THE ROYAL PSALMS IN THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS David Joseph Larsen A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of St Andrews 2013 Full metadata for this item is available in Research@StAndrews:FullText at: http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/4292 This item is protected by original copyright This item is licensed under a Creative Commons License The Royal Psalms in the Dead Sea Scrolls David Joseph Larsen This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of PhD at the University of St Andrews August 7, 2013 The Royal Psalms in the Dead Sea Scrolls David Joseph Larsen Abstract This thesis examines the use and function of a specific group of Psalms, the so-called “Royal Psalms,” among the texts of the Qumran library. From the time of their integration into the worship practices of the Israelite people in the obscure past to the Second Temple period and beyond, these Psalms continued to be a source of inspiration to the Jewish people. Though there have been many studies that have analyzed their Sitz im Leben, use, interpretation, and application for many different periods, no study has attempted a thorough analysis of their use among the Qumran documents. Analyses of the use in the Qumran texts of certain individual Royal Psalms exist, but these do not attempt to cover the Royal Psalms as a corpus. The present thesis will analyze the appearance in the Qumran library of the eleven generally- accepted Royal Psalms: Pss 2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 89, 101, 110, 132, and 144. This study explores whether or not these Psalms are to be found in the known Qumran Psalms scrolls, variations or differences as compared to the Masoretic Text, how they are were interpreted in exegetical and other texts, quotations of and allusions to them, and how themes from the Royal Psalms contribute to the structure and theology of non-canonical royal psalms found at Qumran. An understanding of the use of the biblical Royal Psalms in these texts is of value for our comprehension of what happened to the pre-exilic royal traditions as these hymns continued to be used in a post-monarchic society. This dissertation makes an original contribution toward these goals, establishing that there was an interest on the part of the authors of many of the Qumran texts in royal themes although they lived long after the monarchy had ended. 1 The Royal Psalms in the Dead Sea Scrolls David Joseph Larsen Chapter 1: The Royal Psalms and the History of Their Interpretation 1. Introduction The discovery of a large number of Psalms scrolls, or scrolls containing Psalms, at Qumran1 has generated considerable interest among scholars. This has led to numerous studies regarding the contents of these scrolls, with much attention focused on comparisons with the structure and contents of the ―canonical‖ Psalter of the Hebrew Bible and the interpretation of the Psalms2 in the corpus of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Studies that fall into the former category often focus on the entire corpus of Pss found at Qumran whereas the research into the latter tends to be conducted as part of larger works on biblical quotations, allusions, or interpretation in the Scrolls. The purpose of this study is to focus on a specific group of Pss, the so-called ―Royal Psalms,‖3 in order to elucidate their use and function among the texts of the Qumran library. The frequent quotations of or allusions to the RPss (especially Pss 2 and 110) as messianic proof-texts in the New Testament are well known. Likewise, scholars, especially in the early twentieth century, have studied the role of these Pss in ancient Israel, later prophecy, and Second Temple Judaism. The impetus for this doctoral thesis stems from the fact that although many studies have been conducted into the use of the larger corpus of canonical Pss in the Qumran library, there is no comprehensive treatment of the use of the RPss in particular. Analyses of certain individual RPss exist, but they do not attempt to cover the RPss as a corpus. Whereas these studies are limited in scope, the present thesis will analyze the appearance in the Qumran library of the eleven generally-accepted RPss: Pss 2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 89, 101, 110, 132, and 144. We will explore topics such as whether or not these Pss are to be found in the known Pss scrolls, variations or differences as compared to the Masoretic Text, how they are were interpreted in exegetical and other texts, quotations of and allusions to them, and how themes from the RPss contribute to the structure and theology of other Qumran texts. 1 There are at least thirty-six scrolls or manuscripts discovered at Qumran that contain Psalms. See Peter W. Flint, The Dead Sea Psalms Scrolls and the Book of Psalms (Leiden; New York; Köln: Brill, 1997), 2. 2 Henceforth, Ps (singular) and Pss (plural). 3 Henceforth, RPs (singular) and RPss (plural). 2 1.1 Background: Scholarship on the RPss, Their Use and Interpretation 1.1.1 Gunkel and the RPss as a Form-Critical Category When Hermann Gunkel developed his ―form-critical‖ method and applied it to the Hebrew Bible‘s Psalter, he identified shared ―forms‖ that he used to classify the various Pss into genres. One of his categories, which he termed ―Royal Psalms,‖4 included Pss 2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 101, 110, 132, and 144:1-11, with 89:47-52 as more distantly related. Gunkel‘s RPss, however, were not grouped together due to their shared form, but were rather associated by their shared content matter and supposed ―life setting.‖ The Pss that Gunkel designated as royal thus have no characteristic structure, although various of the other forms may be found in them (lament, Ps 89; individual thanksgiving, Ps 18, etc.). In his book Einleitung in die Psalmen (Introduction to the Psalms), Gunkel laid down his criteria for what classifies a psalm as royal. His major points may be summarized as follows: 1. They are concerned entirely with kings.5 2. While the king is often referred to in the third person, some Pss also portray the king, himself, as speaking (Pss 2; 18; 101; 132:1-10; 144:1-11; cf. also 89:47-52).6 3. These Pss conceptualize reigning native kings (date is pre-exilic). 4. They had their ―life setting‖ in royal celebrations. Gunkel associated the situations apparent in these Pss with the many celebrations and festivals depicted in the biblical texts, as described in Esther 1:4 and in various passages in the books of Kings and Samuel, as having been organized by or for the Israelite kings. 5. They describe settings similar to celebrations that took place in the Ancient Near East: e.g., Assyria and Egypt. 7 6. The general situation of the songs is that they were performed in the presence of the king and his dignitaries in the palace or in the sanctuary. 8 7. A characteristic ―indefinite type of speech‖ stands out. With the exception of David and Melchizedek, no kings are mentioned by name. Likewise, there are no references to real situations or historical events. Songs can plausibly be transferred from one ruler to another.9 4 The term ―Royal Psalms‖ was used in the early nineteenth century by Wilhelm de Wette to refer to those Psalms which had been considered messianic, which he understood to refer to reigning kings of Israel/Judah and which celebrated the ―office‖ of kingship. See W. M. L. de Wette, Commentar über die Psalmen (Heidelberg: J. C. B. Mohr, 1811), 4. 5 Hermann Gunkel and Joachim Begrich, Introduction to the Psalms: The Genres of the Religious Lyric of Israel, Mercer Library of Biblical Studies (Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press, 1998), 99. 6 Ibid., 99. 7 Ibid., 100-01. 8 Ibid., 102. 9 Ibid., 112. 3 More recently, Scott Starbuck provided a concise definition in his 1996 monograph on Court Oracles in the Psalms: ―‗Royal Psalm‘ is a scholarly typology, a classification label applied by commentators to Psalms which laud historical human kingship or feature the reigning monarch as the protagonist.‖10 Gunkel‘s delineation of these RPss established a standard that became, and has been, accepted by most Pss scholars and built upon by subsequent thinkers. Although many of these succeeding thinkers would expand the number of Pss they identified as royal, their enumerations vary significantly. Many of these theories, especially those envisioning dozens of pre-exilic RPss, have not been widely accepted. However, most scholars are willing to accept at least Gunkel‘s minimum of ten RPss11 with the eleven that he was willing to enumerate, including Ps 89, as noted above, generally accepted by modern scholars as RPss.12 1.1.2 Views on the Life Setting of the RPss in Ancient Israel 1.1.2.1 Psalm 2 Gunkel saw Ps 2 as part of an enthronement festival of the Davidic king. He notes that there is an ―entire drama‖ depicted, in which the subjugated peoples try to rebel against the king, but he keeps them in bonds.13 There are in this psalm the frequently repeated themes of conflict with foreign rulers and miraculous salvation by Yahweh, set in the context of the enthronement of Yahweh‘s king, and the promise to him of power and victory. Peter Craigie sees a coronation which would have involved ―the setting of a crown upon the new king‘s head, the formal presentation of a document to the new king, and his proclamation and anointing (cf.