The Deuteronomist’s Psalter

Almost twelve months ago I noted that the uniting of Pss. 1 & 2 is rather deuteronomistic in “Pss. 1 & 2 and the Deuteronomist” and over the next few months I wish to explore this further. Stay tuned!

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The metanarrative of the Psalter

See John’s take here.

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The Power of Heaven Let Loose on Earth

In a sermon at the Eucharist and Baptism in Durham Cathedral on the feast of Pentecost entitled “The Power of Heaven Let Loose on Earth” Bishop N. T. Wright made reference to Psalm 2:
In Psalm 2, to which the early Christians looked back as they pondered the mystery of who Jesus really was, the nations [...]

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Studies in Biblical Literature

Recently I came across a series called Studies in Biblical Literature in which I found some interesting Psalm related books:
The Narrative Effect of Book IV of the Hebrew Psalter by Robert E. Wallace.
Text and Concept Analysis in Royal Psalms by Randy G. Haney.
The Book of Psalms Through the Lens of Intertextuality by Beth LaNeel Tanner.
The [...]

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Covenant in the Psalms (1)

Whilst many Psalms do not mention covenant (berith) explicitly, the theme of covenant runs through the Psalter seamlessly. The basic covenantal formula is “You shall be my people and I shall be your God” so whenever we find the psalmist saying “my God” or “my King” the reason he can say this is because a [...]

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The answer to Books 1-3

The first three books of the Psalter have Royal Psalms at their seams (Pss. 2, 41, 72 & 89) indicating that these should be understood as a collection. Not that they stood as a collection independently from Books 4 and 5 but that they stand as a unity in and of themselves within the Psalter. [...]

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A key theme in Pss. 9-11

Ps. 9:7 “The LORD reigns forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.”
Ps. 9:11 “Sing the praises of the LORD, enthroned in Zion;
proclaim among the nations what he has done.”
Ps. 10:16 “The LORD is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish [...]

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The resurrection and politics

What does the resurrection of Jesus have to do with politics? I believe that Psalm 2 provides us with the answer.
vv. 1-3: A picture of political leaders
Why are the nations so angry?
Why do they waste their time with futile plans?
The kings of the earth prepare for battle;
[...]

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Is praise the Psalter’s theme?

Over on his blog Bob MacDonald argues that the theme of the Psalter is praise rather than “the ideal Joshua-like warrior and king who through divinely given authority vanquishes his enemies” (R. Cole). Whilst it is undeniable that the Psalter moves from lament to praise, I find the final form to have been canonically shaped [...]

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Theme of the Psalter

If we are asked to sum up the message of the Psalter what should we say? I would echo the following statement by Robert Cole:
Psalms 1 and 2 were not read as two disparate Torah and royal psalms respectively in the final redaction of the Psalter; rather, both depict the ideal Joshua-like warrior and king [...]

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