The Christian Use of the Psalter

This short work offers a clear, conversational guide to the Psalter for anyone who enjoys the Book of Common Prayer but sometimes finds the Psalms bewildering. Drawing on three lectures once delivered to a church society, the author sketches the broad outlines of how the early church, the medieval tradition, and modern Anglican practice have drawn out the Psalms’ meaning. Helpful notes and a concise appendix give practical pointers for reading each Psalm in a way that highlights its Christian significance.

The first lecture lays out general principles, addressing common difficulties and showing how the Psalms were already seen as a “praise‑book” for the new faith. The second and third lectures turn to the way Christ himself is foreshadowed in the Psalms and how the whole worshiping community has incorporated them into daily prayer. Readers come away with a richer sense of continuity between the ancient Hebrew songs and today’s liturgical life.