Philip Sumpter, «The Coherence of Psalms 15–24», Vol. 94 (2013) 186-209
This article develops recent arguments that Psalms 15–24 constitute a relatively self-contained sub-collection that is chiastically arranged. It seeks to uncover the logic underlying the arrangement by attending to three points: 1) the manner in which the content of each psalm is 'expanded' and 'brought forward' in its chiastic parallel; 2) the nature of the relation between the framing psalms (15; 19; 24) and those that intervene; 3) the significance of David and Zion. In short, it argues that the editors were concerned to situate David within his true theological context.
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THE COHERENCE OF PSALMS 15–24
interpretive authority to the centre of a chiasm, such that all other
psalms are to have their meaning changed in light of it. As I will
argue below, chiasms also need to be read linearly, and Psalms 15–
24 give plenty of evidence that this ought to be so.
Refinements and corrections need to be made in the following
three areas:
– It is one thing to identify the presence of structural patterns; it is
another to identify their function 16. What kind of logic is at work
in arrangements of this kind and how was the form understood to
mediate the content? I will preface my exegesis with a brief sum-
mary of Emma Brunner-Traut’s theory of ancient epistemology and
the way this kind of “aspective†apperception relates to the literary
forms of chiasm and parallelism 17. This theoretical foundation will
help us to ask the right kind of questions of the text and seek coher-
ence at the right “levelâ€.
– Some of the interpreters above have hinted at an internal differen-
tiation within the collection between an outer framework—namely
Psalms 15; 19; 24 — and those psalms that intervene. I shall
analyse this structure and draw out its interpretive implications.
– Most interpreters have focused primarily on the themes of king(ship)
and Torah and only hinted at the significance of creation/Zion as a
key to the unity of the unit. I will argue that these two interrelated
concepts in fact provide us with the proper horizon for interpreting
the message of the whole.
In short, my thesis will be as follows: the structure of Psalms
15–24 creates an interplay between the psalms which frame the
sub-collection (Psalms 15, 19, and 24) and those that intervene. The
framing psalms are more theoretical in nature and are concerned
with incrementally delineating the basic shape of the divine econ-
omy of salvation, understood as God’s desire to consummate cre-
ation by entering into communion with his righteous people in
Cf. M. STERNBERG, The Poetics of Biblical Narrative. Ideological Liter-
16
ature and the Drama of Reading (Bloomington, IN 1987) 119: “it is hard to
separate the ideology from the art. […] [Israel’s] model of storytelling […]
adopts techniques for their functional value rather than any intrinsic worth.
And among the principles that determine tactical choice, the glorification of
God largely figuresâ€. See also his section “Form and Doctrine†on pp. 35-40.
E. BRUNNER-TRAUT, Frühformen des Erkennens. Am Beispiel Ägyptens
17
(Darmstadt 1992).
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