The Formation of the 'Book' of Psalms (eBook)

Reconsidering the Transmission and Canonization of Psalmody in Light of Material Culture and the Poetics of Anthologies

David Willgren (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2016 | 1. Auflage
508 Seiten
Mohr Siebeck (Verlag)
9783161549373 (ISBN)

Infos

In this study, David Willgren attempts to provide answers to two fundamental questions in relation to the formation of the 'Book' of Psalms: 'how?' and 'why?'. The first relates to the diachronic growth of the collection (how are these processes to be reconstructed, and on what grounds?), while the second relates to questions of purpose (to what end are psalms being juxtaposed in a collection?). By conceptualizing the 'Book' of Psalms as an anthology, and by inquiring into its poetics by means of paratextuality, David Willgren provides a fresh reconstruction of the formation of the 'Book' of Psalms and concludes, in contrast to the canonical approach, that it does not primarily provide a literary context for individual psalms. Rather, it preserves a dynamic selection of psalms that is best seen not as a book of psalms, but as a canon of psalms. This work was awarded with SEK 50.000 by The Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities as a '' (förtjänt vetenskapligt arbete).

Geboren 1983; Studium der Theologie an der Örebro School of Theology; 2016 Promotion in Lund; seit 2019 Lecturer an der Akademi för Ledarskap och Teologi und der Örebro School of Theology; seit 2019 Postdoktorand an der Umeå University.

Inhalt

Cover 1
Preface 8
Table of Contents 10
Part I: Framing the Task at Hand 20
Chapter 1: The Problem 22
A. Wilson’s New Framework 26
B. Sketching Major Trajectories 30
I. Exploring Small Scale Sequences of Psalms 31
II. ‘Seamingly’ Important Psalms 35
III. Mapping the Dead Sea ‘Psalms’ Scrolls 37
C. Focal Points for the Current Study 38
Chapter 2: The Elusive String 40
A. Anthology Defined 41
B. An Anthological Genre? 45
C. Anthologies Unfold 46
D. Uncovering the Artificial 48
E. Outlining the Task at Hand 51
Part II: Anthologies Compared 54
Introduction 56
Chapter 3: Artifactual Diversity 58
A. Reconsidering Fixed Sequences 58
B. Variation in Ancient Manuscripts 60
C. Continuous Variation 67
Chapter 4: Paratexts 69
A. Prefaces 69
B. Titles 73
C. Colophons, Doxologies, and Epilogues 75
Chapter 5: The How and the Why 79
A. Collections with Few Manuscript Variations 79
B. Collections with Manuscript Variation 81
C. Collections without Ancient Manuscripts 83
I. The Homeric Hymns 83
II. The Psalms of Solomon 87
D. The Question of Purpose Once Again 90
I. Archival Economy 91
II. Scribal Curriculum 93
III. Preservation (Canonization) 94
Overview and Outlook 97
Part III: The Artifacts 100
Introduction 102
Chapter 6: Overview of the Scrolls 104
A. Second Century BCE 104
B. First Century BCE 106
I. First Half or Middle of the Century 106
II. Second Half of the Century 109
C. The Turn of the Era 111
D. First Century CE 112
I. First Half of the Century 113
II. Middle and Second Half of the Century 117
Chapter 7: Evaluating the Evidence 123
A. Reconstructing a ‘Book’ of Psalms? 129
I. Preliminary Observations 129
II. Arguments for the Stabilization of the ‘Book’ of Psalms 132
III. Beyond Statistics 136
1. A Farewell to a Two-Stage Stabilization 136
2. Possible Ways Forward 139
B. 11Q5 as a Competing Collection? 140
I. Liturgical Clusters 141
II. Text 141
III. David and 11Q5 142
IV. Structure and Purpose 145
V. Beyond 11Q5 148
Overview and Outlook 150
Part IV: In Search of the Artificial 152
Chapter 8: Psalms 1–2 as Preface 155
A. The Psalms in Question 156
I. Psalm 1 156
1. A Brief Walkthrough 157
2. Meditating on the Torah 159
3. On What? 160
4. For What? 164
II. Psalm 2 166
1. A Brief Walkthrough 167
2. A Crux Interpretum 170
III. Conclusions 173
B. Combining Psalms 1–2 173
I. Integrated Readings of Psalms 1–2 173
II. Internal Evidence 177
III. External Evidence 178
1. LXX 178
2. 4Q174 179
3. Acts 13:33 181
4. Early Reception of Psalms 1–2 182
C. Evaluating the Evidence 186
I. Towards a Definition 186
II. Debunking Strict ‘Prefatorialism’ 188
Introduction 154
Chapter 9: Superscriptions 191
A. Overview and Analysis 192
I. ‘Author’ Designations 192
II. ‘Type’ Designations 197
III. Musical Directions and Indications of Use 201
IV. ‘Biographical’ Notes 203
V. Hallelujah 206
VI. Psalms with No Superscription 209
B. Conclusions 210
I. Forming Collections of Psalms 210
II. Fixation of Psalm Sequences 211
III. Exerting Interpretive Control 212
Chapter 10: Psalm 72:20 215
A. Attempted Solutions 215
B. Psalm 72:20 as a Frozen Colophon 217
Chapter 11: ‘Book’ Dividers 221
A. Preliminary Observations 221
B. Integral Parts or Later Insertions? 224
I. Psalm 41 225
II. Psalm 72 225
III. Psalm 89 227
IV. Psalm 106 228
V. Conclusions 230
C. A Possible Clue in 1 Chronicles 16 230
I. Beyond a Direction of Dependence? 230
II. A Closer Look 231
III. Conclusions 234
D. Reconstructing Contexts of Use for Amen 235
I. Amen in the Hebrew Bible 235
II. Amen in the Dead Sea Scrolls 238
III. Amen in the Apocrypha and the New Testament 240
IV. Conclusions 241
1. Trajectories of Use 241
2. Connecting the Dots 243
E. One Doxology Short? 245
I. Psalms 135–136 246
1. Psalm 135 247
2. Psalm 136 248
3. Initial Remarks 250
4. Stanza I: Exhortations 251
5. Stanzas II–IV: YHWH as King and the Question of Trust 253
6. Stanza V: Final Doxology 256
7. Conclusions 257
II. Lost, but Found? 258
1. A ??? doxology in Psalms 135–136? 258
2. Unexpected Implications 259
3. On the Relation Between ??? and ??? 260
F. Conclusions 261
Chapter 12: The ‘Final Hallel’ 263
A. The Psalms in Question 264
I. Psalm 145 264
II. Psalm 146 270
III. Psalm 147 273
IV. Psalm 148 279
1. A Praise for All His Faithful 281
2. Evaluating the Connections 282
V. Psalm 149 284
VI. Psalm 150 289
B. Psalms 145.146–150 as a Composition 294
I. Psalms 145.146–150 and Artifactual Diversity 295
II. Dissolving Borders of Sequential Reading 295
C. The Hallelujah Frameworks Once Again 297
D.Conclusions 300
Overview and Outlook 303
Part V: Psalms on Repeat 306
Introduction 308
Chapter 13: Traces in the Hebrew Bible 312
A. Declared Citations 312
I. 2 Samuel 22 312
II. 1 Chronicles 16 314
III. Summary 315
B. Undeclared Citations 315
I. Possible Borrowing 315
II. Psalms within Psalms 318
III. Nascent Scripturalization 320
IV. Summary 323
C. Stock-Phrases 324
I. A Levitical Stock-Phrase 324
II. Further Examples of Stock-Phrases 329
III. Summary 331
D. External Indications 331
E. Conclusions 332
Chapter 14: Traces in the Dead Sea Scrolls 334
A. Declared Citations 335
I. Pesharim 335
II. 1Q16 336
III. 4Q171 336
IV. 4Q173 337
V. 4Q174 and 4Q177 338
VI. 11Q13 341
VII.Summary 342
B. Undeclared Citations 343
I. 4Q176 343
II. 4Q380–381 345
1. 4Q380 346
2. 4Q381 350
III. 4Q393 351
IV. 4Q434–438 353
V. 4Q521, 4Q525, 4Q528 354
VI. 4Q213a and 4Q370 355
VII.Summary 356
C. Psalms in ‘New’ Collections 357
I. 4Q522 357
II. 11Q11 358
D. External Indications 361
I. Possible References to the ‘Book’ of Psalms as a Collection 361
II. Indications of Use 363
E. Conclusions 364
Chapter 15: Prolonging Trajectories of Use 366
A. Prophetic and Davidic 367
B. Continuous Davidization 371
C. Traces of (Scriptural) Collections of Psalms 374
D.Conclusions 382
Part VI: The Formation of the ‘Book’ of Psalms 386
Introduction 388
Chapter 16: How? 390
A. Gathering the Evidence 390
I. Rehearsing the Artificial 390
II. Psalms on Repeat Once Again 393
B. Putting the Pieces Together 395
I. Finding a Place to Start 395
II. Psalms 1–119 398
III. Psalms 1/2–135/136 400
IV. Psalms 1–150 401
Chapter 17: Why? 404
A. Purpose(s) of Selection 404
B. Purpose of Organization 406
I. Interpretive Frameworks? 406
II. A Sitz in der Schrift 408
III. Paratexts and Interpretive Control 409
C. Conclusions 410
A Final Outlook 412
Appendix 1: Catalogues of Incipits 414
Appendix 2: Superscriptions 423
Appendix 3: LXX Manuscripts 431
Bibliography 434
Index of Passages 472
Index of Authors 503

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 1.11.2016
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Religion / Theologie ► Christentum
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Religion / Theologie ► Judentum
• ISBN-13: 9783161549373 / 9783161549373