Praying Through the Psalms

Yohanna Katanacho has taken upon himself to transport the ancientpsalmists to the dusty and bleeding squares of the Middle East and lend them his eyes, his heart and his pen. He draws the thread that connects their mouth to the mouths of today’s persevering church, but without substituting theancient voice. This is not just one more translation of the ancient psalter – the new prayers come alongside the ancient ones as the alto joins the soprano to sing the same song in harmony.

Myrto Theocharous, PhD
Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament,
Greek Bible College

Praying Through the Psalms is an extraordinary book written by a man who lives what he has written. For the readers, it is going to be a journey that they have never experienced, as it will contextualize God’s Word written through the Psalms into their very own context in whatever circumstance they might be in – hard, rough, in war or persecution, or even betrayed!
The new depth that this book has given to the Psalms has given me a stronger belief in God as a friend who understands me well in my everyday situations as he accompanies me in them all the time.

Rev Jack Y. Sara, PhD
President, Bethlehem Bible College

There are at least three ways we can employ Katanacho’s prayers and praises to God’s glory andto our own blessing: we can simply use these prayers and praises as our own:

• we can simply use these prayers and praises as our own
• we can use them as a way of identifying with our brothers and sisters in the Middle East and praying with them
• and we can take these prayers and praisesas models for our own prayers and praises that build from the biblical Psalms to say what we need to say to God.

John Goldingay, PhD
Professor of Old Testament,
Fuller Theological Seminary

Praying Through the Psalms is an important new work. The book sets forth a fresh and innovative approach to reading the Psalms by praying through the text in comprehensive and contemporary terms that are intelligible for the reader. These contextual prayers deserve appreciation; specially as the writer is a scholar in a Palestinian context who seeks theology of his context including the challenges of the present moment.

Rev Andrea Zaki, PhD
President of the Protestant Churches of Egypt