French Literature Reviews - 2026
The Psalms. From Liturgy to Literature.
Other Literary Studies
Publications of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research and Studies in Theology – No. 7
The Psalms
From Liturgy to Literature
Edited by Claude Coulot, René Heyer, and Jacques Joubert
2006 • 18 €
288 pages • 16.5x24 cm
ISBN 13 : 978-2-86820-295-6
ISBN 10 : 2-86820-295-0
The "remarkable alliance" that Valéry observed in the Psalms between collective lyricism and sentiments stemming "from the very depths of the individual and their faith" goes far beyond a mere stylistic combination: it is central to the very constitution of the Psalms as both a genre and a book. As a genre, they concentrate an experience stripped of its circumstantial traits and rendered adaptable for reuse; as a book, they form an authenticated collection closed by the fixed list of one hundred and fifty cataloged pieces. In a way, any use made of the Psalms already belongs to this dual determination: a fixed corpus to be memorized—the psalter, which lends itself to citation and serves as a reference—and an open, living style—the psalmody genre.
The contributions gathered in this volume illustrate the movements connecting these polarities across languages, religious traditions, and continents: from Hebrew, the Greek of the Septuagint, and the Latin of the Vulgate to vernacular languages; from the Jewish tradition and ancient Christian liturgy to the adaptations of the Protestant and Catholic Reformations; from the Mediterranean to England, from the shores of Brazil to the heart of Africa. Sacred song thus blends with the breath of novelists and poets from all continents to express both dereliction and praise.
Table of Contents
Introduction • René Heyer
The Psalms: State of Research • Bernard Renaud
Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd" • Eberhard Bons
Psalm 25: Order and Disorder • Marie-Jo Porcher
The Reference to the Psalms in the Pastoral Epistles • Elvis Elengabeka
The Psalms of King David at the Heart of the Jewish Tradition • Sonia Sarah Lypsic
The Psalms in Christian Liturgy • Marcel Metzger
Psalm 22 in Luther's Second Commentary on the Psalms • Matthieu Arnold
The Psalms in French Reformed Spirituality • Marjolaine Chevallier
The Use of Psalms in Jean Léry's *History of a Voyage Made to the Land of Brazil* (1578) • Philippe Legros
A Metrical Translation of the Psalms in 17th-Century England • Claude-Laurence Lacassagne
The Psalm Genre in French-Language African Literature • François Kossi Amehe
*Patientia pauperum*, or the Psalms in the Work of Georges Bernanos • Martine Hiebel
The Avatars of Biblical Intertextuality in Beckett's *Endgame*. Literary Problems and Theological Questions • Paul Chautard
The Psalms of Jean Bastaire: A Counterpoint Dialogue • René Heyer
The study of the Psalms often centers on the tension between their role as a closed, canonical corpus and their function as a living, adaptable literary genre. Historically, this dual nature has allowed the texts to move beyond their liturgical origins into diverse cultural and linguistic contexts. The Psalms have been translated from Hebrew into the Greek of the Septuagint and the Latin of the Vulgate, and subsequently into various vernacular languages, reflecting their movement across religious traditions and continents from the Mediterranean to England, Brazil, and Africa.
The contributions in this volume examine the Psalms across various historical and geographical landscapes, including their presence in the Jewish tradition, Christian liturgy, and the works of modern authors. The essays analyze specific psalms and their reception in texts ranging from Jean Léry’s travel narratives to the writings of Georges Bernanos and Samuel Beckett. Readers interested in the intersection of biblical studies, comparative literature, and the evolution of religious poetry may find this interdisciplinary collection relevant to their research.