The Writings: Psalms

Abstract

The WritingsPsalms Christopher T. Begg 1333. [Servant of the Lord in the Psalter] Egbert Ballhorn, "Von David dem Knecht zum Volk der Gottesknechte im Psalter," Zur Theologie des Psalters, 287-315 [see #1618]. The title "servant of the Lord" is used in two different ways in the Psalter: On the one hand, it is a self-designation used by the pray-er in his relationship to God, while on the other it functions as a title ascribed to King David. That title is so impregnated with the figure of David that every individual pray-er who uses the designation of himself stands in the succession of David, with consequences not only for the pray-er's relationship to God but also for his status as God's chosen one. [Adapted from published abstract] 1334. [Psalms; Chronicles] Ehud Ben Zvi, "Psalms, Chronicles, and Matters of Social Memory in the Early Second Temple Period: Some Introductory Considerations," Psalmen und Chronik, 243-56 [see #1555]. B. Z. seeks to identify a "social memory system" unifying both Chronicles and the Psalter as well as these books' respective receptional circles. In so doing, he cautions, with regard to such comparisons, against taking the modern understanding of the two textual complexes as a basis. Chronicles, on the one hand, does indeed concern itself with psalms and pieces of song, but does not, however, present the "actual content of the songs," while, on the other hand, the Psalter features later resignifications, contemporaneous with Chronicles, [End Page 452] of Chronistic personages. Taking the Persian or early Hellenistic period as background, B. Z. sets out to selectively ascertain how old psalms were remembered and newly interpreted. Thus, the psalm titles refer to David as a "master musician." In Chronicles, on the basis of this already existent memory of David as a musician, the figure of David is further developed. Psalms and Chronicles both participate in a common "mnemonic system," wherein, by way of the Davidic figure, sacrificial cult and psalms are interwoven. The Levitical singers Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun represent another example of shared memory. They are mentioned in Psalms 39, 50, 62, 73–88, 89, and also appear in Chronicles. Likewise psalmic formulations such as the refrain "for his steadfast love endures forever" show themselves to have been especially suitable for memory formation. In Psalms 106, 107, 118, and 136 this formula occurs a total of 32 times, while in 1 Chr 16:34; 2 Chr 5:13; 7:3, 6; 20:21, it is used in the articulation of the praise of Yhwh. In addition, B. Z.'s contribution devotes particular attention to psalmic citations in 1 Chr 16:8-36 and 2 Chr 6:41-42. For ancient recipients the question of the origin of the above formula—did it originate in Chronicles or in the Psalter—was not an issue. Far more important than the certainly greater age of Pss 96:1-13; 105:1-15; 106:47-48; and 132:8-10 vis-à-vis the citations of these verses in Chronicles is the mutual illumination of both Chronicles and the Psalter via the reception process. Both complexes have had a part to play in the formation of Israel's memory. This becomes clear in that in the "narrative" of Chronicles the psalms initiated by David are at the same time reflective of the postexilic situation (see 1 Chr 16:15). A similar situation occurs in 2 Chr 6:41-42, where Ps 132:8-10 is paraphrased. In 2 Chronicles 6 these verses are the conclusion of Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the Temple and reflect changes to the source text of 1 Kings 8. In dealing as it does with its source material, 2 Chr 6:41-42 emphasizes that the foundations of the Temple cult go back to Yhwh alone. [Adapted from published abstract] 1335. [Psalms; Isaiah; Zion] Joseph Blenkinsopp, "Zion as Reality and Symbol in Psalms and Isaiah," Essays on the Book of Isaiah, 122-34 [see #1628]. B. opens this brief essay with the statement (p. 122): "Psalms and Isaiah . . . have a great deal in common. Their intertextual relations are...