R E F L E C T I O N S O N T H E PSALMS

Born in Ireland in 1898, C. S. Lewis was educated at Malvern College for a year and then privately. He gained a triple First at Oxford and was a Fellow and Tutor at Magdalen College 1925-54. In 1954 he became Professor of Mediaeval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge. He was an outstanding and popular lecturer and had a deep and lasting influence on his pupils.

C. S. Lewis was for many years an atheist, and described his conversion in Surprised by Joy: 'In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God ... perhaps the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.' It was this experi-ence that helped him to understand not only apathy but active unwillingness to accept religion, and, as a Christian writer, gifted with an exceptionally brilliant and logical mind and a lucid, lively style, he was without peer. The Problem of Pain, The Screw-tape Letters, Mere Christianity, The Four Loves and the posthumous Prayer: Letters to Malcolm are only a few of his best-selling works. He also wrote books for children, and some science fiction, besides many works of literary criticism. His works are known to millions of people all over the world in translation. He died on 22 November 1963, at his home in Oxford.

B O O K S BY C. S. LEWIS

AVAILABLE FROM F O U N T PAPERBACKS

The Abolition of Man The Business of Heaven

Christian Reflections Christian Reunion Compelling Reason

The Dark Tower Fern-seed and Elephants

The Four Loves God in the Dock

The Great Divorce Letters

Letters to Children Mere Christianity

Miracles Narrative Poems

The Pilgrim's Regress Prayer: Letters to Malcolm

The Problem of Pain Readings for Reflection and Meditation

Reflections on the Psalms The Screwtape Letters

Screwtape Proposes a Toast Surprised by Joy

Till We Have Faces

B O O K S F O R C H I L D R E N

AVAILABLE FROM H A R P E R C O L L I N S

The Chronicles of Narnia

C. S. Lewis

REFLECTIONS ON THE PSALMS

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First published in Great Britain in 1958 and in 1967 by Fontana Books

First printed in Fount Paperbacks in 1977 This edition first published 1998

1 3 5 7 9 1 0 8 6 4 2

Copyright © 1958 Literat S.A.

The Book of Common Prayer is Crown Copyright Extracts are reproduced by permission.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN O 00 628092 7

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To Austin and Katharine Farrer

Contents

I

Introductory

2

' Judgement' in the Psalms