Language:
English
Year of publication:
2019
Titel der Quelle:
Vetus Testamentum
Angaben zur Quelle:
69 (2019) 594–616
Keywords:
Bible. Criticism, Form
;
Bible. Theology
;
Acrostics in the Bible
Abstract:
With the emergence of the canonical approach to the Psalter, individual psalms are no longer studied as standalone compositions, but viewed along a continuum of psalms to provide meaning. While scholars have analysed alphabetic poems and how they add to meaning, the study of such poems has rarely gone beyond the individual psalm. This paper seeks to understand alphabetic poems within the horizon of the Psalter and whether they function together to provide meaning at the macrostructural level. The paper begins with analyses of eight generally accepted alphabetical acrostics in the Psalter. From their characteristics, a total of forty-six alphabetic poems are suggested. It is observed that these poems mark leitmotifs at prominent locations and develop the motif of David across the entire Psalter. The macrostructural logic of alphabetical poems, as a whole, is subservient to the overarching theological thrust of the Psalter.
DOI:
10.1163/15685330-12341395
URL:
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