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

Chapter 3: Methodologytheir liturgical purpose. Phrased differently, do such historical data reflect thecircumstances of the person composing the psalm or those of the person forwhom it is being composed? Seldom do individual psalms contain enoughhistorical evidence to answer these questions conclusively. Scholarlyopinions, which vary widely, tend to reflect the presuppositions of the scholarsrather than definitive evidence from within the psalms. For the purposes ofthis study, it is sufficient to note the implied historical setting(s) while leavingopen the question of whether these reflect the circumstances of the composeror those of the worshipper.The importance of discussing the implied historical setting lies in the fact thatone expects to find a strong correspondence between it and the dominantvocabulary, themes and life-settings (Sitze im Leben) found in a psalm. Thus,in addition to possibly providing a basis of arrangement, this level of enquiryhelps to inform the other levels of analysis.3.4.3 Lexical analysisShared key words provide the most obvious and objective kind of linkbetween psalms. Key words, hook words, framing words—these are strongevidences of deliberate links between psalms, especially adjacent psalms.Therefore, lexical analysis forms a crucial part of the study. As a result, the73