Seeking God by Reading the Psalms

The question "What is the image of God?" remains central in Christianity, with limited studies providing systematic answers. This book presents a textual analysis of the 150 Psalms in the NIV Bible, exploring the imago Dei through Ferdinand de Saussure's notions of "concept" and "sound pattern." Results identified 195 images across noun, adjective, verb, possession, and place adverb categories. The top twenty images, including LORD, savior, and powerful, as well as seven images that consistently rank high across all five books of the Psalms, reveal a recognizable linguistic portrait of God. These sound patterns make the Christian God relatable to individuals, transcending societal boundaries. The book proposes a theory for understanding abstract concepts and offers a valuable research methodology for such analysis.

-- Dr. Suyi Liu, Dr. Ma. Milagros Carreon Laurel and Dr. Betty E. Tuttle