Overview

The Psalms have been the prayer book of God's people for three thousand years. But many Christians today are at a loss for how to read the Psalms, and so are largely unfamiliar with how the Psalms can teach us to pray. Make the Words Your Own: An Early Christian Guide to the Psalms recreates the earliest surviving Christian guide for personal devotion on the Psalms ever written-by pastor and saint, Athanasius. This book invites you to engage the Psalms just as you are-with the hope of becoming all you were meant to be in Christ.

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9781612614182

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Reviews

An ideal guide to praying the Psalms. Athanasius has found a diligent and sympathetic advocate and friend in Ben Wayman. --Dr. David Bentley Hart, contributing editor of First Things and author of The Beauty of the Infinite _ Since discovering the importance of fixed-hour prayer for a life of action, I've encouraged thousands of people to pray the Psalter as part of Common Prayer. Many of them have asked, But how do you make these prayers your own? Ben Wayman is enough of a scholar to know that others have asked this question before. I'm so glad he's given us this ancient resource from Athanasius, the same father of the church who gave us the first biography of a monastic. --Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, author of The Wisdom of Stability My first thoughts upon praying with this book for the last week were This guide is going to crack open the Psalms for me. I expect Make the Words Your Own will have a permanent place on my bookshelf. After praying them for two weeks, I thought This guide will crack me open to the Psalms. I expect it to be off my bookshelf, and in my hands, often. --Lauren F. Winner, author of Mudhouse Sabbath and Wearing God We should be grateful to Ben Wayman for rescuing Athanasius's Letter to Marcellinus.... [T]his book defies the distinction between doctrine and devotion. --Stanley Hauerwas, author of Hannah's Child (from the foreword) Wayman reinvigorates the ancient voice of Athanasius, a true pastor of souls, by allowing him to speak tenderly to his flock, even today. --Fr. David V. Meconi, SJ, editor of Homiletic and Pastoral Review (from the afterword)

We should be grateful to Ben Wayman for rescuing Athanasius's Letter to Marcellinus. ... [T]his book defies the distinction between doctrine and devotion. --Stanley Hauerwas, author of Hannah's Child (from the foreword) Wayman reinvigorates the ancient voice of Athanasius, a true pastor of souls, by allowing him to speak tenderly to his flock, even today. --Fr. David V. Meconi, SJ, editor of Homiletic and Pastoral Review (from the afterword) Since discovering the importance of fixed-hour prayer for a life of action, I've encouraged thousands of people to pray the Psalter as part of Common Prayer. Many of them have asked, But how do you make these prayers your own? Ben Wayman is enough of a scholar to know that others have asked this question before. I'm so glad he's given us this ancient resource from Athanasius, the same father of the church who gave us the first biography of a monastic. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, author of The Wisdom of Stability My first thoughts upon praying with this book for the last week were This guide is going to crack open the Psalms for me. I expect Make the Words Your Own will have a permanent place on my bookshelf. After praying them for two weeks, I thought This guide will crack me open to the Psalms. I expect it to be off my bookshelf, and in my hands, often. Lauren F. Winner, author of Mudhouse Sabbath and Wearing God Make the Words Your Own is a book for reflection, meditation, and prayer. Like all Christian prayer, it invites us to pray, not as individuals, but with the company of Christians around the world and through the ages who have prayed the psalms Wayman s guide to the psalms brings its readers into contact, not only with one of the Church s great teachers, but with the living God who is present among us, as we make the words of this ancient book of prayer our own. Robert Louis Wilken, University of Virginia Christians today are at a loss for how to read the Psalms. Many of us know the Psalms have played an essential role in Christian life and thought throughout the history of the church, but we have fallen out of practice in praying them and so are largely unfamiliar with how the Psalms can make us better disciples. In Make the Words Your Own: An Early Christian Guide to the Psalms (Paraclete Press), Benjamin D. Wayman a pastor atSt. Paul s Free Methodist Churchin Greenville, Illinois, and an assistant professor of religion at Greenville College recreates the earliest surviving Christian guide for personal devotion on the Psalms ever written by pastor and saint Athanasius. Athanasius is one of the most important pastors in the history of the church. He is best known for his theological leadership in the tumultuous years after the first general church council at Nicaea in 325 and his adamant opposition to the controversial teachings of the popular Alexandrian priest Arius. Make the Words Your Own introduces modern Christians to Athanasius the pastor who, in response to a request from one of his sickly parishioners, wrote a letter that offers a detailed guide to nearly every single psalm. Later Christians found the guidance of Athanasius so useful that they placed it as an introduction to the Psalms in their manuscripts of the Bible and circulated it broadly for the next thousand years. I wrote this book to introduce Christians today to a fresh reading of the Psalms that draws from the best of our ancient heritage. This book invites Christians to engage the Psalms personally as you are with the hope of becoming all you were meant to be in Christ, Wayman said. Thus, the Psalter meets us at the depths of our own suffering or betrayal or guilt and transforms our language and lives into the words and faithfulness of Christ himself. That Athanasius has been considered a saint is no small matter, and we would do well to follow the wise and mature guidance of this faithful follower of Jesus. For modern use, I have retooled Athanasius guide by dividing his counsel into eight categories Psalms for the Suffering, for the Betrayed, for the Harassed, for the Guilty, for the Thankful, for Reflection, for Instruction, for Daily Life. Athanasius guidance is then accompanied by the respective psalm to allow for a devotional reading of the Psalter. Wayman holds a Ph.D. in historical theology from St. Louis University and an M.Div. from the Divinity School at Duke University. Light and Life Magazine An ideal guide to praying the Psalms. Athanasius has found a diligent and sympathetic advocate and friend in Ben Wayman. David Bentley Hart, contributing editor of First Things and author of The Beauty of the Infinite

Make the Words Your Own is a book for reflection, meditation, and prayer. Like all Christian prayer, it invites us to pray, not as individuals, but with the company of Christians around the world and through the ages who have prayed the psalms... Wayman's guide to the psalms brings its readers into contact, not only with one of the Church's great teachers, but with the living God who is present among us, as we make the words of this ancient book of prayer our own. -Robert Louis Wilken, University of Virginia Christians today are at a loss for how to read the Psalms. Many of us know the Psalms have played an essential role in Christian life and thought throughout the history of the church, but we have fallen out of practice in praying them and so are largely unfamiliar with how the Psalms can make us better disciples. In Make the Words Your Own: An Early Christian Guide to the Psalms (Paraclete Press), Benjamin D. Wayman - a pastor at St. Paul's Free Methodist Church in Greenville, Illinois, and an assistant professor of religion at Greenville College - recreates the earliest surviving Christian guide for personal devotion on the Psalms ever written - by pastor and saint Athanasius. Athanasius is one of the most important pastors in the history of the church. He is best known for his theological leadership in the tumultuous years after the first general church council at Nicaea in 325 and his adamant opposition to the controversial teachings of the popular Alexandrian priest Arius. Make the Words Your Own introduces modern Christians to Athanasius the pastor who, in response to a request from one of his sickly parishioners, wrote a letter that offers a detailed guide to nearly every single psalm. Later Christians found the guidance of Athanasius so useful that they placed it as an introduction to the Psalms in their manuscripts of the Bible and circulated it broadly for the next thousand years. I wrote this book to introduce Christians today to a fresh reading of the Psalms that draws from the best of our ancient heritage. This book invites Christians to engage the Psalms personally - as you are - with the hope of becoming all you were meant to be in Christ, Wayman said. Thus, the Psalter meets us at the depths of our own suffering or betrayal or guilt and transforms our language and lives into the words and faithfulness of Christ himself. That Athanasius has been considered a saint is no small matter, and we would do well to follow the wise and mature guidance of this faithful follower of Jesus. For modern use, I have retooled Athanasius' guide by dividing his counsel into eight categories - Psalms for the Suffering, for the Betrayed, for the Harassed, for the Guilty, for the Thankful, for Reflection, for Instruction, for Daily Life. Athanasius' guidance is then accompanied by the respective psalm to allow for a devotional reading of the Psalter. Wayman holds a Ph.D. in historical theology from St. Louis University and an M.Div. from the Divinity School at Duke University. -Light and Life Magazine My first thoughts upon praying with this book for the last week were This guide is going to crack open the Psalms for me. I expect Make the Words Your Own will have a permanent place on my bookshelf. After praying them for two weeks, I thought This guide will crack me open to the Psalms. I expect it to be off my bookshelf, and in my hands, often. -Lauren F. Winner, author of Mudhouse Sabbath and Wearing God Since discovering the importance of fixed-hour prayer for a life of action, I've encouraged thousands of people to pray the Psalter as part of Common Prayer. Many of them have asked, But how do you make these prayers your own? Ben Wayman is enough of a scholar to know that others have asked this question before. I'm so glad he's given us this ancient resource from Athanasius, the same father of the church who gave us the first biography of a monastic. -Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, author of The Wisdom of Stability An ideal guide to praying the Psalms. Athanasius has found a diligent and sympathetic advocate and friend in Ben Wayman. -David Bentley Hart, contributing editor of First Things and author of The Beauty of the Infinite

Author Information

Benjamin D. Wayman is assistant professor of religion at Greenville College and a pastor at St. Paul's Free Methodist church.

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