Court Oracles in the Psalms: The So-Called Royal Psalms in Their Ancient near Eastern Context

Abstract

Court Oracles in Psalms: The So-Called Royal Psalms in Their Ancient Near Eastern Context, by Scott R. A. Starbuck. SUDS 172. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 1999. Pp. xx + 271. $37.00. Scott R. A. Starbuck wrote this monograph originally as his doctoral thesis under direction of J. J. M. Roberts at Princeton Theological Seminary. Starbuck's primary goal is to determine the theological contribution made by psalms to ancient Israel's theological-anthropology (p. 1). He argues that this subject merits a fresh investigation because, despite intense research by scholars such as H. Gunkel and S. Mowinckel, fundamental questions persist. For example, it is uncertain whether psalms as they appear in Psalter were composed as court liturgies or as messianic psalms in post-monarchical era. Starbuck recognizes import of such questions for current attempts to establish literary and theological shape of Psalter, and he attempts to contribute to such work by establishing criteria for judging Sitze im Leben of psalms. In that effort Starbuck retraces steps of previous scholars methodologically in two respects: (1) he treats these psalms by comparing them to analogous Sumero-Akkadian, Egyptian, and Hittite material; and (2) he limits his investigation to psalms almost all commentators identify as (Pss 2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 89, 101, 110, 110, 132, 144). After a brief introductory chapter, Starbuck lays groundwork for his investigation by selectively reviewing past research on psalms. Three shortcomings in previous work give impetus to his study: (1) royal psalm is such a vague label that one can say little more than, What they have in common is only that they deal with (C. Westermann, Ausgewahlte Psalmen [G6ttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1984], 48; quoted in German on p. 37); (2) many studies of psalms have assigned, somewhat tenuously, cultic functions to these works (Mowinckel and members of Myth and Ritual school are primary culprits); and (3) past comparisons of biblical psalms to other ancient Near Eastern material have overlooked essential fact that psalms never name a particular king. In chapter 2 Starbuck builds on his observation that psalms do not contain regnal names. He shows that identification of specific monarchs was a key part of promulgation of prayers in ancient Near East. Indeed, many were composed for public display on temple walls and stelae. This fact makes absence of such names in biblical psalms quite conspicuous. Starbuck explores possibility that lack of identity with specific kings is due to psalms' reuse in cult. However, evidence (though minimal) does not suggest that monarchs borrowed liturgies from their predecessors. On contrary, exclusive identification of a poem with a particular king was essential for that king's propaganda. Therefore, it is puzzling that psalms on one hand do not name king, but on other hand maintain references to monarch. Starbuck concludes that regnal names were originally part of psalms, but they were removed to transform these works into poems whose concern is institution of Israelite kingship. …