1. The Book of Lamentations

2. Introduction to Lamentations
Initial Impressions
Author
Date
Occasion

3. The Style of Lamentations
Poetry
Lament
Confession
Brutal Language
Multiple Voices
One Silent Voice...

4. The Structure of Lamentations
5 Poems
No plot or narrative flow
Chapter 3 – welcome relief?
Chapter 5 – still nothing from God!
Acrostics...

5. The Structure of Lamentations
Acrostic
No Acrostic
22 verses with 3 lines each
66 verses with 1 line each
22 verses with 2 lines each
22 verses with 1 line each
Each verse begins with acrostic letter
3 verses per letter
No acrostic

6. The Structure of the 5 Poems

7. Why Acrostic? Poetic Style? Memory aid? Symbolic of Completeness?
Recovery of Order?
Restore some Humanity?

8. Why 5 poems in this order?

9. The Structure of the 5 Poems

10. The Themes of Lamentations
Sin, Punishment and the Violence of God
Suffering (Theodicy) and Complaint (Anti-Theodicy)
Covenant and Presence
Faith, Hope and Worship
Witness and Advocacy
Suffering, Silence and Salvation...

12. Early Christians didn’t seek to explain evil and suffering, at least not in the abstract, rationalistic way of theodicists. Instead they chose to frame evil and suffering quite differently. Their response to the problem of evil and the existence of suffering was not to question God’s goodness, love, and power, but rather to develop faithful forms of community within which the impact of evil and suffering could be absorbed, resisted, and transformed as they waited for God’s return. The early Christians did not separate the question of suffering from their calling to be people of faith.   John Swinton, Raging with Compassion