Archive for category Psalms of Solomon
Messianic Pre-Existence in the Psalms of Solomon
Posted by Joel in Psalms of Solomon on June 8, 2010
Only sharing snippets of what I am working on ‘behind the scenes’…. I brought this topic up last week on Facebook and received some interesting answers, so maybe we can do it here as well. What does pre-existence entail? If God is God enough to say, ‘let there be light’ and with no pattern before Him (remember, the Tabernacle and the Temple are patterned after heavenly things; cf Hebrews) there was Light, then we are dealing with concepts beyond the human understanding. We measure pre-existence only by physical manifestation, but what if pre-existence was only the Logos in the mind of God? The Logos was God’s thought and plan, and thus without physical manifestation, it pre-existed?
The pre-existence of Christ is seen by many Christians as an essential belief in orthodox Christianity, noting that Christ was ontologically with the Father since eternity. Taking several passages in the New Testament[1], Christians have based their notion of pre-existence on their own ontology, deciding that a physical manifestation must have occurred in regards to pre-existence. In the 17th Psalm of Solomon, pre-existence is applied to the Messiah, but without an ontological expression. Instead, pre-existence is implied, but only as a thought or plan in which God has prepared for Israel.
In the 72nd canonical psalm, a Psalm of Sololmon, we find a hymn dedicated to the future Son of David[2]. We find much of the same imagery as we do in our present consideration. A king comes and delivers Israel from her enemies as the sole representative on earth of God. While the future king is pictures as acting out the destruction to Israel’s enemies[3], in the end, it is God who said to have accomplished the works (v18). Verse 5, 7 and 17 are the focus on scrutiny, however, when discussing the pre-existence of the King. The Targum Psalms translates the 17th verse (which mirrors and combines the 5th and the 7th) ‘as before the sun came to be his name was determined’. Horbury[4] cites 1st Enoch 48.3 as another example of the Messiah’s name being given beforehand. We find pre-existence in the Psalms of Solomon put forth in 17.21, 42 and 18.5.
In the seventeenth psalm, the author implores God to
ἰδέ κύριε καὶ ἀνάστησον αὐτοῖς τὸν βασιλέα αὐτῶν υἱὸν Δαυιδ εἰς τὸν καιρόν ὃν εἵλου σύ ὁ θεός τοῦ βασιλεῦσαι ἐπὶ Ισραηλ παῖδά σου
Compare with v42, in which the same author states that God ἔγνω. The issue here is that this verse is cast in the future:
αὕτη ἡ εὐπρέπεια τοῦ βασιλέως Ισραηλ ἣν ἔγνω ὁ θεός ἀναστῆσαι αὐτὸν ἐπ᾽ οἶκον Ισραηλ παιδεῦσαι αὐτόν
It is here that we come to 18.5, where a physical pre-existence is almost implied,
καθαρίσαι ὁ θεὸς Ισραηλ εἰς ἡμέραν ἐλέους ἐν εὐλογίᾳ εἰς ἡμέραν ἐκλογῆς ἐν ἀνάξει χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ[5]
Pre-existence in the Psalms of Solomon should not be seen as an ontological expression, but as one where the λόγος is in the mind of God. The community sees the current troubles as one cleansing Israel for the full expression of God’s plan, especially in relation to the Deuteronomistic covenant (chapter 18), which as we have seen was in the mind of the author.
[1] John 1.1 and Phil 2.5-11
[2] It is clearly written in expectation of peace, when Israel would be restored. Cf v3 and v9.
[3] For the author of Psalm 72, his enemies are more traditional than Rome and the fellow Jews which the author of Pss Sol encountered.
[4] Horbury, 95
[5] May God cleanse Israel for the day of pity with blessing, for the day of election when he brings up his anointed one
Thoughts on Rahlfs Emendation on Psalms of Solomon 17.32
Posted by Joel in Psalms of Solomon on June 7, 2010
In 1935, Alfred Rahlfs published his Septuaginta. Id Est Vetus Testamentum grace iuxta LXX interpretes, 2 vols (Stuttgart:Wurttembergische Bibelanstalt). In his massive volume, he included the emendation to Psalm 17.32’sχριστὸς κύριος to be χριστὸς κυρίου. He did so on the basis of Lamentations 4.20 which he counted as scribal error adopting an older suggestion by A. Carriére[1]. In doing so, he failed to consider Luke 2.11 which reads as the unchanged text as does the Syriac. M. de Jonge speculated that it was of the addition of a later Christian scribe[2], but this view was well challenged by Robert Hann[3]. Horbury[4] presents a concise argument against the emendation. He argues that later Christian copyists ‘would not necessarily be impelled to alter the form with -ou when writing out Old Testament books. Probably, then, Christians used kyrious as a royal title which was already associated with the Messiah’. The perceived ‘error’ in Lamentations 4.20 could be a particular translation choice, or only the start of the error which carried over into the Psalms of Solomon; however, based on Luke 2.11, I would have to challenge the emendation as it presents a starting point for the association of the divine title with Christ, especially given the fact that the 17th Psalms already presents enough pre-Christ fertilization for Messianic Expectation.
[1] De Psalterio Salmonis disquistionem historic-criticam scripsit, Strasbourg
[2] M. de Jonge, ‘The Expectation of the Future in the Psalms of Solomon’, Jewish Eschatology, Early Christian Christology and the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, Leiden: Brill 1991
[3] Robert Hann, Christos Kyrious in PsSol 17.32: “The Lord’s Anointed’ Reconsidered”, New Testament Studies (1985), 31 : 620-627 Cambridge University Press
[4]Horbury, 144-145
Psalms of Solomon, Psalm 17-18 – Analysis
Posted by Joel in Psalms of Solomon on June 3, 2010
Psalm 17 – A Psalm. Pertaining to Salomon. With an Ode. Pertaining to the king.
The seventeenth psalm represents the culmination of the community’s hopes and their ideal fruition to the wrath of God which they are currently experiencing at the hands of the Romans. While there are hints at a figure which would be king over Israel in the fifth and eleventh psalm, here, the figure takes shape as a king from the royal line of David, fulfilling the promises of God not only to David but to the people[1]. It uses the canonical Psalm 2 as the overarching theme, expounding upon it to usher in a Messiah that is not bent upon war, but brings peace. Much like the Gospel account, the Messiah is seen as the exemplar Son of David, a king which will defeat the kings of the earth and rule the nations[2].
The author begins, and ends, with his petition to God who is ‘king forever and ever,’ compares the life expectancy of a person’s life with the eternality of the ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν[3], and reminds God of the covenant made with David (v4). For nearly a hundred years, the Hasmoneans had not only been kings, but priests as well, taking what a minority had seen as the role of the coming king. The author sees the Hasmonean dynasty as a result of Israel’s sins, and the destruction of the dynasty as a result of their sins. Pompey is not mentioned here, but Herod the Great is, as is the genocide he attempted on the Hasmonean line (v7-9)[4]. Now, the community was reminding God, and maybe themselves, that it was supposed to only be a member of David’s line[5]. They retell the destruction which befell the community, but this time, the destruction is not to either Jerusalem or the Temple, but to the palace – the throne of David (v6). They reissue the calls made in previous psalms for the judgment of God recounting the injustice which had occurred to them (v7-20). For a large portion of the psalm, the author makes a prayer (v21) for the restoration of the Davidic line and pictures what this new reign would look like (v22-43). The post-script presents what might be a personal touch from the author (v43), a final prayer, and returning to the statement that the Lord is king.
The canonical Psalm 2 comes into focus first in v23-24 in which the Messiah is seen with the ῥάβδῳ σιδηρα which is the weapon of choice in Psalm 2.9 and in verse 27 where the Messiah will remove the ἄνθρωπος μετ᾽ αὐτῶν εἰδὼς κακίαν γνώσεται which corresponds with the final verse of Psalm 2. Further, verse 30 -34 should be read parallel with the Psalm 2.6-8 where we see that the ἐθνῶν will be given for a possession, and all will come ἀπ᾽ ἄκρου τῆς γῆς (Psalm 2.8 reads πέρατα τῆς γῆς). In verse 35, the author quotes, somewhat, Isaiah 11.4 which appears to use Psalm 2 as well, which was later used in Revelation 19.14. God is seen using λόγῳ τοῦ στόματος to rule the earth, but the λόγῳ τοῦ στόματος is the Messiah-King who will bless the people of the Lord.
The Messiah in the seventeenth Psalm is a divine agent but very human. He, the Messiah, is supported by 21-25) and subordinate to God (v34), able to accomplish the victory single-handed (v33), taught by God (v32), pure from sin (v35)[6], but is mortal. While the Messiah’s end is not numbered, the promise for him to not ἀσθενήσει ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις is given once in v37. While he is given the spirits mentioned in Isaiah 11.2 (cfv37) he still must hope upon God v39. He is human, but in his divine attributes, he carries the Isaianic attributes (Isaiah 11.2-5), is the source of blessing (v35), and cannot be seen as a king apart from God. He is God’s vicar, embodied with divine attributes, representing God to the people. One might say that if they see the Messiah-King, then they see God. The Messiah-King, the χριστὸς κυρίου, will accomplish much during his tenure. He will, according to Nickelsburg[7], remove the foreign oppressors and the Gentiles (v22-24); gather the dispersed (v26, 44); and restore the old boundaries (v28). He will be, as was called for in Ezekiel 34, a ‘ruler, judge, and shepherd, exalting Israel above all, fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah 60 and Daniel 7.27. The land will be free of sin, entering into a Messianic Age of peace and prosperity akin to the age of Solomon.
The author of the seventeenth psalm does not expect to happen soon or at least soon enough for him. Perhaps he is old, as he writes in the v44 with a future expectation that those who see it will be happy, indicating that he doesn’t expect too. As in the second verse, there is a bleed through of the author, in which he first ponders how long he has left and then almost regrets that he will not be able to see the Messiah.
Psalm 18 – A Psalm. Pertaining to Salomon. Again of the Anointed of the Lord.
The great crescendo that was the seventeenth psalm is followed by a suitable post-script in the eighteenth. It returns to the view that Israel is God’s πρωτότοκον and μονογενῆ[8]. Because this, they can accept discipline which washes them, preparing them for the ἡμέραν ἐλέους and the ἡμέραν ἐκλογῆς (v5) which will see the χριστοῦ come. It repeats some of the attributes of χριστοῦ the previous psalm (v7) and then dramatically shifts to a hymn celebrating the control which God has over the cosmos.
[1] 2nd Samuel 7.10-16
[2] For a fuller discussion on the use of Psalm 2 during this time period, see You Are My Son: The Reception History of Psalm 2 in Early Judaism and the Early Church, Leuven ; Walpole, Mass.
[3] It must be noted that this is the first time in biblical literature that the phrase which is found so often in the New Testament is mentioned.
[4] For a discussion on Herod and the 17th Psalm see, On the Herodian Origin of Militant Davidic Messianism at Qumran: New Light from Psalm of Solomon 17 Kenneth Atkinson Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 118, No. 3 (Autumn, 1999), pp. 435-460 Published by: The Society of Biblical Literature.
[5] The failure to mention the Son of Joseph who found a cultic following as well should solidify the notion that it was the Pharisees who contributed to this document.
[6] The author demands purity from sin in order that the Messiah can rule and rebuke, καὶ αὐτὸς καθαρὸς ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας τοῦ ἄρχειν λαοῦ μεγάλου ἐλέγξαι ἄρχοντας καὶ ἐξᾶραι ἁμαρτωλοὺς ἐν ἰσχύι λόγου
[7] Nickelsburg, 243
[8] Cf Exodus 4.22
Psalms of Solomon, Psalms 12-16 – Analysis
Posted by Joel in Psalms of Solomon on June 2, 2010
Psalm 12 – Pertaining to Salomon. Against the tongue of the transgressor of the Law.
Starting with the twelfth psalm we find a low point of despair felt by the community, both corporately and individually, until suddenly in the seventeenth psalm, hope breaks loose. The focus on this psalm should center on a new word in the Greek, ἐπαγγελίας. Here, as it is in 2nd Maccabees 2.17-18, it is seen as something secured by God but comes through the Law. The same word is found in several New Testament passages[1], all dealing with the promises of God. It is possible that the final verse also alludes to Isaiah 53 (among other passages in Isaiah in which Israel is seen as a Servant) which was the traditional interpretation, only later adopted by Christians to interpret the Christ-event.
Psalm 13 – Pertaining to Salomon. Comfort for the Righteous
James Dunn continuously points out the dichotomy of community in passages such as Psalm 13. Those inside are clearly righteous and will receive God’s goodness while those on the outside are sinners, deserving the all the punishment from God. For the righteous, their receive their discipline in περιστολῇ[2] which keeps the sinners from rejoicing. This viewpoint is not only found in the Psalms of Solomon, but in Wisdom of Solomon[3] as well, has common enough that Paul would address it in Romans 2-4. The δεξιὰ κυρίου is seen as a shelter of the righteous, which is finds a counterpart in the New Testament where Christ is said to sit at the right hand of God[4]. Again, as in Psalm 12, we find Israel to be personified as a υἱὸν ἀγαπήσεως and πρωτοτόκου, both terms later applied to Jesus by the writers of the New Testament.
Psalm 14 – A Hymn. Pertaining to Salomon.
Nickelsburg rightly calls this a ‘paraphrase of the canonical Psalm 1.[5]’ Much of the same forward motion is used to describe the journey of the righteous and the slowing of the sinner. It is also replete with images of the afterlife of those who obey Leviticus 18.5 and those who do not, which find its way into later theological development. Most notable are the τὰ ξύλα τῆς ζωῆς (v3) and the inheritance of the sinners which is αὐτῶν ᾅδης καὶ σκότος καὶ ἀπώλεια καὶ οὐχ εὑρεθήσονται ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐλέους δικαίων (v9).
Psalm 15 – A Psalm. Pertaining to Salomon. With an Ode
As the author(s), or collectors, approach the seventeenth psalm, the despair of the community and the desire to see the sinners punished rises in a crescendo. This psalm is filled with several themes found in Christian eschatology, such as the φλὸξ πυρὸς (v4), the σημεῖον τοῦ θεοῦ for the Righteous (6), and the σημεῖον τῆς ἀπωλείας ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου αὐτῶν (v9) for the sinners. This is reminiscent of Genesis 4.15 and Exodus 12.21-23, followed later by Christian eschatological separation of the righteous and the sinners in Revelation 14. Much as the picture presented in Revelation, there is no hope for the sinners. In this psalm, the Righteous will overtake and destroy the sinners, including the weapons of the sinners which are similar to the Four Horsemen of Revelation 6, famine, war, and death.
Psalm 16 – A Hymn. Pertaining to Salomon. Regarding help for the devout.
The final psalm in the series of self-pity, self-righteousness, and the calls for the destruction of the sinners centers on the election of the individual and community. The fifth verse is key to the psalm, stating, ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι ὁ θεός ὅτι ἀντελάβου μου εἰς σωτηρίαν καὶ οὐκ ἐλογίσω με μετὰ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν εἰς ἀπώλειαν. The author does not see what later Christian theologians would call ‘eternal security’ however, recognizing that he could fall into transgression with the aid of a γυναικὸς παρανομούσης(v8). He asks for protection with the truth against his tongue and lips (v10) ending the hymn with a plea for strength, noting that if the righteous endures until the end of the trial, then he would receive mercy from God[6].
[1] Acts 7.5; Tit. 1:2; Jas. 1.12, 2.5; 1 Jn. 2:25
[2] distinction, NETS Pss Sol 13.8; Liddell-Scott, ‘probably secret.’
[3] See Wis. 11.9-10, 12.22, 16-910; Dunn, 219
[4] Cf Hebrews 1.3
[5] Nicklesburg, 246
[6] cf Matthew 10.16-22
Psalms of Solomon, Psalm 8-10 – Analysis
Posted by Joel in Psalms of Solomon on June 1, 2010
Psalm 8- Pertaining to Salomon. Regarding Victory
This Psalm is parallel with the second Psalm, in which we do not see an eschatological destruction, but a recounting of a recent event set against the backdrop of a perceived judgment of God. It is tells the story of Pompey’s entrance into the city, invited in by the Hyrcanus (v16-18), who would then proceed to profane the altar of the Lord. This, according to the author of the psalm, was not a free will choice, but directed by God (14-15) as an act of righteous judgment[1]. It does not mention the death of Pompey, which leads Nickelsburg to postulate that this was written before the second psalm[2].
In verse 23, God is pictured as being made ἐδικαιώθη. VanLandingham argues that this term means ‘make righteous’ rather than acquit[3]. If this is so, then it holds that God must accomplish the destruction of Jerusalem through Pompey, allowing even the profaning of his alter, in order that he would be considered righteous for upholding the covenant. Finally, it is worth noting the allusion to Isaiah 53.7 found in verse 23. The devout are seen as innocent lambs in the midst of all the troubles. It was not their sins that caused the destruction of Jerusalem under Rome’s boot, but it is the community who ‘justifies’ the name of God even in the midst of the correction.
Psalm 9 – Pertaining to Salomon. Regarding Rebuke
The psalm opens with a recount of the recent exile into Babylon, picturing it s a necessity for God to remain righteous. In the fourth verse we find a thought which seems to counter post-Reformation era thinking. Here, the only ἔργα which concerns the community are those of free will. For the author, ἔργα are found in the individual’s ability to choose to do what is right or what is wrong, forcing God to react. Those that do what is righteous θησαυρίζει for himself a life with the Lord while those who ‘practice[4]’ injustice will find only destruction[5].
The phrase, ἔθου τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐφ᾽, found in the ninth verse is reminiscent of the Hebrew found in 2nd Chronicles 7.14, נִֽקְרָא־שְׁמִ֣י , possible serving to calling attention to covenant (v10) made between God and Solomon concerning the Temple. While this psalm concerns the covenant, and thus election, made by the Name of God, the author sees the possibility of even the sinner repenting of his or her sins, although it is arguable that the confessor in verse 6 is one inside the community.
Psalm 10 – Among Hymns. Pertaining to Salomon
The Community has appealed to self-humiliation, accepting their punishment as a due reward, seen their Temple defiled, and their sovereignty gone. Now they are appealing to God’s covenant and the testimony therein (v4) that any wrath would be short lived, serving as a correcting measure. The entire Psalm is centered on the fourth verse, with it acting as a zenith of the song. It is worth noting that the phrase διαθήκης αἰωνίου (v4) is found also in Hebrews 13.20, a book heavily influenced by Deuterocanonical material. It ends with an expectation for the salvation of the Lord (v8).
[1] Dunn calls attention to the rhetorical parallels between Pss Sol 8-14, which lists the sins of the people, and Psalm 50.16-21, Philo Conf 163, TLevi 14.4-8 and CD 6.16-17 which is similarly found in Romans 2.17-24). Dunn, 167
[2] Nickelsburg, 240
[3] Chris VanLandingham, Judgment & Justification In Early Judaism And The Apostle Paul, Peabody: Hendrickson Press 2006, 246, 252.
[4] 9.5 NETS
[5] A similar parallel is found in Matthew 6.19-20
Psalms of Solomon, Psalms 4-7 – Analysis
Posted by Joel in Psalms of Solomon on June 1, 2010
Psalm 4 – Discourse of Salomon. Pertaining to the men-pleasers.
It might be better superscribed to the Hellenizers and those Jews who sided with the Romans or maybe even the Herods. The psalm is divided into four sections (1.8; 9-13; 14-22; 23-25) and directed against a single individual, although he is difficult to place. This unknown individual (or representative of a community) is a religious hypocrite[1]. The author notes from the beginning that the individual is one of their own, seemingly, as he sits ‘in the council of the devout.’ King Hyrcanus II was sympathetic to the Pharisees but was a powerless man who eventually was stripped of his authority and given a figurehead position. The Jews would have blamed him for the Roman occupation because it was constant fighting with his brother which brought them in.
Psalm 5 – A Psalm. Pertaining to Salomon
The fifth psalm is close in nature to the canonical psalms in which the author spends the entire psalm singing the praises of God. It is a psalm composed, no doubt, in a melancholy mood, in which the author would settle for a ‘μέτριον’as a blessing. The highlight of the psalm is found in the final verse, which reads,
εὐλογημένη ἡ δόξα κυρίου ὅτι αὐτὸς βασιλεὺς ἡμῶν
The King is not the Lord Himself, but the glory of the Lord, which is echoed by the writer of Titus 2.13,
τῆς δόξης τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ,
It is possible that the personified Glory of the Lord sets the stage for a semi-divine Messiah figure which is introduced later on, only testifying to the unified story telling found in the Psalms.
Psalm 6 – In Hope. Pertaining to Solomon.
Name Theology is prevalent in the sixth psalm. The phrase, or similar phrases, τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου is found several times throughout the short song. It is one familiar to Paul’s writings, and Johannine Christology[2], as a key to the Christian message, in which the Name of the Lord is transferred to Christ, focusing on Joel 2.28-32. Here, it is treated no differently than that which would be found in the New Testament, where the Name of the Lord freely flows from something to be feared (v5) and a quasi-personification of a divine attribute (v4).
Psalm 7 – Pertaining to Salomon. Of Returning
Psalm seven forms a parallel to the preceding psalm by focusing on where the ὄνομα dwells. Again, we can find a parallel to Deuteronomy where the focus is the dwelling of the Name (chapter 12). Beginning with a plea to God that he ‘ἀποσκηνώσῃς’, the community becomes worried for losing the Name of the Lord. They are worried about exile (v3) in which even their name will be lost. In a reference to Exodus 39.7 found in verse 6, the author must be thinking again (as the author(s) of the first and second psalms was) of Deuteronomy 28, were we find connection through the use of ἰσχύσει πρὸς. We find the same promise of God in Deuteronomy 28.7-25 to reflect the pleas of the community.
[1] Nickelsburg, 244-245
[2] James McGrath, The Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in Its Jewish Context, Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 61-64. McGrath notes that the personification of the name was not uncommon during this time, citing the Apocalypse of Abraham.
