"If the Psalms really are -as we often say - the primary hymnbook of the Church, as they were the primary hymnbook of Jesus, it seems pretty important that we have ways of singing them that involve congregations singing them in ways they can feel at home with. Adam's fresh and lively versions provide just that opportunity, and I hope many churches will want to take advantage of them and spread the word about their availability." Rowan WilliamsEver wanted to sing the psalms but not able to cope with Anglican chant, plain chant or responsorial chant? Here is the answer: an unabridged, faithful rendition of the entire Hebrew Psalter in accessible metrical English.Following the successful publication of Psalms for the Common Era : Complete Psalter Anglican Edition, and in response to clear demand this large print edition provides the same content and the same page numbers so that it can be used in tandem with the standard format edition.The intention of this translation of the psalms is to encourage more people to sing more psalms more often. By choosing hymn tunes from widely-used hymn books, this translation increases the likelihood that some people will sing psalms who otherwise would miss out. Most psalms were meant to be sung and there are several tunes mentioned in the ancient Hebrew titles. These suggest that the tunes existed independently of the psalms, as they do here. The choice of tune for the psalms takes into consideration primarily the structure and metre of the Hebrew psalm, but also the mood and theme. This psalter is unabridged. As such it is intended as a metrical equivalent of the 'Parish Psalter' (Nicholson; The Faith Press: Leighton Buzzard, 1932) and its successors. There are no conflations. Every verse has been rendered so that the richness of the psalter may be experienced in its fulness.Adam Carlill was brought up with one foot in the Methodist Church and the other in the Church of England. He joined the local choir aged eight, and hated singing psalms at Matins and Evensong. However, hatred gradually turned to love. He received his BA in theology at Keble College, Oxford in 1987, before spending a year as the Dean's volunteer at St George's Anglican Cathedral in Jerusalem. He trained for Anglican ministry at Lincoln Theological College and was made deacon in 1990, serving in St Edward's Romford and being ordained priest in 1991. After a second curacy in Uckfield (East Sussex), Adam became Vicar of St George's Tilehurst (Berkshire) in 1998 where he has been serving ever since, becoming Vicar of the neighbouring parish of St Mary Magdalen's Tilehurst a few years later.Adam received his DPhil in Old Testament Theology in 2013 at St Peter's Hall, Oxford, under the supervision of Prof. John Day, subsequently becoming a member of the Society for Old Testament Study. His thesis, 'Cherubim and Seraphim in the Old Testament', was summarised in an article in the Journal for the Study of the Christian Church.For years Adam felt frustrated at not being able to use the psalms in worship more widely, so, in 2015, he decided to do something about it, systematically working through the Hebrew psalter, translating each one into modern metrical English. Three drafts later, and with the help of numerous colleagues with Hebrew and mucial interest, this volume is now offered to congregations, individuals and choirs to use as they see best.The addition of metrical versions of the Christian canticles contained in the Book of Common Prayer in this volume make it ideal for Anglican congregations who wish to maintain the centuries-old practice of daily sung worship, twice a day throughout the year. For more information about Psalms for the Common Era, check out the website ww.psalmsforthecommonera.com

"If the Psalms really are -as we often say - the primary hymnbook of the Church, as they were the primary hymnbook of Jesus, it seems pretty important that we have ways of singing them that involve congregations singing them in ways they can feel at home with. Adam's fresh and lively versions provide just that opportunity, and I hope many churches will want to take advantage of them and spread the word about their availability." Rowan WilliamsEver wanted to sing the psalms but not able to cope with Anglican chant, plain chant or responsorial chant? Here is the answer: an unabridged, faithful rendition of the entire Hebrew Psalter in accessible metrical English.Following the successful publication of Psalms for the Common Era : Complete Psalter Anglican Edition, and in response to clear demand this large print edition provides the same content and the same page numbers so that it can be used in tandem with the standard format edition.The intention of this translation of the psalms is to encourage more people to sing more psalms more often. By choosing hymn tunes from widely-used hymn books, this translation increases the likelihood that some people will sing psalms who otherwise would miss out. Most psalms were meant to be sung and there are several tunes mentioned in the ancient Hebrew titles. These suggest that the tunes existed independently of the psalms, as they do here. The choice of tune for the psalms takes into consideration primarily the structure and metre of the Hebrew psalm, but also the mood and theme. This psalter is unabridged. As such it is intended as a metrical equivalent of the 'Parish Psalter' (Nicholson; The Faith Press: Leighton Buzzard, 1932) and its successors. There are no conflations. Every verse has been rendered so that the richness of the psalter may be experienced in its fulness.Adam Carlill was brought up with one foot in the Methodist Church and the other in the Church of England. He joined the local choir aged eight, and hated singing psalms at Matins and Evensong. However, hatred gradually turned to love. He received his BA in theology at Keble College, Oxford in 1987, before spending a year as the Dean's volunteer at St George's Anglican Cathedral in Jerusalem. He trained for Anglican ministry at Lincoln Theological College and was made deacon in 1990, serving in St Edward's Romford and being ordained priest in 1991. After a second curacy in Uckfield (East Sussex), Adam became Vicar of St George's Tilehurst (Berkshire) in 1998 where he has been serving ever since, becoming Vicar of the neighbouring parish of St Mary Magdalen's Tilehurst a few years later.Adam received his DPhil in Old Testament Theology in 2013 at St Peter's Hall, Oxford, under the supervision of Prof. John Day, subsequently becoming a member of the Society for Old Testament Study. His thesis, 'Cherubim and Seraphim in the Old Testament', was summarised in an article in the Journal for the Study of the Christian Church.For years Adam felt frustrated at not being able to use the psalms in worship more widely, so, in 2015, he decided to do something about it, systematically working through the Hebrew psalter, translating each one into modern metrical English. Three drafts later, and with the help of numerous colleagues with Hebrew and mucial interest, this volume is now offered to congregations, individuals and choirs to use as they see best.The addition of metrical versions of the Christian canticles contained in the Book of Common Prayer in this volume make it ideal for Anglican congregations who wish to maintain the centuries-old practice of daily sung worship, twice a day throughout the year. For more information about Psalms for the Common Era, check out the website ww.psalmsforthecommonera.com

Embracing the viewpoints of Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox thinkers, of conservatives, liberals, radicals, and agnostics, Christianity today is anything but monolithic or univocal. In The Oxford Companion to Christian Thought, general editor Adrian Hastings has tried to capture a sense of the great diversity of opinion that swirls about under the heading of Christian thought. Indeed, the 260 contributors, who hail from twenty countries, represent as wide a range of perspectives as possible.Here is a comprehensive and authoritative (though not dogmatic) overview of the full spectrum of Christian thinking. Within its 600 alphabetically arranged entries, readers will find lengthy survey articles on the history of Christian thought, on national and regional traditions, and on various denominations, from Anglican to Unitarian. There is ample coverage of Eastern thought as well, examining the Christian tradition in China, Japan, India, and Africa. The contributors examine major theological topics such as resurrection, the Eucharist, and grace as well as controversial issues such as homosexuality and abortion. In addition, short entries illuminate symbols such as water and wine, and there are many profiles of leading theologians, of non-Christians who have deeply influenced Christian thinking, including Aristotle and Plato, and of literary figures such as Dante, Milton, and Tolstoy. Most articles end with a list of suggested readings and the book features a large number of cross-references.The Oxford Companion to Christian Thought is an indispensable guide to one of the central strands of Western culture. An essential volume for all Christians, it is a thoughtful gift for the holidays.

Psalms 1 and 2 serve as a Prologue to the rest of the Psalter. Susan Gillingham takes us on an illuminating journey across two-and-a-half millennia, revealing how these two psalms have been commented on, translated, painted, set to music, employed in worship, and adapted in literature, often being used disputatiously by Jews and Christians alike.

Hymns and the music the church sings in worship are tangible means of expressing worship. And while worship is one of, if not the central functions of the church along with mission, service, education, justice, and compassion, and occupies a prime focus of our churches, a renewed sense of awareness to our theological presuppositions and cultural cues must be maintained to ensure a proper focus in worship. Hymns and Hymnody: Historical and Theological Introductions is a sixty-chapter, three-volume introductory textbook describing the most influential hymnists, liturgists, and musical movements of the church. This academically grounded resource evaluates both the historical and theological perspectives of the major hymnists and composers who have impacted the church over the course of twenty centuries. Volume 1 explores the early church and concludes with the Renaissance era hymnists. Volume 2 begins with the Reformation and extends to the eighteenth-century hymnists and liturgists. Volume 3 engages nineteenth century hymnists to the contemporary movements of the twenty-first century. Each chapter contains these five elements: historical background, theological perspectives communicated in their hymns/compositions, contribution to liturgy and worship, notable hymns, and bibliography. The mission of Hymns and Hymnody is (1) to provide biographical data on influential hymn writers for students and interested laypeople, and (2) to provide a theological analysis of what these composers have communicated in the theology of their hymns. We believe it is vital for those involved in leading the worship of the church to recognize that what they communicate is in fact theology. This latter aspect, we contend, is missing--yet important--in accessible formats for the current literature.

Widely regarded as the modern C. S. Lewis, N. T. Wright, one of the world’s most trusted and popular Bible scholars and the bestselling author of Simply Christian and Surprised by Hope, presents a manifesto urging Christians to live and pray the Bible’s Psalms in The Case for the Psalms. Wright seeks to reclaim the power of the Psalms, which were once at the core of prayer life. He argues that, by praying and living the Psalms, we enter into a worldview, a way of communing with God and knowing him more intimately, and receive a map by which we understand the contours and direction of our lives. For this reason, all Christians need to read, pray, sing, and live the Psalms. By providing the historical, literary, and spiritual contexts for reading these hymns from ancient Israel’s songbook, The Case for the Psalms provides the tools for incorporating these divine poems into our sacred practices and into our spirituality itself.