Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 202-216). Also available on the Internet.

ABSTRACT SUFFERING, SOUL CARE, AND COMMUNITY: THE PLACE OF CORPORATE LAMENT IN EVANGELICAL WORSHIP Ann Marie Ahrens, Ph.D. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2017 Chair: Dr. Esther R. Crookshank This dissertation examines the biblical foundations of corporate lament practices beginning with the worship of ancient Israel as found in the Psalms, and their continued use by Jesus in his prayers, the gospel writers, and in the epistles of Paul, Peter, and John in the Revelation. It concludes with case studies and recommendations for the inclusion of lament practices in modern corporate worship. Chapter 1 is a chronological literature review beginning ca. 1980, which demonstrates the increase in worship resources, particularly in the last decade, that focus on corporate lament practices. Resources are categorized as follows: (1) biblical and theological studies; (2) practical theology; (3) psychology and soul care; (4) liturgical resources for lament; and (5) corporate worship and the use of the arts. Scholarly and non-scholarly sources are included. Chapter 2 examines the language and theology of lament in the Old Testament, with specific focus on the Psalms. J. L. Austin’s “Speech Act Theory” is also discussed and applied the lament Psalms in order to broaden the understanding of the rich dialogical nature of Israel’s corporate worship practices. Chapter 3 examines the prayers of Jesus and how his use of the lament Psalms serves as a model for modern believers. Chapter 4 applies Rebekah Eklund’s typology of “echoes and extensions” of the lament Psalms in the writings of Paul, Peter, and John in the Revelation. The goal is to demonstrate that use of the lament Psalms continued after the coming of Christ. Chapter 5 contains a summary of conclusions and undergirding premises for the use of lament Psalms in modern corporate worship. The chapter concludes with foundational considerations for implementing these premises into corporate worship practices. Chapter 6 includes four contemporary case studies in which the Psalms of lament are used to pray through and process times of tragedy and suffering. These case studies include personal, corporate, devotional, and pastoral care examples. The chapter concludes with a brief examination of parallel studies and suggested areas for further study.

Thesis (DLitt)--Stellenbosch University, 2005 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A survey of the research on the Biblical Hebrew psalms of lamentation reveals a lack of attention paid to the divine images found in these poems. Previous studies, for the most part, focused on literary and stylistic aspects pertaining to the Psalms in general and the psalms of lamentation in particular. The competent reader will, however, notice that divine metaphors abound in these psalms. This study investigates the divine metaphors (nominal and verbal) in the Biblical Hebrew psalms of lamentation from a cognitive anthropological perspective. It is argued that the literary information in these poems is a cognitive representation of the psalmist's world. The various divine portrayals arise from the poet's cognitive organisation and utilisation of cultural information. The analysis of the metaphorical expressions affords the exegete insight into the cognitive world of the supplicant and the strategies employed by the one who offers praise and does not eschew lament. Some of the theoretical assumptions of cognitive anthropology are applied to a selection of psalms of lamentation (Pss. 7, 17, 31, 35, 44, 59, 74 and 80) as a means of illustrating how this approach can shed new light on the way the deity is depicted in the laments. To achieve this, each psalm is analysed both from a cognitive and literary perspective. The examination of the divine metaphors reveals the various cognitive strategies employed to portray Yahweh. It is shown that these recurring images result from the application of cultural models, conceptual metaphors and image-schemas. Given the soundness of the proposed hypothesis, this investigation arrives at the conclusion that a cognitive perspective on the divine representations in the Biblical Hebrew psalms of lamentation is indeed a worthy endeavour. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: "n Oorsig van die navorsing oor die klaagpsalms wys uit dat daar tot dusver nie baie aandag geskenk is aan die beelde wat in dié psalms gebruik word om na God te verwys nie. Vorige studies fokus meestalop die literêre en stilistiese aspekte van die psalms, in die algemeen, en die klaagpsalms in die besonder. 'n Kompetente leser sal egter gou die oorvloed van metafore vir God raaksien. Hierdie studie ondersoek die metafore vir God (nominaal en verbaal) in die klaagpsalms vanuit 'n kognitief antropologiese perspektief. Daar word geargumenteer dat die literêre informasie in hierdie gedigte 'n kognitiewe voorstelling van die psalmis se lewenswêreld daarstel. Die verskeie Godsvoorstellings spruit uit die digter se kognitiewe aanwending en organisasie van kulturele informasie. 'n Analise van die metaforiese uitdrukkings verskaf aan die eksegeet insig in die kognitiewe wêreld van die bidder en die strategieë wat die een gebruik wat God se lof besing, sonder om klag uit te sluit. Van die insigte van die kognitiewe antropologie word toegepas op 'n seleksie van klaagpsalms (Ps. 7,17,31,35,44,59,74,80) en daar word voorgehou hoe hierdie benadering nuwe perspektiewe bied op die wyse waarop die godheid voorgestel word in die klaagpsalms. Vir die doel word elke Psalm literêr en kognitief ontleed. Die ondersoek na die metafore met betrekking tot God lê die verskeie kognitiewe strategieë bloot wat gebruik word om Jahwe voor te stel. Daar word aangetoon dat hierdie terugkerende beelde die gevolg is van die toepassing van kulturele modelle, konsepsuele metafore en beeldskemas. Gegewe die oortuigingskrag van die voorgestelde hipotese, konkludeer die ondersoek dat 'n kognitief-antropologiese perspektief op die Godsvoorstellings in die klaagpsalms inderdaad 'n belangrike onderwerp van navorsing is.