Book excerpt: Martin Luther once said, 'Many of the Fathers have loved and praised the Book of Psalms above all other books of the Bible. No books of moral tales and no legends of saints which have been written, or ever will be, are to my mind as noble as the Book of Psalms ...' Despite their richness, the Psalms also raise some interpretive challenges. How do we read such difficult passages as the one which advocates the violent destruction of one's enemies? Are we to ignore these and embrace only those that edify us? This collection of essays by renowned international scholars addresses such issues as the history and contemporary Lutheran and ecumenical interpretations of Psalms and provides valuable interpretive insights for theologians, biblical scholars, pastors, counselors and students. With contributions by Lubomir Batka, Andrea Bieler, Brian Brock, Hans-Peter Großhans, Elelwani B. Farisani, Jutta Hausmann, Anni Hentschel, Frank-Lothar Hossfeld, Craig R. Koester, Madipoane Masenya, Karl-Wilhelm Niebuhr, Urmas Nommik, Roger Wanke and Vitor Westhelle.