DOCSLIB.ORG

Wisdom Editing in the Book of Psalms: Vocabulary, Themes, and Structures Steven Dunn Marquette University

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Dissertations (2009 -) Dissertations, Theses, and Professional Projects Wisdom Editing in the Book of Psalms: Vocabulary, Themes, and Structures Steven Dunn Marquette University Recommended Citation Dunn, Steven, "Wisdom Editing in the Book of Psalms: Vocabulary, Themes, and Structures" (2009). Dissertations (2009 -). Paper 13. http://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu/13 Wisdom Editing in the Book of Psalms: Vocabulary, Themes, and Structures By Steven Dunn, B.A., M.Div. A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Marquette University, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Milwaukee, Wisconsin December 2009 ABSTRACT Wisdom Editing in the Book of Psalms: Vocabulary, Themes, and Structures Steven Dunn, B.A., M.Div. Marquette University, 2009 This study examines the pervasive influence of post-exilic wisdom editors and writers in the shaping of the Psalter by analyzing the use of wisdom elements—vocabulary, themes, rhetorical devices, and parallels with other Ancient Near Eastern wisdom traditions. I begin with an analysis and critique of the most prominent authors on the subject of wisdom in the Psalter, and expand upon previous research as I propose that evidence of wisdom influence is found in psalm titles, the structure of the Psalter, and among the various genres of psalms. I find further evidence of wisdom influence in creation theology, as seen in Psalms 19, 33, 104, and 148, for which parallels are found in other A.N.E. wisdom texts. In essence, in its final form, the entire Psalter reveals the work of scribes and teachers associated with post-exilic wisdom traditions or schools associated with the temple. This expansive influence of wisdom sources results in part as a response to the failure of the Monarchy and subsequent reshaping of Israel’s theology and self-understanding. In this context of foreign domination and failure of the Monarchy, the primacy of Torah and the kingship of YHWH are reasserted and emphasized. Wisdom circles preserve and disseminate Torah as a guide for successful living in accord with God (Pss 1; 19A; 119); wisdom teaching pervades all aspects of life, as seen in the presence of wisdom elements in psalms of lament, thanksgiving, and praise. Creation is a source of revelation and wisdom. Among the most significant uses of wisdom teaching is the Psalter’s response to the suffering of the righteous, as seen especially in Psalms 37, 49, and 73. I conclude by proposing that “wisdom traditions” encompass a variety of viewpoints and emphases, which reveals that these proposed wisdom editors and writers reflect diverse schools of thought. This diverse group of wisdom editors and writers finalized the shape and understanding of the Psalter in the post-exilic period. i TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. REVIEW OF LITERATURE…………………………………..1 Survey of Contemporary Scholars……………………………….2 Methodology……………………………………………………43 Historical-Critical Concerns……………………………… ……47 Conclusion:A.N.E. Languages and Israelite Scribes…………….47 II. AN EXAMINATION OF THE TERM Maśkîl IN THE CANONICAL PSALTER AND THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS AS EVIDENCE FOR WISDOM EDITING OF THE PSALTER……………………………50 Relation to Other Psalm Titles……………………………………..52 Meaning of the Term……………………………………………….53 Recent Interpretations………………………………………………54 Etymology……………………………………………......................56 Maśkîl at Qumran……………………………………………………57 Analysis of Maśkîl in the Canonical Psalter…………………………66 Psalm 14……………………………………………………66 Psalm 32……………………………………………………70 Notes on the Septuagint and lyk#m……………………….74 Psalm 41……………………………………………………75 Psalm 42……………………………………………………76 Psalm 44……………………………………………………76 Psalm 45……………………………………………………77 Psalm 47……………………………………………………78 Psalm 52……………………………………………………79 ii Psalm 53…………………………………………………81 Psalm 54…………………………………………………83 Psalm 55…………………………………………………84 Psalm 74…………………………………………………85 Psalm 78…………………………………………………86 Psalm 88…………………………………………………89 Psalm 89…………………………………………………91 Psalm 142………………………………………………..93 Conclusion………………………………………………………95 III. PSALMS 1 (2), 19, 111–112, 119, AND 145: TORAH, WISDOM, AND ACROSTIC BOUNDARIES OF AN EARLY FORM OF THE PSALTER……………96 Introduction/overview………………………………96 Psalm 1 (and Psalm 2): A Wisdom Introduction to the Psalter……100 Psalm 19: Wisdom in Torah and Creation…………………………110 Psalms 111—112: Acrostics in Praise of the Lord and Wisdom……115 Psalm 119: An All-Inclusive Celebration of Torah in Life…………120 Psalm 145: An Acrostic Hymn Extolling God’s dsx for All Creation ..141 Conclusion……………………………………………………………147 IV. WISDOM IN BOOK ONE………………………………148 Introduction……………………………………………………….148 Psalm 25: A Prayer for God’s Covenant Love and Instruction…….149 Wisdom Elements in Psalm 26…………………………………….159 Psalm 33 and the Revelation of God’s Wisdom in Creation……….161 Psalm 34 and the Relationship of Thanksgiving and Wisdom………171 Psalm 36: God’s Covenant Love Framed by Wisdom Teaching……177 iii Psalm 37: An Acrostic Poem of Traditional Retribution Theology…184 Psalm 39: A Wisdom-Influenced Reflection on the Transitory Nature of Life………………………………………………………………..192 Wisdom Elements in Psalm 40……………………………………197 Conclusion………………………………………………………..199 V. WISDOM IN BOOK TWO………………………………...201 Introduction……………………………………………………..201 Psalm 49: Wealth, Arrogance, and the Ultimate Meaning in Life…202 Some Wisdom Elements in Psalms 50 and 51……………………215 Wisdom Elements in Psalm 62…………………………………..219 A Wisdom Interpolation in Psalm 64……………………………222 Conclusion………………………………………………………214 VI. WISDOM IN BOOK THREE…………………………………225 Introduction…………………………………………………….225 The Relationship between Royal Psalms, Lament and Wisdom: The Context for Psalm 73…………………………………………………….226 Psalm 73 As the Wisdom Center Point of the Psalter……………229 Analysis of Psalm 73: From Orientation, to Disorientation, to New Orientation………………………………………………………231 Conclusion: Psalm 73 as a Microcosm of the Psalter……………..237 VII. WISDOM IN BOOK FOUR…………………………….239 Psalm 90: A Wisdom Reflection on the Finitude of Life and God’s Eternity……239 Psalm 92: A Song for the Sabbath with Wisdom Reflections……245 Psalm 94: A Wisdom-Oriented Instruction for Confidence in Divine Judgment………………………………………………………253 Psalm 101: A Guide for Wise Living……………………………260 iv PART TWO: PSALMS 104—106……………………………265 Wisdom and Creation in Psalm 104…………………………..265 Wisdom Elements in Psalm 105………………………………280 Wisdom Elements in Psalm 106………………………………281 Conclusion……………………………………………………285 VIII. WISDOM IN BOOK FIVE……………………………............287 Psalm 107:33–40……………………………………………….287 Psalm 127: Happy (yr#)) is the one Blessed by God…………..290 Psalm 128: the Blessings of the One Who Fears the LORD……..293 Psalm 133: the Blessings of Harmonious Living………………..298 Royalty and Wisdom in Psalm 144……………………………..302 Praise and Wisdom in Psalm 146………………………………306 Wisdom Elements in Psalm 147: Creation and Commandments…310 Divine Wisdom Revealed in Creation: Psalm 148………………314 Conclusion…………………………………………………….322 IX. CONCLUSION: WISDOM IN THE CANONICAL PSALTER AND ITS IMPLICATIONS……………………………………………………324 X. BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………..334 1 Chapter One A Review and Critique of Key Scholars on the Topic of Wisdom Psalms, and an Outline of the Methodology Used in this Study Introduction: An examination of the Psalter reveals the presence of elements of Israelite wisdom literature that reflect the importance of sages or “wisdom editors”—learned scribes connected with wisdom schools associated with the royal court and temple. I propose that these wisdom editors are responsible for the post-exilic editing and finalization of the canonical Psalter. By examining vocabulary, thematic elements, structural and rhetorical elements, and theological emphases, I shall show that the canonical Psalter in its final form is the product of a variety of scribes connected with post-exilic wisdom circles. These scribes, however, present a diversity of wisdom emphases. Wisdom elements in the Psalms include the traditional retribution theology found in Proverbs (e.g., Ps 1), the issue of theodicy—why a just God allows the innocent to suffer—as addressed in Job (e.g., Pss 49; 73), and reflections on the ephemeral nature of human existence as in Ecclesiastes (e.g., Psalm 39; 90); wisdom elements also occur in contexts of lament, the use of acrostic structures, numerical sayings, and wisdom-oriented vocabulary. In addition, I view creation theology as an important and often overlooked aspect of Israelite wisdom literature—consider Proverbs 8; Job 38–41; and parallels in Ancient Near Eastern wisdom traditions—that plays an important role in the Psalter (e.g., Psalms 19A; 33; 104; 148). In addition to specific “wisdom psalms,” various genres of psalms exhibit wisdom elements and interpolations that reveal the editorial work of these post-exilic sages. I begin by analyzing the work of key writers on the topic of wisdom psalms, from the earlier form-critical and cultic emphases of Gunkel and Mowinckel to the more recent thematic, literary, canonical and theological emphasis in the works of scholars like Murphy, Brueggemann, Purdue, Wilson, Kuntz and others. This survey and analysis is not meant to be exhaustive of every possible writer on the topic but focuses instead on the most influential, relevant, and important. The following scholars have been both influential in my understanding of the category “wisdom psalms” 2 and have also produced the most extensive and relevant work on the topic. My summary of their work naturally leads me to outline what emphases
Recommended publications
  • Psalm 42 As an Independent Lament and Synecdochic of the Elohistic Psalter

    Psalm 42 As an Independent Lament and Synecdochic of the Elohistic Psalter

    “Turning the Tempest for God’s Forgotten:” Psalm 42 as an Independent Lament and Synecdochic of the Elohistic Psalter A Dissertation Proposal Presented to the Joint Doctoral Committee of The University of Denver and the Iliff School of Theology In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Doctor of Philosophy Degree Submitted by David Pettit Biblical Interpretation: Hebrew Bible September 17th, 2018 Denver, Colorado Thesis Psalm 42 is an independent psalm of lament, and as an independent composition is the lead psalm of the Elohistic Psalter (Pss 42-83), and synecdochic of the whole. Statement of the Problem This dissertation argues for a way of reading Psalm 42 that is rooted in Psalm 42’s own poetry as well as in the synecdochic relationship between poems set in juxtaposition and incorporated into collection(s). This dissertation engages questions of how we discern the boundaries of a poetic unit such as a psalm and how we understand or experience the poetry in light of those boundaries, and how a particular psalm relates to other psalms in a collection. This is of particular interest given the comparative evidence from Mesopotamian prayers and collections, as well as collections at Qumran. Psalms or prayers can be compiled or utilized in a number of different contexts. Psalms scrolls at Qumran demonstrate variability in order and in composition. This dissertation is attentive to how individual compositions relate to the literary context and/or collection in which we find them and to the somewhat complex and fluid relationship of parts to wholes where parts reflect the whole and yet retain their distinctiveness.
  • Download Companion

    Download Companion

    THE COMPANION TO THE EDINGTON MUSIC FESTIVAL & beauty came like the setting sun A FESTIVAL OF MUSIC WITHIN THE LITURGY 19–26 AUGUST 2018 Ed18Comp_ED18comp.qxd 22/07/2018 19:25 Page 1 The Priory Church of Saint Mary, Saint Katharine and All Saints Edington, Westbury, Wiltshire THE COMPANION TO THE EDI NGTON MUSIC FESTIVAL Sunday 19 to Sunday 26 August 2018 Ed18Comp_ED18comp.qxd 22/07/2018 19:25 Page 2 Contents Introduction page 3 Festival and general information page 8 Festival participants page 12 Orders of service, texts and translations page 14 Cover Photo credit: British Cemetery at Courcelette at Sunset © Paul Reed Designed and typeset by Nick Flower Researched and edited by Peter Roberts & Tom Bennett Proofread by Ian Aitkenhead Printed in England by Caligraving Ltd 2 Ed18Comp_ED18comp.qxd 22/07/2018 19:25 Page 3 Introduction Richard Pinel Welcome to the 63rd Edington Festival of Music within the Liturgy. After several momentous years that have, amongst other things, seen the commissioning and installation of a fine new organ in the Priory Church, the 60th Festival, and two changes of Director, we look forward to a ‘business as usual’ festival this year. Entitled ‘Beauty came like the setting sun’, this year’s festival commemorates the centenary of the end of World War One, referring to the works of several prominent war poets. Some festival-goers will be aware that Siegfried Sassoon has a connection to this area—his family lived in the nearby village of Heytesbury. Each day during the festival is marked by reference to a particular poem that will be the focus of the sermon for that day.
  • Restructuring Psalm 47

    Restructuring Psalm 47

    RESTRUCTURING PSALM 47 DAVID J. ZUCKER PSALM 47 1 For the leader. Of the Korahites. A psalm. 2 All you peoples, clap your hands, raise a joyous shout for God 3 For the Lord Most High is awesome, great king over all the earth; 4 He subjects peoples to us, sets nations at our feet. 5 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom He loved. Selah . 6 God ascends, midst acclamation; The Lord, to the blasts of the horn. 7 Sing, O sing to God; sing, O sing to our king. 8 For God is king over all the earth; sing a hymn [maskil]. 9 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on His holy throne. 10 The great of the peoples are gathered together, the retinue of Abraham's God; for the guardians of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted. In the Book of Psalms, only Psalms 47, 49 and 85 bear the identical four- word Hebrew superscription: La-menatzeah li-v'nai Korah Mizmor [For the leader. Of the Korahites. A psalm]. This study offers a schema and an explana- tion for the restructuring of Psalm 47. When restructured, this psalm's mes- sages are more obvious, emphatic, and make greater sense. The reformula- tion follows a pattern similar to one suggested earlier for Psalm 49, which ar- David J. Zucker, PhD, is Rabbi/Chaplain at Shalom Park, Aurora, Colorado, a continuum of care/retirement center. He is the author of Israel's Prophets: An Introduction for Christians and Jews (Paulist, 1994), and American Rabbis: Facts and Fiction (Jason Aronson, 1998), His latest book is The Torah: An Introduction for Christians and Jews (Paulist, 2005).
  • Psalms Commentary

    Psalms Commentary

    I YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE PSALMS: THE HYMNAL OF ISRAEL BOOK I BOB UTLEY PROFESSOR OF HERMENEUTICS (BIBLE INTERPRETATION) STUDY GUIDE COMMENTARY SERIES OLD TESTAMENT, VOL. 9B BIBLE LESSONS INTERNATIONAL MARSHALL, TEXAS 2012 www.BibleLessonsIntl.com www.freebiblecommentary.org Copyright ©2012 by Bible Lessons International, Marshall, Texas All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any way or by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Bible Lessons International P. O. Box 1289 Marshall, TX 75671-1289 1-800-785-1005 ISBN 978-1-892691-37-8 The primary biblical text used in this commentary is: New American Standard Bible (Update, 1995) Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation P. O. Box 2279 La Habra, CA 90632-2279 The paragraph divisions and summary captions as well as selected phrases are from: 1. The New King James Version, Copyright ©1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 2. The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Copyright ©1989 by the Division of Christian Education of National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U. S. A. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 3. Today’s English Version is used by permission of the copyright owner, The American Bible Society, ©1966, 1971. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 4. The New Jerusalem Bible, copyright ©1990 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.freebiblecommentary.org The New American Standard Bible Update — 1995 Easier to read: } Passages with Old English “thee’s” and “thou’s” etc.
  • The Covenant Keeper Psalm 105 by Scott Huckaby 5/23/2021

    The Covenant Keeper Psalm 105 by Scott Huckaby 5/23/2021

    The Covenant Keeper Psalm 105 By Scott Huckaby 5/23/2021 Some of you may be wondering why we sang “Joy to As I was pondering these things, God breathed life into the World” when no one is thinking about Christmas my spirit and I realized that the Bible had to be right this time of year. Actually, this song is less about about my needing Jesus in my life as well. It was like a Christmas then it is about the return of Jesus. This will light going on in my head. I realized I was doomed to become clearer as we consider Psalm 105. hell without Jesus and was so relieved that He opened my heart to Him and I committed myself to reading Let me start with a question: How do we know the and studying His Word. Bible is God’s Word? It is full of wisdom that works… people have died I share all this with you so that you might appreciate rather than recanting the truths contained in it… its my affinity for God prophetic Word… it is what He history has consistently been confirmed by used to open my heart to Jesus. So with that archeologists… it is ahead of its time in scientific introduction, let’s take a look at our main text for this accuracy… it is an order of magnitude more popular morning, Psalm 105. than any human-authored books. This historical psalm was composed by King David; For me, it was the realization that the Bible includes the first fifteen verses of it were used as a hymn to prophecies that have been fulfilled with 100% celebrate bringing the ark of the covenant to the accuracy.
  • —Come and See What God Has Done“: the Psalms of Easter*

    —Come and See What God Has Done“: the Psalms of Easter*

    Word & World 7/2 (1987) Copyright © 1987 by Word & World, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN. All rights reserved. page 207 Texts in Context “Come and See What God Has Done”: The Psalms of Easter* FREDERICK J. GAISER Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota “Whenever the Psalter is abandoned, an incomparable treasure vanishes from the Christian church. With its recovery will come unsuspected power.”1 It is possible to agree with Bonhoeffer’s conviction without being naive about the prospect of this happening automatically by a liturgical decision to incorporate the psalms into Sunday morning worship. Not that this is not a good and needed corrective; it is. In many of those worship services the psalms had become nothing more than the source of traditional versicles—little snippets to provide the proper mood of piety in the moments of transition between things that mattered. Yet the Psalter never went away, despite its liturgical neglect. The church called forth psalms in occasional moments of human joy and tragedy, poets paraphrased them for the hymnals, and faithful Christians read and prayed them for guidance and support in their own lives. But now many Christian groups have deliberately re-established the psalms as a constitutive element in regular public worship. What will the effect of this be? Some congregations have found them merely boring-another thing to sit through—which suggests a profound need for creative thinking about how and where to use the psalms so people can hear and participate in the incredible richness and dramatic power of the life within them.
  • Complete Song Book (2013 - 2016)

    Complete Song Book (2013 - 2016)

    James Block Complete Song Book (2013 - 2016) Contents ARISE OH YAH (Psalm 68) .............................................................................................................................................. 3 AWAKE JERUSALEM (Isaiah 52) ................................................................................................................................... 4 BLESS YAHWEH OH MY SOUL (Psalm 103) ................................................................................................................ 5 CITY OF ELOHIM (Psalm 48) (Capo 1) .......................................................................................................................... 6 DANIEL 9 PRAYER .......................................................................................................................................................... 7 DELIGHT ............................................................................................................................................................................ 8 FATHER’S HEART ........................................................................................................................................................... 9 FIRSTBORN ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 GREAT IS YOUR FAITHFULNESS (Psalm 92) ............................................................................................................. 11 HALLELUYAH
  • Psalm 84 an Old Testament

    Psalm 84 an Old Testament

    Psalm 84: an Old Testament ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’. To the chief musician on the Gittith. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. 1. How beloved are your dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! 2. My soul longs, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh shout for joy to the living God. 3. Even the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. 4. Blessed are those who dwell in your house, they will be still praising you! Selah. 5. Blessed is the man whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 6. Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with blessings. 7. They go from strength to strength, before appearing before God in Zion. 8. O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah. 9. Behold, O God, our shield, and look upon the face of your anointed! 10. For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory. No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in you! The title of the psalm associates the psalm with the ‘sons (‘the descendants’, that is) of Korah.
  • Psalm 34 Author and Date

    Psalm 34 Author and Date

    Psalm 34 Title: The Lord Delivers the Righteous Author and Date: David Key Verses: Psalm 34:4, 7, 17, 19 Type: Thanksgiving Outline A. Thanksgiving: I will bless with a song because the Lord delivers (verses 1-10). B. Teaching: I will teach with a sermon because the Lord delivers (verses 11-22). Notes Title: “A Psalm of David.” See the notes on Psalm 3. “Who changed his behavior before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.” This incident may be the one recorded in 1 Samuel 21:10-22:2 where David feigned madness before King Achish of Gath so that he would be left alone. Some commentators believe that “Abimelech” (meaning father of a king) is inaccurate, while others believe this name was a generic, dynastic title (like Pharoah) of the kings of Gath. Verses 1-22: This psalm is one of nine alphabetic acrostic psalms: Psalm 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, and 145 (see the notes for Psalm 9, 10, and 25). The first word of each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet (aleph, beth, gimel, daleth, etc.). There are 22 verses just like the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. However, in this psalm two letters (the Hebrew letter he and vav) are used in one verse (verse 5) and another letter (the Hebrew letter pe) is repeated (in verse 16 and 22) which make for 22 verses. Psalm 34 describes the Lord as a deliverer, a savior, and a redeemer of the righteous. Verse 5: Note that the psalmist switches abruptly from “I” to “they” in this verse.
  • AD TE LEVAVI • “Hosanna” Literally Means, “Help” Or “Save, I Pray.” It Is Most Prominent in the Hallel: Psalms 113-118

    AD TE LEVAVI • “Hosanna” Literally Means, “Help” Or “Save, I Pray.” It Is Most Prominent in the Hallel: Psalms 113-118

    Covenant was brought forward was pulled by “two cows which had never been yoked.” (see John 19:41) 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. • The crowds laid their cloaks on the road just as it was done at the inauguration of Jehu (2 Kings 9:12-13). • Branches and palms were used for religious processions (see 1 Maccabees 13:51; 2 Maccabees 10:6-7). THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” AD TE LEVAVI • “Hosanna” literally means, “help” or “save, I pray.” It is most prominent in the Hallel: Psalms 113-118. The Hallel was a collection of Psalms for morning prayer. The crowds sang out Psalm 118:25-26, specifically. This To You I Lift Up part of the Hallel was sung during the feasts of the Passover and of the tabernacles, Israel’s great Jubilee, when the people walked around Study Notes for the Christian Layperson the altar with the branches of the palm and trees (Leviticus 23:40). by: Rev. Roberto E. Rojas, Jr. These were also the words of the Great Hosanna, the song of praise used in the time of the second temple when the people passed around the altar of the sacrifice, during the feast of the tabernacles. Collect of the Day: Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come, that by Your protection we may be • “Name of the Lord” — See the 2nd Commandment, the 1st Petition of rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Your mighty the Lord’s Prayer, the Sanctus (LSB 195), and the hymn “O Lord, How deliverance; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one Shall I Meet You” (LSB 334).
  • Theme and Genre in 4Q177 and Its Scriptural Selections

    Theme and Genre in 4Q177 and Its Scriptural Selections

    THEME AND GENRE IN 4Q177 AND ITS SCRIPTURAL SELECTIONS Mark Laughlin and Shani Tzoref Jerusalem 4Q1771 has conventionally been classified as a “thematic pesher,”2 or, more recently as “thematic commentary,”3 or “eschatological midrash.”4 It is one of a group of Qumranic compositions in which the author cites and interprets biblical texts, applying them to the contemporary experience of his community, which he understands to be living in the eschatological era. Unlike the continuous pesharim, thematic pesha- rim are not structured as sequential commentaries on a particular 1 John M. Allegro first pieced together the thirty fragments that he identified as comprising 4Q177, which he labeled 4QCatena A. Cf. John M. Allegro and Arnold A. Anderson. Qumran Cave 4.I (4Q158–4Q186) (DJD V; Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1968), 67–74, Pls. XXIV–XXV. John Strugnell subsequently added four additional fragments, and suggested improvements to Allegro’s readings and reconstructions (“Notes en marge,” 236–48). Annette Steudel re-worked the order of the material in 4Q174 and 4Q177, and argued that the two manuscripts should be regarded as parts of a single composition, which she termed 4QMidrEschat. See George J. Brooke, “From Flori- legium or Midrash to Commentary: The Problem of Re/Naming an Adopted Manu- script,” in this volume. Cf. Annette Steudel, Der Midrasch zur Eschatologie aus der Qumrangemeinde (4QMidrEschata,b): Materielle Rekonstruktion, Textbestand, Gattung und traditionsgeschichtliche Einordnung des durch 4Q174 (“Florilegium”) und 4Q177 (“Catenaa”) repräsentierten Werkes aus den Qumranfunden (STDJ 13; Leiden: Brill, 1994). The current discussion will touch upon the relationship between 4Q177 and 4Q174 but is primarily concerned with the composition of 4Q177 itself.
  • Tender Mercies in English Scriptural Idiom and in Nephi's Record

    Tender Mercies in English Scriptural Idiom and in Nephi's Record

    Tender Mercies in English Scriptural Idiom and in Nephi’s Record Miranda Wilcox Nephi records divine beings inviting humans to participate in the sacred story of salvation and humans petitioning divine beings for aid in their mortal affliction. The first chapter of Nephi’s story introduces linguistic, textual, and narrative questions about how humans should engage with and produce holy books that memorialize these divine- human relations in heaven and on earth. For Nephi, a central element of these relationships is “tender mercies” (1 Nephi 1:20). What are tender mercies? How do the Lord’s tender mercies make the chosen faithful “mighty, even unto the power of deliverance”? Nephi’s striking phrase has become popular in Latter-day Saint discourse since Elder David A. Bednar preached of the “tender mercies of the Lord” at general conference in April 2005. He defined tender mercies as “very personal and individualized blessings, strength, pro- tection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ.”1 I would like to extend this discussion and reconsider this definition with respect to Nephi’s record by explor- ing the biblical sources and the transmission of this beloved phrase through English scriptural idiom. 1. David A. Bednar, “The Tender Mercies of the Lord,”Ensign , May 2005, 99. 75 76 Miranda Wilcox Nephi explains that he has acquired “a great knowledge of the good- ness and the mysteries of God” and that he will share this knowledge in his record (1 Nephi 1:1).