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

Chapter 2: History of Psalms StudiesThere is widespread agreement that Psalms 1 and 2, a wisdom (torah) psalmand a royal psalm respectively, establish the editorial vantage point fromwhich the Book of Psalms should be read. Although individual psalms maystill be read with reference to their historical and cultic settings, Psalm 1requires that the Book of Psalms can and must be read as a wisdomcollection. Psalm 2, being a royal (some would add messianic) psalm,indicates that the Davidic covenant and kingship is a major theme in thePsalter and played a pivotal role in the structuring of the Book of Psalms.Gerald Wilson viewed Book IV, especially the Kingship of Yahweh Psalms(ca. Pss 93-100), as the theological and editorial centre of the Book ofPsalms. Mays (1994b) also argued that the declaration יהוה מָ‏ לַ‏ ‏ְך represents thetheological centre of the Book of Psalms. Since Wilson, major studies byHoward (1993a, “A Contextual Reading of Psalms 90-94”; 1997, TheStructure of Psalms 93-100), Zenger (1991; 1994a), Creach (1996, “TheShape of Book Four of the Psalter and the Shape of Second Isaiah”) andCulley (2002, “The Kingship of Yahweh Psalms”) have been devoted to thestudy of the relationships between the psalms of Book IV, especially Psalms90-100. Gerstenberger (2001) also examined the concept of Yahweh as aglobal ruler that is expressed in the kingship of Yahweh psalms (Pss 47, 93-100) by comparing the ideas expressed in these psalms with ideaologies ofuniversal rulership in Ancient Near Eastern empires.54