Theological Interpretation of the Old Testament by Kevin J. Vanhoozer

Author:Kevin J. Vanhoozer
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Biblical Studies/Theology, Interpretation, Bible—Criticism, REL006090, REL067000, REL006210
ISBN: 9781441202024
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2008-11-01T03:00:00+00:00

16

Psalms

J. CLINTON MCCANN JR.

Contemporary resources on worship generally describe readings from the Psalms as responses to the OT lesson, suggesting at least implicitly that the book of Psalms is something other than Scripture itself. This perspective is sometimes reinforced by homileticians who resist preaching on the Psalms because, in their view, the Psalms originated as liturgical materials and should be used accordingly. To be sure, the book of Psalms may well have been “the hymnbook/prayerbook of the second temple” (or the first temple) but, in addition, “it became eventually something like an instruction manual for the theological study of the divine order of salvation” (Seybold 27). Or, as Martin Luther put it, the Psalms are “a little Bible” (Luther 254), a prime source for learning about God, God’s will for the world, and life lived under God’s claim.

History of Interpretation

In all probability, the early church continued to sing and pray the Psalms (see Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16), but the extensive use of the Psalms in the NT indicates that they were also read as a source of illumination and instruction. In particular, the early church read the Psalms messianically, an interpretative practice that had already begun in postexilic Judaism. This makes sense, since David’s name is associated with seventy-three psalms, and since the “anointed” (the Hebrew mashiakh or, more usually, messiah = the Greek christos) is featured in the book as early as Ps. 2:2 (see also Pss. 18; 20; 21; 45; 72; 89; 110; 132; 144, often categorized as royal). In any case, it is clear that the early church could not understand or proclaim its faith in Jesus Messiah/Christ without frequent use of the Psalms (see esp. Pss. 22; 32; 69).

Like all Scripture in the precritical era of interpretation, the Psalms were read on more than one level. But in every instance, the Psalms functioned as Scripture, a source for theological illumination and proclamation. Augustine’s Enarrations [Expositions] on the Psalms are a prime example, as are both Luther’s and Calvin’s commentaries. In the preface to his commentary, for instance, Calvin maintains not only that the Psalms teach us how to pray and how to praise God, but also that they “principally teach and train us to bear the cross” (Calvin xxxix). In a sense, Calvin and others read the Psalms historically, although not in the modern sense—they found in the Psalms information about David’s life and trials. But Calvin and others also read the Psalms prophetically—finding the life and trials of David, the “anointed,” prefigured the experiences of Jesus, the “anointed.” From this perspective, Jesus could be heard praying the Psalms.

Early critical interpretation of the Psalms has been called “the personal/ historical method” (Bellinger 15). Attempts were made (and are still being made) to date individual psalms and to discern in them information about David and other persons, groups, or events. In the early twentieth century Hermann Gunkel, the pioneer of form criticism, took a decisive step beyond this personal/historical approach. Although he still maintained that the Psalms

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