The contributions of Dietrich Bonhoeffer to the fields of systematics, ethics, sociology, and theology have become well known in recent decades. What has been overlooked, however, is the significant contribution he has also made to the study and interpretation of the Psalms. Bonhoeffer's approach to the Psalms is built upon an understanding of its relationship to prayer and to Jesus Christ the Crucified One. Employing methods drawn from both premodern and modern exegetes, Bonhoeffer develops a Christological interpretation of the Psalms which, in certain key aspects, has not been seen in the history of interpretation. His is an interpretation informed by the historical reality of Jesus Christ praying the prayers of the Psalms in his incarnation. As the church of today prays the Psalms, it is encouraged by understanding that they are also praying the very words which Jesus prayed. The Psalms are not only the prayerbook of the church, more fundamentally, they are the prayerbook of Jesus Christ. In this book, Pribbenow explores Bonhoeffer's unique Christological interpretation of the Psalms by means of a concentrated analysis of its development, coherence, and significance, tracing it from its formation at Berlin University, into the years of development at the Confessing Church Preacher's Seminary in Finkenwalde, and through the months of interrogation and imprisonment at the hands of the Third Reich.
Part 1: A Brief History of Christological Interpretation of the Psalms Chapter 1: Christological Interpretation of the Psalms from the New Testament through Scholasticism Chapter 2: Martin Luther's Christological Interpretation of the Psalms Chapter 3: Modernity's Challenge to a Christological Interpretation of the Psalms Part 2: The Influences And Development Of Bonhoeffer's Christological Interpretation Of The Psalms Chapter 4: The Place of the Old Testament in Early Twentieth Century Biblical Studies Chapter 5: Bonhoeffer's Early Exegetical Treatment of the Psalms Chapter 6: Bonhoeffer's Christological Interpretation of the Psalms versus Earlier Approaches Chapter 7: The Relationship between Prayer and the Psalms in Bonhoeffer's Interpretation Chapter 8: The Relationship between Christ the Crucified and the Psalms in Bonhoeffer's Interpretation Chapter 9: The Unique Contribution of Bonhoeffer's Christological Interpretation of the Psalms Part 3: Bonhoeffer's Later Interpretation of the Psalms Chapter 10: Bonhoeffer's Use of Psalm 119 Prior to his 1940 Commentar Chapter 11: Bonhoeffer's Partial Commentary on Psalm 119 (1940) Chapter 12: The Context and Content of Bonhoeffer's Use of the Psalms During His Imprisonment Chapter 13: Bonhoeffer's Use of the Psalms During His Imprisonment: Organized by Genre Chapter 14: Bonhoeffer's Use of the Psalms During His Imprisonment: Organized by Prayerbook Theme and by Date of Use Chapter 15: Three Important Imprisonment Uses of the Psalms by Bonhoeffer Conclusion: A Summary and Assessment of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Christological Interpretation of the Psalms
