Andrew C . Witt

More info and sample chapter at:
https://www.eisenbrauns.org/books/titles/978-1-64602-111-6.html

The past fifty years have seen a strong interest in the shape and the message of the book of Psalms. In A Voice Without End, Andrew C. Witt evaluates the significance of Psalms 3–14, and in particular, the presence and function of the figure of David.
Using representative interpreters and canonical and literary approaches, Witt uncovers how the book of Psalms develops its own speaking personae. He argues that the introduction to the book in Psalms 1–2 and the association with David in the superscriptions set up the figure of David as the principal voice within Psalms 3–14, constructing a Davidic persona who can speak as an ideal and representative figure, as well as a typological figure, in expectation of the establishment of a just kingdom in the context of the Davidic promises. In addition to its original analysis of Psalms 3–14, this study contributes to Psalms research by sharpening our understanding of the Davidic voice and by showing that key themes and motifs at the seams of the Psalter and in its thematic center are already active and engaged at the very beginning. Further, it helps to bridge premodern and modern psalm interpreters by demonstrating the ongoing value of premodern conceptual models for analyzing voices in the text.

Pathbreaking and eminently readable, this book changes both the way we read the Psalter and how we understand its relationship with David. It will appeal to biblical studies scholars and seminarians.

Since 1965, there has been great debate concerning the provenance of the Great Psalms Scroll (11QPsa).Building off recent analyses by Strawn and Debel, this article argues that Psalm 151A contains the sectarian phrase “sons of his covenant,” which was added to the psalm as part of its Qumranic revision. This puts into question Flint’s position that the 11QPsa-Psalter tradition had a provenance prior to the establishment of the Qumran community. In its final pages, the article examines some of the implications of its findings, particularly concerning the redactional history of Psalm 151, and how one might interpret Psalm 151A in light of its expansions.

This course will introduce students to the joy and complexity of reading narrative texts in the Old Testament through a careful study of the book of Chronicles. The first part of the course will consider the current academic climate in interpreting Chronicles. At the same time, we will be introduced to the skills needed to read biblical narratives in more general terms. The remainder of the course will engage directly with the book of Chronicles itself. During this part of the course we will pay careful attention to how Chronicles is both similar and different from the parallel accounts in the books of Samuel and Kings, which helps us to see the distinctive contribution Chronicles makes as part of Christian Scripture.

Along with recent scholarship which is concerned with reading the book of Psalms as a whole, this article analyzes Psalm 102 within its canonical, literary context. It focuses on two main areas. First, the superscription. It identifies the speaker as the “afflicted,” who is a suffering royal Davidic figure associated with Psalms 88-89 and 101, 103. Second, the paper moves throughout the rest of the psalm, making observations concerning thematic and lexical relationships between the psalm and its immediate context. It concludes that Psalm 102, alongside 101, functions as a meditative response of the afflicted Davidic king to the questions posed in Psalm 89. As such, it provides an important literary hinge, without which the lamenting questions of Book III could not turn into affirmations of YHWH’s love and praise throughout Books IV-V.

More info and sample chapter at: https://www.eisenbrauns.org/books/titles/978-1-64602-111-6.html The past fifty years have seen a strong interest in the shape and the message of the book of Psalms. In A Voice Without End, Andrew C. Witt evaluates the significance of Psalms 3–14, and in particular, the presence and function of the figure of David. Using representative interpreters and canonical and literary approaches, Witt uncovers how the book of Psalms develops its own speaking personae. He argues that the introduction to the book in Psalms 1–2 and the association with David in the superscriptions set up the figure of David as the principal voice within Psalms 3–14, constructing a Davidic persona who can speak as an ideal and representative figure, as well as a typological figure, in expectation of the establishment of a just kingdom in the context of the Davidic promises. In addition to its original analysis of Psalms 3–14, this study contributes to Psalms research by sharpening our understanding of the Davidic voice and by showing that key themes and motifs at the seams of the Psalter and in its thematic center are already active and engaged at the very beginning. Further, it helps to bridge premodern and modern psalm interpreters by demonstrating the ongoing value of premodern conceptual models for analyzing voices in the text. Pathbreaking and eminently readable, this book changes both the way we read the Psalter and how we understand its relationship with David. It will appeal to biblical studies scholars and seminarians.

Order and (Dis)order in the First Christian Century: A General Survey of Attitudes. By F. Gerald Downing. Supplements to Novum Testamentum 151. Leiden: Brill, 2013. xiii + 395 pp. $171.00 (cloth).F. Gerald Downing, now retired, is an honorary research fellow at the University of Manchester, with main research interests in the Synoptic Gospels. In this monograph, he sets out to survey ancient authors on the topic of order and disorder in the ancient world. This includes views concerning unity, peace, harmony, and order, in both the wider society and within one's local community. He does not aim to be exhaustive, but rather representative and descriptive. As noted in the introduction, he hopes the reader gains an appreciation "of the extent of shared opinions and attitudes across many groups; but also something of the diversity even within the writings of an individual author" (p. 2).The volume is made up of fourteen chapters divided into three main sections: Order (chaps. 1-7), Law (chaps. 8-11), and Disruptive Re-ordering (chaps. 12-14). The opening two chapters focus on the issue of wider social order, the first surveying views by Greek, Roman, and Jewish authors, and the second on early Christian authors. They do achieve Downing's goal of showing both unity and diversity, though at points I felt his surveys to be somewhat unsatisfying. For instance, in his treatment of Christian authors, he divides the literature along critical lines rather than canonical ones; why should the "pseudo-Pauline" letters be read alongside 1 Peter and 1 Clement rather than the "genuine" Pauline letters? Chapters 3 and 4 change the focus to the "order within"; that is, on the excision, orderly control, or acceptance of the "unruly passions." Surveying the literature much in the same way as in the first two chapters, Downing demonstrates well that during this time period control of one's feelings is part and parcel of having one's thought-life in order.The remaining three chapters in the first section examine issues related to literary concerns for order (chap. 5), issues related to verbal ambiguity (chap. 6), and the tensions and/or contradictions order and disorder create for public speakers (chap. 7). The surveys in these chapters helpfully show that even though nearly all authors valued ideals such as unanimity, harmony, and concord, they nevertheless disagreed on how these ideals were achievable. The adaptability of language and manner of presentation, illustrated in chapter 7 through the examples of Dio of Prusa and the apostle Paul, demonstrates this well enough. …

Genesis. Provan widens the sphere of ‘‘reception history’’ from the academic ivory tower to the realm of visual and literary art, music, film, and dramatic representations. While the reception history sections of the book tend to be dominated by giants in the artistic sphere (e.g., Rembrandt, J.S. Bach, John Milton), care has been taken to include less famous contributions as well. For example, Toni Morrison’s literary treatment of Hagar’s story is listed alongside Franz Schubert’s musical interpretation of the same subject, while Harriet Powers, an African American former slave who depicted the story of Jacob’s ladder on a quilt, is listed alongside Marc Chagall’s painting of the same. Unfortunately, examples such as these are relatively sparse; on the whole, the works of women and minorities are sorely under-represented in both the ‘‘interpretation’’ and ‘‘reception history’’ sections. Given the tendency of women interpreters to be particularly interested in the character of Eve, in addition to the well-attested practice of linking Eve with Mary, the omission of a discussion of these aspects of reception history was somewhat conspicuous. That being said, the diversity of voices that are included in this work is extremely valuable and may well inspire further research in minority reception history.