reviews the Psalms

It had been awhile since I read any CS Lewis when I picked up this book. It is much different than others I have read, but it was quite enjoyable. Instead of analyzing specific Psalms in detail, Lewis takes a more thematic approach. This method allows him to connect the dots between specific Psalms, and other passage of Scripture as well.

Overall, Lewis does a tremendous job of making his points, and highlighting the fact that the Psalms are poems, and not doctrinal statements. Although I do not agree with all of his conclusions, Lewis really does make you think. I appreciate the fact that I felt like I had completed a successful journey through the book of Psalms after reading the book. It really opened my eyes to some new insights - which is refreshing.

If you like CS Lewis, or are interested in learning more about the Book of Psalms, then I highly recommend this book. You will see something there that you did not see before.

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Enchanting reflections on life.

The first time I read this book, many years ago, I was bothered by what I took as Lewis' disrespectful approach to the OT. One chapter of the book is called "Cursings," and in it Lewis forthrightly notes his initial impression that "the Jews are much more vindictive and vitriolic than the Pagans." While he finds something of great value (even refreshing) in their honest anger at injustice, (see Rene Girard's The Scapegoat for a fascinating perspective on violence and religion) some passages he still labels "diabolical." In the following chapter, "Death in the Psalms," Lewis frankly admits that most of the psalmists did not appear to know about heaven and hell. And in his chapter on "Scripture," he admits to the presence of "naivite, error, contradiction, even wickedness," in the OT.

I did not like this. Nor did I know enough about nature poetry and paganism, monotheism in other cultures, or Meditteranean cultures, to appreciate all his insights.

What I think I did appreciate, and still do, was the way in which Lewis explains the poetry of the Psalms, the "beauty of the Law," (as in Psalm 119), love of nature, "second meanings" in the Psalms, and most of all, the life-enhancing chapter called "A Word about Praising." John Piper developed this chapter into a whole theology. (See Confessions of a Christian Hedonist.) But the most poetic explanation lies here: "I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise . . . I had not noticed how the humblest, and at the same time the most balanced and capacious, minds, praised most, while cranks, misfits and malconents praised least . . . Praise almost seems to be inner health made audible . . . The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about."

That chapter is one of the most enlightening and enchanting (in the literal sense) series of marks that have ever been made on paper, I think. Lewis works a powerful counter-spell to the curse of the reductionists, whom he soundly defeats in argument, re-enchanting the world with the glory of God. I see Lewis' idea confirmed every day -- when my children call me to see a funny scene in a cartoon, or a beautiful sea shell on the beach, for example.

What I found on my first reading of this book remains with me, and grows as I learn more of life. I've also come to appreciate Lewis' take on Scripture, though I am not sure he is completely right. Lewis differs from both skeptic and inerracist in that he makes no a priori assumptions, either that there are no mistakes in Scripture, or that God cannot do miracles. This allows him to be frank and take a truly empirical approach. His conclusion is that the Bible is inspired not like the Koran is said to be, written word-for-word in heaven before time began, but as "the same sort of material as any other literature . . . taken into the service of God's word." Those who see only a human literature are like illiterates who see only ink blots on paper, and are unable to see a poem. Lewis also hints that the best pagan philosophy and poetry can be "taken up" into God's revelation in a similar, though less authoritative, manner.

If all that gives you the impression that Lewis covers a lot of territory, with little detailed discussion of most individual psalms, that's true.

Author, Jesus and the Religions of Man

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Meditative

Bonhoeffer really drives you into appreciating the spiritual depth of the Psalms and their Christ centred significance. I found the book difficult to put down. A great spiritual read.
Tom Davis

Personal, powerful, intimate

This is not a commentary on the Psalms - this is Lewis wrestling personally with the Psalms, around issues near and dear to his heart. But what better way to encounter the Psalms? They are written as a songbook, as lyrical poems from the heart of one worshiper to another. They aren't primarily doctrinal theses, they are artworks of exceeding skill and ability. Lewis is intellectually and devotionally equipped to engage with the Psalms at a deep level. I love reading his meditations on the Psalms.

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