Reflections on the Psalms

The subject of Chapter 7, “connivance” for Lewis denotes acquiescence toward or cooperation with evil. Connivance in this sense is a prominent theme of many of the Psalms, which speak not only against committing evil but against associating with evildoers and their works. As with indignation, such an attitude of moral purity is good in itself but can develop into a “Pharisaical” spiritual pride.

For Lewis, indignation is a form of righteous anger that is a theme of the Psalms. The Psalmists often express indignation at evil acts, sometimes giving rise to vindictive feelings. Lewis argues that the presence of indignation in a human being is a good symptom, showing the presence of moral awareness, but it is bad when it spills into the “bitter personal vindictiveness” (30) expressed in some of the Psalms.

“Judgement” for Lewis denotes God’s acting as supreme judge of the world and human actions. It is a major theme in the Psalms and the first theme that Lewis discusses in the book, serving as the topic of Chapter 2. Lewis argues that the prospect of God’s judgment is primarily a source of rejoicing for the Psalmists, although some psalms reflect the (more commonly Christian) sentiment of remorse and fear at the prospect of God’s judgment.

Pertaining to the Messiah (“anointed one”), the promised and expected savior of the Jewish people, in Christianity identified with Jesus. Christian theology has interpreted many passages of in the Old Testament as foreshadowing the coming, life, and mission of Jesus—a process of interpretation begun by Jesus himself. Lewis discusses the Messianic dimension of various psalms in the final chapter, “Second Meanings in the Psalms.”

Explained by Lewis as “the practice of saying the same thing twice in different words” (3), parallelism is one of the main poetic devices used in the Psalms, one that survives in translation. In Lewis’s analysis, the device of parallelism serves the artistic principle of unity in diversity as well as memorability. Beyond the Psalms, parallelism is a general feature of ancient Hebrew or Jewish poetry and can be found, for example, in the sayings of Jesus.

Pertaining to or characteristic of the Pharisees, a major religious sect in ancient Judaism. In Christian parlance, the terms “Pharisaical” and “Pharisaism” denote an attitude of “strict observance of external forms of religion without regard to the spirit” (Merriam-Webster’s), reflecting Jesus’ clashes with Pharisee leaders in the gospels. Lewis uses the term in this way, referring to the moral dangers of self-righteousness or hypocrisy reflected in some of the Psalms.