Abstract

The paradox in the famous declaration of Psalm 19 that the heavens ‘narrate’ the glory of God and that this message of nature is ‘inaudible’ prompts the question as to the sense of speaking about a striking divine appearance without words (pun intended). In the light of the equally paradoxical presence of the motif of not-seeing in Old Testament theophanies where God himself appears, it seems that wordless speaking and unseen beauty need to be examined in association with each other, especially because the theophanies of Exodus and 1 Kings associate the motifs of not-seeing and silence with both the appearance and the speaking of God. This article investigates the cluster of ideas in Psalm 19 in the light of the theophanies and other texts. It then proposes a way in which this may be understood, notably that God’s own beauty is visible in that which he has created beautifully, that is, nature. It is argued that, if this proclaims God’s [foreing font omitted; refere to PDF], the latter must be a divine quality observable in nature.

Highlights

  • The famous opening of Psalm 19 contains a paradox often under-exposed or not recognised for the power it holds

  • The psalm’s grand introductory proclamation is no less celebrated for being the subject of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cantata Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76 (1723), for being immortalised later by Joseph Haydn in his oratorio Die Schöpfung, Hob 21.2 (1798) and having its fame emphasised by Ludwig van Beethoven in the song cycle Sechs Lieder von Gellert, Opus 48.4 (1803)

  • In turn Beethoven’s setting of the poetic adaptation by Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, narrows down nature’s proclamation to the sounds that can be heard in nature, speaking as he does of the sound (‘Schall’) reverberating along the sky and the sea

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Summary

Introduction

The famous opening of Psalm 19 contains a paradox often under-exposed or not recognised for the power it holds. In turn Beethoven’s setting of the poetic adaptation by Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, narrows down nature’s proclamation to the sounds that can be heard in nature, speaking as he does of the sound (‘Schall’) reverberating along the sky and the sea.. In turn Beethoven’s setting of the poetic adaptation by Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, narrows down nature’s proclamation to the sounds that can be heard in nature, speaking as he does of the sound (‘Schall’) reverberating along the sky and the sea.3 This indistinctness can be clarified if one notices the paradoxical character of nature’s wordless narration and the concomitant communication of God’s splendour in ways other than verbal. The two aspects intended here are the beauty of God and the beauty of nature, both of which occur often in the Old Testament Their association in Psalm 19 can be considered a pivotal point for the investigation of either one. 12 your servant lets himself be instructed by them; in obedience to them there is great reward

13 Errors – who can detect them?
Conclusion

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