Smith DTh Thesis (final).pdf - South African Theological Seminary

Chapter 2: History of Psalms Studiesa) “[I]t originated within an eschatological milieu (p. 82).b) “[T]he figures to whom the Psalms are attributed were regarded asfuture-predicative prophets” (p. 83).c) “[C]ertain psalms . . . describe a person or event in such glowing termsthat the language far exceeds the reality of any historical king or battle”(p. 85).d) “[T]he very inclusion of royal psalms in the Psalter suggests that theredactor understood them to refer to a future mashiah-king” (p. 86).Mitchell proceeded to analyse several collections of psalms—the Psalms ofAsaph (Psalms 50, 73-83), the Songs of Ascent (Psalms 120-134), and thewhole of Book IV—as well as the royal psalms scattered throughout thePsalter and a few key themes within the Book of Psalms, demonstrating howthe final arrangement is consistent with a prophetic, messianic, eschatologicaleditorial agenda. 10Although not many would go as far as Mitchell in contending that the entirePsalter is to be read as a prophetic, eschatological “book”, a growing number10 Georg Braulik (2004) argues that certain psalms, especially royal and/or Davidic psalms,were reinterpreted in a messianic or christological sense very early. Unlike Mitchell, he doesnot argue that the entire collection was edited with the intent that it be read eschatologically.42