This thesis seeks to develop a new method of interpretation for lament psalms and to apply it to Psalms 13, 22, 44, 88. The new method is called Theo-dramatic approach. This method recognizes lament psalms as dialogical prayers, (multivoicing) which describe the drama of suffering experienced by the psalmists. The Theo-dramatic approach is an imaginative method of interpretation. The most important elements are: the script, the theatre and the performance. The actors are:
God, the supplicant, the enemy, the community.
Script: lament Psalms: 13, 22, 44, and 88, were chosen because they demonstrate much of the vocabulary of the absence or hostility of God.
Theatre: the public space provided by the covenant relationship between God and pray-er.
Performance: the dramatized grief and pain of the psalmist, caused by the hostility or absence of God.
