He points out that the Psalmists concept of God as Judge is different from that of nowadays: a modern Christian tends to see himself as the defendant in a criminal court being judged for his sins whereas the Psalmists see themselves as self-righteous plaintiffs in a civil case, calling on God to judge in their favour: “The Psalmist is the indignant plaintiff. He is quite sure, apparently, that his own hands are clean. He never did to others the horrid things that others are doing to him.” (C 2)
Many Psalms involve curses. For example, Psalm 137 which starts with the lament “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, and wept; when we thought about Zion” goes on in verse 9 to say to the Babylonians “Happy be they, who shall take hold of thy little children; and hurtle them against a stone”. Lewis points out that the writers of the Psalms are “much more vindictive and vitriolic than the Pagans” (C 3) and explains this by suggesting that the Psalmists feel more deeply and are thus morally ‘higher’: “It is great men, potential saints, not little men, who become merciless fanatics.” (C 3) It seems to me that this argument not only endeavours to excuse hatred but to do so by expressing contempt for (a) ordinary people and (b) pagans.
CS Lewis was also the author of: these books reviewed in this blog:
His science fiction trilogy
Theology:
He points out that the Psalmists accepted death as the end, in stark contrast to many of the religions around them, eg the Egyptians who saw life as a preparation for the afterlife.
When he list the many times when the Psalmists tell their listeners to shun wickedness, Lewis points out an interesting moral conundrum: "How ought we to behave in the presence of ... very bad people who are powerful, prosperous and impenitent. If they are outcasts, poor and miserable, whose wickedness obviously has not ‘paid’, then ... Christ with the woman taken in adultery ... is our example.” (C 7)
Finally he asks whether God's demands that we should praise him reveal a weak character: “We all despise the man who demands the continued assurance of his own virtue, intelligence or delightfulness; we despise still more the crowd of people round every dictator, every millionaire, every celebrity, who gratify that demand.” (C 8). He points out that “The world rings with praise - lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favourite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favourite game - praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, even sometimes politicians or scholars.” (C 8) He concludes that praise adds to our pleasure: “I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation.” (C 8) So God commands us to praise him because he wants us to enjoy him to the full. “In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him.” (C 8)
This is a thought-provoking book ... but it hasn't converted me from atheism.
Special moments:
July 2021; 115 pages
- “Our generation was brought up to eat everything on the plate; and it was the sound principle of nursery gastronomy to polish off the nasty things first and leave the titbits to the end.” (C 1)
- “The humblest, and at the same time most balanced and capacious, minds, praised most, while the cranks, misfits and malcontents praised least. The good critics found something to praise in many imperfect works.” (C 8)
July 2021; 115 pages
His science fiction trilogy
Theology:
Literary criticism:
Autobiography:
Of course he wrote the Narnia children's books as well.
Autobiography:
Of course he wrote the Narnia children's books as well.
Biographis of C S Lewis reviewed in this blog:
- Jack: C S Lewis and his times by George Sayer
- C.S.Lewis: a biography by Roger Lancelyn Green and Walter Hooper
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