Paul's Use of Psalms: Quotations, Allusions
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Faculty of Theology University of Helsinki PAUL’S USE OF PSALMS QUOTATIONS, ALLUSIONS, AND PSALM CLUSTERS IN ROMANS AND FIRST CORINTHIANS Marika Pulkkinen DOCTORAL DISSERTATION To be presented for public discussion with the permission of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Helsinki, in Athena building, room 107, on the 8th of May, 2020 at 12 o’clock. Helsinki 2020 ISBN 978-951-51-6040-9 (pbk.) ISBN 978-951-51-6041-6 (PDF) Unigrafia Helsinki 2020 Abstract This study examines how Paul uses psalms and how this is related to the uses and status of the psalms in the late Second Temple Judaism. The study focuses on clusters of explicit and subtle references to psalms in Paul’s Letter to the Romans and his First Letter to the Corinthians. Furthermore, the study covers the psalm quotations paired together or with another scriptural text and a selection of four individually occurring quotations from a psalm. The following questions are answered in this study: What was the status of psalms within Jewish scriptures for Paul? What does their use as different clusters tell us of the source of Paul’s citations and exegesis of the psalms? How do the individually occurring quotations from psalms differ from quotation clusters or pairs of quotations? What kind of scriptural texts does Paul combine when quoting from or referring to the psalms, and which interpretive technique enables him to do so? The study is divided into two main parts—Part I: Psalms in the Late Second Temple Period; and Part II: Paul’s Use of Psalms. Based on previous research, I conclude that the composition of what later came to represent the book of psalms (150 Psalms MT Psalter or 151 Psalms LXX Psalter) was not the only available compilation during Paul’s writing activity in the late Second Temple period. Hence, it is plausible that Paul also had access to different types of collections of psalms. Moreover, Paul probably made excerpts from scripture when he had access to the written form of scripture; these excerpts may have aided him when he composed his letters. However, in this study I demonstrate that Paul did not rely on earlier formatted clusters of quotations, as has been claimed in previous studies. Rather, he compiled and modified the quotations to fit into their new literary context. Since previous research has often presumed that Paul studied the text of the psalms in a synagogue setting by reciting them, their possible attestation in such gatherings is discussed in chapter 3. Although the knowledge of liturgy of the late Second Temple period is sparse, prayer is largely attested in written documents (literary depictions, papyri, inscriptions, DSS manuscripts), and hence it can be concluded that it played a central role both in private and public piety. Furthermore, psalms were employed in various functions in the late Second Temple period: in addition to their use in private and communal devotional life, psalms were read, cited and interpreted as carrying a prophetic message for the contemporary reader. Moreover, psalms were used to study the history of the interpretive community. This study shows that Paul’s use of psalms reflects these varying uses of psalms during the late Second Temple period. In the first analysis chapter (ch. 4), I show by which exegetical technique Paul compiles the cluster of quotations occurring in Romans 3:10–18 as a catena. Here Paul 3 aims to show his audience that all humankind is under sin and in need of God’s forgiveness. As for the metaleptical aspect—how the original literary context of the psalms is echoed in this catena—Paul deliberately leaves out the original literary context of the psalms, as most of the quoted verses are actually laments of the wicked “enemy” oppressing the psalmist. Hence, Paul creates an in-group identity among his recipients through using the lamentation language of these psalms, shifting from the horizontal distinction between the psalmist and the “enemy” to the vertical distinction between the lamenter and God. The passage in Rom 3:4 represents a different type of metaleptical aspect than the passage in Rom 3:10–18, since the literary context of the quoted text appears to play a role in Paul’s argumentation. Quoting both lamentation and penitential psalms (Pss 115[116]; 50[51]), Paul tries to prove that the gospel does not contradict God’s faithfulness to Jews. In addition, by using the example of Ps 50(51) to recount David’s sins (adultery and murder), Paul invites his audience to reflect on David’s great sins which were not, after all, recorded as sin since David repented. The second section of ch. 5 exemplifies how two paired quotations from Pss 8 and 109(110) in 1 Cor 15:25 and 27 function as prophecy when Paul argues for bodily resurrection by using Christ’s resurrection as an antecedent of the future resurrection of his followers. The royal emphasis of Ps 109(110) suited Paul well as he used the psalm to depict Christ as a Davidic ruler. Ps 8 carries themes of creation, which enables Paul to illustrate, by means of the Adam–Christ typology, how Christ will reign in the coming era over all creation, similarly as human kind was set to cherish all in the creation, but lost this position in the fall. The third section of this chapter demonstrates how Paul combines psalm text with the Pentateuch, as he quotes from Ps 31(32):1 in Rom 4:8 after quoting from Gen 15:6 in verse 3. In this passage, Paul clarifies the scriptural basis for the inclusion of gentiles into the covenant without circumcision. Lastly, a quotation pair in 1 Cor 3:19–20 serves as an example of how Paul combines quotations from the psalms and Wisdom literature, as he quotes from Job 5:13 and Ps 93(94):11, modifying the wording of the psalm quotation by conflating the word “the wise one” occurring in the quoted verse from Job. Regarding the individually occurring quotations from psalms, this study shows that, in a similar manner as the Pentateuch or the prophetic texts, Paul does likewise use psalms on their own to foster or to prove his argument (Rom 8:36; 15:3; 1 Cor 10:26; 2 Cor 4:11). Hence, Paul considers the psalms as enjoying authoritative status, and his use of them also strengthens their authority among the community reading Paul’s letters. The last two analysis chapters (ch. 6–7), which assess the subtle references to the psalms occurring in dense clusters in Romans 1:17–24 and 1 Corinthians 10:1–10, demonstrate that Paul also uses psalms to instruct the congregation by utilizing their vocabulary and themes. In 1 Corinthians, Paul uses Pss 77(78), 104(105) and 105(106) to instruct his recipients about the right way of living by actualizing the content of the wilderness narrative. Romans 1:16–24 comprises a passage where Paul illustrates the sinfulness of humankind by subtly referring to several psalms. The use of subtle references may indicate that the psalms were an integral part of Paul’s everyday phrasing, and thus their wording became a part of his own argumentation. Concerning 4 the subtle references, this study classifies each allusion according to their degree of allusive link as follows: 1) lexical and thematic correspondence (with or without so- called metaleptical evocations), 2) lexical correspondence only, 3) thematic correspondence between the texts with loose or without lexical correspondence, and 4) only loose thematic correspondence. Romans 1 carries more variation between these four categories of subtle references compared to 1 Corinthians 10. In conclusion, this study confirmes the earlier notion that the tripartite division of the Hebrew Bible was not yet established at the turn of the Common Era. Since it is uncertain when the psalms gained authoritative status in Jewish communities, Paul’s use of the psalms sheds light on the matter: Paul seems to hold the psalms as authoritative by quoting from them in a similar manner as he does from the Pentateuchal and prophetic texts. Paul uses the psalms for legal exegesis and instruction for the right way to live, functions that were reserved only for the interpretation of the Torah in later rabbinic Judaism. However, this tradition obviously developed after Paul, since he uses non-Pentateuchal texts as sources for legal exegesis as well. 5 Acknowledgements I wish to express my warmest thanks to my supervisors, Professor Emerita Anneli Aejmelaeus and Docents Niko Huttunen and Mika S. Pajunen. This project would not have been completed without their support and encouragement during all these years. I thank Professor Aejmelaeus for guiding me through Septuagint studies and for her patience in waiting for the fruits of the many hours she has invested in my supervision. I am grateful to Professor Aejmelaeus for helping me get funding for my project in its initial stages by commenting on my research plan as well as in other invaluable ways. I thank Docent Pajunen for trusting me enough to introduce me to the tough world of writing an academic article, which led to a very fruitful supervision relationship. Due to Mika’s dedicated attitude towards my supervision I was priviledged to receive both painstakingly critical and occasionally merely reassuring feedback—both essentially important to the process. Mika has indeed an amazing ability to give feedback appropriate for each particular phase of this PhD process. I thank Docent Huttunen who initiated me into the secrets of New Testament Greek when I was a first year Theology student in 2006: my eagerness to learn more and to understand Greek better—Paul’s language in particular—arose in me already then.