Lamentations and the Grief Process: a Psychological Reading

O’CONNOR. Kathleen M. Jeremiah Pain and Promise. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2011. 179 p.

“…She dedicates a considerable amount of attention explaining each stage in trauma and disaster studies regarding Jer. Similar applications of psychological theories in biblical studies have also been successfully demonstrated in the book of Lamentations (e.g., Joyce (1993) which applies psychological insights regarding the process of grief; Linafelt (1998) draws a parallel between Lamentations and the Holocaust and explores the inability to mourn in the face of such a tragedy). O'C argues that the effects of disaster leads one to silence as a self-defence mechanism; fractured memories repetitively echoing the traumatic experience; the loss of ability of verbal expression because of the pain; loss of sensitivity; and finally, the loss of faith (p. 20-26).…”

Psalms 90, 91 and 92 as a means of coping with trauma and adversity

“…In his psychological reading of the book of Lamentations (itself considered to be a reflection on the experience of the invasion and Exile), Joyce (1993) highlights the fact that in the loss of the Temple and its religious and cultural functions, the people of ancient Judah also lost the meaning and symbols by which they had understood and interpreted their world. Finding renewed meaning would therefore be central to coming to terms with the trauma.…”

“…Past decades have seen an increasing recognition of the contribution of psychology in reading the Bible (see, for example, Ellens and Rollins, 2004), including the psychology of trauma (Joyce, 1993;Collicutt 2006;Boase & Frechette, 2016). The effects of trauma and ways to manage these are of particular importance as the world experiences a global health crisis.…”

A Survey of Research on Lamentations (2002–2012)

“…Seminal psychological analysis (Moore 1983) was first brought to bear upon Lamentations in the last century, but a systematic application was undertaken by Joyce (1993), who highlights the importance of the insights of Elizabeth Kübler-Ross's 'grief work' (1997) to Lamentations research. In a recent essay (2011), Joyce discusses the state of the field on Lamentations and psychological readings, noting the fecundity of psychological readings (see also Joyce 1993).…”

“…Beyond these, they provide space for Christian interpretation in patristic (Thomas 2011b) and medieval periods (Hogg 2011), in Calvin (Wilcox 2011), Orthodox theology (Constantinou 2011), andCatholic worship (Cameron-Mowat 2011). They treat Messianic Jewish interpretation (Harvey 2011) as well as modern readings: psychological, feminist, musical and visual (Joyce 2011;Thomas 2011d;Schopf 2011;Thomas 2011c). In addition to these essays, there are fresh translations of the Old Greek and Targum of Lamentations, with the Greek and Aramaic provided next to the English in parallel columns (Parry and Thomas 2011: 211-47).…”