Marti Steussy

Advantages: A good, solid introduction
Disadvantages: -

...True to the ecumenical nature of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), of which author Marti Steussy, this commentary on the Psalms will appeal to a broad range of readers. Part of the Chalice Press series 'Chalice Commentaries for Today', Steussy's text combines older scholarship with her own research and studies derived from years of teaching and preaching. Steussy writes from the Christian perspective, but avoids the sin of supersessionism (the idea that Hebrew scriptures only have value reflected through a Christian lens). The Psalms have long been a very popular book among Christians. As Steussy points out, often one finds the New Testament and Psalms paired in book form, and liturgical forms for many denominations are often derived from, if not directly lifted out of, the Psalms. Despite this, the Psalms contain various... Read review

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Advantages: Well written, good research, interesting ideas
Disadvantages: -

...David is an enigmatic figure. He has stories attributed to him that are reminiscent of legendary figures from Greek mythology, yet has other stories that show him as a very flawed, very human figure. He seems loyal and disloyal, caring and selfish, naïve and manipulative - almost as if there were several personalities present. Yet through all of this complexity, the single figure of David is more prominent than almost any other human figure in the Hebrew Scriptures (for instance, David's name appears about 1080 times, compared with 772 for Moses, the next most-cited person). Moses, too, is a flawed person, but the depth of detail of David makes him in many ways a more interesting figure; his close-ness yet distance to the Divine also makes him more like the others of us ordinary human beings. Steussy identifies four different narrative... Read review

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Advantages: A good survey and introduction
Disadvantages: A few minor flaws (see below)

...True to the ecumenical, Disciples influence of the Chalice Press, the authors and the editor of this volume, Marti Steussy (of Christian Theological Seminary), this text presents a broad-based introduction to the Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures that should appeal to a wide-ranging audience. The fourteen contributors (including the author) represent a good cross-section of that current of biblical scholarship that uses the modern tools of critical analysis to discover the meanings and the difficulties with the text. Intended primarily as an introductory text for undergraduates or seminary students, the text would also be useful for adult Sunday school and Bible study classes that give attention to the whole of the Old Testament. Despite the variety of authors, the text is uniformly accessible, free from jargon and technical terminology... Read review

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