Approaching the Psalms through Canonical, Form and Reader Response Criticism

Proposed principle one: When one begins approaching the Psalms through Canonical, Form and Reader Response Criticism the first stage must include the determining of the period when the Canonical Psalter was composed and ‘read’.
Proposed principle two: The use of the Psalter must also be discovered.
Proposed principle three: Once the period when the Canonical Psalter [...]

Read Full Post »

A Need to Explore the Sitz im Literatur of the Psalter

Earlier I was reading Sweeney’s introduction to prophetic literature (vol. XVI in FOTL) and I came across the following paragraph which struck me as being highly relevant to a study of the Psalter.
Although the words and actions of the original prophets initiated the composition of the prophetic literature, the writings of the later editor and [...]

Read Full Post »

Passover and Pss. 113-118

It is recorded that “On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover” (Josh. 5:10) and I just wonder if this Spring festival associated with the Exodus-Conquest theme is the Sitz im Leben of the Egyptian Psalter, Pss. 113-118. This [...]

Read Full Post »