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The Psalms In Israel's Worship » (Vols. 1-2; 2 Vols in 1 Book)

Book cover image of The Psalms In Israel's Worship by Sigmund Mowinckel

Authors: Sigmund Mowinckel, D. R. Ap-Thomas (Translator), James L. Crenshaw
ISBN-13: 9780802828163, ISBN-10: 0802828167
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Date Published: September 2004
Edition: Vols. 1-2; 2 Vols in 1 Book

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Author Biography: Sigmund Mowinckel

Book Synopsis

One of the Most important contributions to our understanding of the psalms, The Psalms in Israel's Worship by Sigmund Mowinckel has largely provided the framework and suppositions of modern Psalms study. Fully revised from the original Norwegian edition and now featuring a substantial new foreword by James Crenshaw, this classic work (two volumes in one) argues that the psalms originated in actual temple worship and were used regularly to add drama to Israel's adoration of Yahweh. Throughout this fascinating work, Mowinckel carefully explores the relationship of the various psalm types to the congregation's devotional life, including hymns of praise from Israel's national festivals, psalms of lamentation and penitence, and personal or private psalms of thanksgiving. Other topics include the psalms' relationship to prophecy and wisdom, their composition and collection, their style and performance, and the technical terminology involved in Psalms study.

Table of Contents

Foreword: The Book of Pslams and Its Interpretersxix
Select Bibliographyxxxiii
Translator's Prefacexli
Author's Preface to the English Editionxliii
Volume I
IThe Psalms and the Cult1
1The problem1
2Testimonies about the cultic use of the psalms2
3Allusions to the temple cult in the psalms - song, music and dance5
4The cultic origin of psalmody as such, and the problem of the extant psalms12
5What is 'cult'?15
IIThe Method of the Cultic Interpretation23
1The form critical (form historical) view-point23
2The cult functional view-point29
3The sources for our knowledge of Israelite cult life35
4Preliminary classification of the psalms37
5Psalms outside the Psalter40
6Ancient oriental psalm poetry41
III'I' and 'We' in the Psalms - 'Royal Psalms'42
1'I' and 'we'. 'Corporate personality'42
2What are 'royal psalms'?46
3The ancient Israelite conception of the king50
4The place of the royal psalms in the cult61
5Royal and national psalms76
6National psalms in the 'I' form as royal psalms76
7'Democratization' of religion78
IVThe Hymn of Praise81
1Form and content, composition81
2Varieties of the hymn90
3The hymns and the annual festivals94
4Hymnic elements in other psalm types95
5The delineation of God in hymn and psalm97
VPsalms at the Enthronement Festival of Yahweh106
1The meaning of 'enthronement psalms'106
2The poetical situation (imagery): the enthronement of Yahweh107
3The cultic situation: the interpretation of the enthronement psalms109
4Enthronement psalms: the age of the literary type and of the corresponding festival116
5The enthronement festival118
6The pre-Israelite background and prototypes of the festival130
7The specifically Israelite character of the festival136
8The festal myths140
9Some of the main acts and rites of the festival169
10Form and content of the true enthronement psalms against the background of the experiences of the festival183
11The emotions and mood of the festival184
12The retrospective and prospective elements in the festival and its psalms186
13The relationship of the festival to the Jewish hope of restoration and the eschatology189
VINational Psalms of Lamentation193
1Days and rites of penitence193
2Psalms for such days of penitence and prayer194
3Form and content of the psalm of lamentation195
4Protective psalms; 'psalms of confidence'219
5Psalms for the annual days of penitence and prayer; petitions for the nation's return220
6Psalms of general petition221
7Intercessory psalms224
VIINational Psalms of Lamentation in the I-form225
1The king ('I') as the people's representative in the properly national psalms of lamentation225
2Royal psalms of lamentation and petitions on the occasion of public disaster or danger225
3The lament over wicked tongues and false accusers227
4Style, form, and content229
5Need or danger envisaged as a dwelling in the realm of the dead, a concept common to psalms of both lamentation and thanksgiving239
6Real suffering or cultic 'mock sufering'?241
7Analogies with Babylonian 'I' psalms246
Volume II
VIIIPersonal (Private) Psalms of Lamentation1
1Are there such psalms?1
2Psalms of sickness. The conception of sickness in Israel1
3Ritual remedies for sickness and uncleanness4
4Ritual psalms of sickness; enemies and 'awen5
5Possible other psalms of sickness8
6Psalms of sickness for the king's use8
7Content, form, and style9
8The psalmists' conception of sin11
9Sickness as an image of need and danger or as a secondary suffering15
10Possible other occasions for personal psalms of lamentation16
11I-psalms of lamentation (and psalms of thanksgiving), their relationship to the cult18
IXPublic Thanksgiving Psalms26
1The Victory Song26
2The festival of thanksgiving and the occasional psalm of thanksgiving27
3Public psalms of thanksgiving in the I-form28
4Royal psalms of thanksgiving29
5General psalms of thanksgiving of the community at the regular festivals29
XPersonal (Private) Thanksgiving Psalms31
1Festivals of thanksgiving and psalms of thanksgiving; the occasions31
2Content and form32
3Communal thank-offering festivals42
4The individually experienced and felt43
XIPsalms of Blessing and Cursing44
1The blessing and the cursing word in the cult44
2The blessing word in the psalms50
3The cursing word in the psalms51
4Two-way blessing and cursing formulae52
XIIThe Prophetic Word in the Psalms and the Prophetic Psalms53
1The cult oracle and the temple prophets53
2Oracular promises in conjunction with psalms of lamentation58
3Royal oracles61
4Oracles at the annual festivals62
5Why mere promises?63
6The condition for the promises: obedience to Yahweh's command65
7Religious and moral conditions and the 'decalogical tradition'68
XIIIMixed Style and Liturgical Compositions74
1Varying 'types' in one and the same psalm an expression of the religious life in the cult74
2Cultic liturgies75
3Disintegration of style and mixture of styles77
XIVPsalm Singing and Psalm Singers79
1The guilds of singers at the temples79
2Temple singing82
XVThe Psalmists85
1The temple - or private conventicles?85
2The psalmists' relationship to the temple in Jerusalem89
3The psalmists belonged to the temple singers90
4The genuine traditions about the psalmists95
5'David' in the psalm titles98
6'Moses' and 'Solomon'101
XVIThe Learned Psalmography104
1The wise and the wisdom poetry104
2Some non-cultic poetry and song in Israel106
3The petition as an expression of the life of piety and its dependence on the traditional forms of cultic poetry108
4Psalm composition a pious, inspired task109
5Non-cultic psalms in the Psalter111
6Post-canonical psalm composition114
7The Poems of Ben Sira116
8The Psalms of Solomon118
9Hodhayoth, the Qumran psalter120
10Early Christian psalm composition122
XVIITraditionalism and Personality in the Psalms126
1Attachment to tradition and poetic independence126
2The poets and the narratory 'I'133
3The poet and the 'I' in certain later private thanksgiving psalms141
XVIIIThe Antiquity of Psalmography and the Psalms146
1The rhythmical cult word146
2The witness of earlier literature to cultic psalm singing and composition146
3National temples and psalm composition150
4Psalms preserved from the time of the monarchy, or even of David152
5Psalms from the days of Judaism154
6Psalms from Maccabean times?154
7A history of psalmography?155
XIXThe Metre of the Psalms159
1Sense rhythm and imposed rhythm159
2Fundamental problems in Hebrew metrics161
3The basic form162
4Thought rhyme (parallelismus membrorum)166
5Rhythmical and logical units169
6Strophes170
7Uniform or mixed metres?172
8Changes of metre174
XXIsraelite and Oriental Psalmography176
1A common oriental psalm style older than Israel176
2Comparison with Israelite psalms. Hymns179
3Psalms of lamentation and of petition182
4Thanksgiving psalms185
5Canaanite and Israelite psalmography187
6Babylonian and Egyptian models189
7The metrical forms190
XXIEarlier Collections. The Compilation of the Psalter193
1Testimony to gradual collection193
2The various smaller collections193
3The completion of the Psalter196
4The five-fold division is quite secondary and does not reflect the history of the compilation197
5How many psalms in the Psalter?197
6When was the Psalter compiled?198
XXIIThe Purpose of the Psalter202
1The collection used as a temple hymnal202
2The purpose of the separate earlier lesser collections: the Asaph psalms, the Korah psalms, the second Davidic Psalter, the Elohistic Psalter, the pilgrim songs, the enthronement psalms, Hallel; the first Davidic Psalter; the psalms in the fourth and fifth 'books'203
3In what circles was the Psalter compiled? The 'learned' as traditionalists and canonists204
4The purpose of the collection204
5Consequences of the collection and canonisation of the Psalter. An end to cultic psalmography. Collective interpretation of older individualistic psalms205
XXIIITechnical Terms in the Psalm Headings207
AExpressions indicating type of psalm207
BMusical indications210
CInformation as to the psalms' liturgical purpose and use211
DExpressions referring to the accompanying rite213
EExpressions of doubtful significance215
Additional Notes I-XL218
List of Abbreviations268
Bibliography271
Subject Index290
Index of Scripture Passages Treated296
Index of Authors300

Subjects