Miller presents during Tabor faculty lecture
Dr. Douglas Miller, associate professor of biblical and religious studies at Tabor College, presented "Community Patterns of Worship: A Canonical Approach to Psalm Categories" at the annual Dr. Richard G. Kyle Faculty Lecture, Feb. 7.
"The book of Psalms is one of the most loved sections of Scripture and has been for many generations," Miller said. "It is very common for believers to have one or more favorite psalms, often learned by memory, and repeated at significant times in their lives."
Throughout his lecture, Miller presented several structures for the organization of the Psalms, including his own proposal.
His new proposal has an organizational structure which "embraces all the diversity of Psalms rooted in the life situations out of which they came."
His new proposal, based on an approach called "canon analysis," has an organizational pattern which "embraces all the diversity of the Psalms" in relation to their connections with other portions of the Old Testament.
His proposal organizes the Psalms first by the general distinctions of the broader canon — priestly, prophetic, wisdom, etc. — and second, by the rhetoric of the present form of each psalm.
"I believe the proposal I have presented has potential to increase our appreciation of the breadth of the ancient community, to give insight into the diversity of their worship and improve the health for our own life and worship together," Miller said.
Miller graduated with a bachelor's degree from Oral Roberts University in 1977, received his master's of divinity from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in 1988, and obtained a doctorate in Old Testament from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1996.
He teaches courses in Old Testament, New Testament, Hebrew and Greek, Christian Education, and a course on the writings of C.S. Lewis. He also has authored numerous publications.
