How well are the psalms understood? The parables seem more accessible, but are they? And as familiar as we are with the texts of the psalms and the parables, how open are we to new perspectives on them?
The studies in Like a Tree Planted, the first volume in the Connections series, encourage readers to deepen their understanding of the psalms and parables and to grow in their relationship with God. Like a Tree Planted invites reflection on eight pairs of psalms and parables by highlighting their shared metaphor. These images, familiar from our everyday lives as well as from both testaments, encourage fresh insights from familiar scriptural texts.
The psalms presented here, all from the first book of the Psalter, and the parables, selected from Luke's Gospel, speak deeply and collaboratively through figures of the tree, our stature and status, searching faces, feelings of entitlement and responsiveness, the ecosystem, shepherding, the storehouse, and "the other side."
An introductory chapter in Like a Tree Planted introduces readers to the process of reading metaphorically, and a concluding chapter draws implications from the reading of these particular psalm and parable texts as a set.
Barbara Green believes that many people want to explore both in language and in experience the mysteries of God and our own human condition. With her exciting, imaginative style she offers help for those on that journey those interested in prayer and in a deeper access to Scripture, those working with adult parish groups, preachers of Scripture, those doing retreat work, and individuals.
| Format: | Paperback book |
|---|---|
| Product code: | LP5869 |
| Dimensions: | 6" x 9" |
| Length: | 160 pages |
| Publisher: |
Liturgical Press
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| ISBN: | 9780814658697 |
| 1-2 copies | $17.55 each |
|---|---|
| 3-9 copies | $16.75 each |
| 10-49 copies | $15.96 each |
| 50-99 copies | $15.56 each |
| 100+ copies | $14.96 each |
Praise
Green's wonderful little book is a great reminder to the Church that Scripture is not only a means of truth but is also a means of grace.
This is a carefully developed and clearly-written book on the meaning and function of metaphor. It speaks from a perspective that is both eco-sensitive and attentive to cultural diversity.
Like a Tree Planted will be especially welcomed by people who want a fresh approach to biblical spirituality. Barbara Green shows the relation of the Old Testament to the New Testament, how biblical metaphors work, the richness of inter-textual reading, and the usefulness and limitations of critical biblical scholarship by actually engaging the reader in the interpretation of carefully selected and paired Psalms and parables. Her friendly style makes the reader a partner in the exploration of new levels of meaning in the texts even as she gently challenges that superficiality that over-familiarity can breed.
Green's book occupies territory somewhere between the work of Phyllis Trible and Barbara Brown Taylor, a high commendation indeed! Like Trible she is a discerning, noticing reader of the text, aware that every word and phrase is in the right place to perform its assigned duty. Like Taylor she moves through the text to arrive at concrete and earthy connections with our own life.
This is an interesting and original contribution in the area of spiritual development; it would be suitable as a stimulus to discussion.
Author
Barbara Green, OP, PhD, teaches Scripture and spirituality at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and works with adult groups interested in deepening their spiritual commitment. She is the author of "What Profit for Us?" Remembering the Story of Joseph.
