THE BOOK OF PSALMS AS THE BOOK OF CHRIST: A CHRISTO-CANONICAL APPROACH TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS by Jerry Eugene Shepherd A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of WESTMINSTER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy 1995 Faculty Advisor : Tremper Longman III Second Faculty Reader : Peter E. Enns Chairman of the Field Committee: Vern S. Poythress Librarian : D. G. Hart To my loving wife Cheryl, and my three wonderful children, Jennifer, Joel, and Timothy TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv PREFACE .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii CHAPTER PART ONE THE HISTORY OF MESSIANIC PSALM INTERPRETATION AND CANONICAL INTERPRETATION . . . . . . 1 1. A HISTORICAL SURVEY OF MESSIANIC OR CHRISTOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE PSALMS . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Apostolic Fathers to ca. AD 200 The Alexandrian and Antiochene Schools to ca. 500 The Alexandrian School The Antiochene School Middle Ages to ca. 1500 The Reformation to ca. 1600 Martin Luther John Calvin Other Reformers From the Reformation to the Present "Conservative" Exegesis to the Twentieth Century "Liberal" Exegesis to the Twentieth Century Twentieth Century Developments The Early History of Religions School Form Criticism The Myth and Ritual School Sensus Plenior Neo-orthodoxy and the Biblical Theology Movement 2. THE CANONICAL APPROACH OF BREVARD CHILDS . . . . . . 63 A Description of Childs's Approach Objections to Childs's Approach 1. The Question of Methodology 2. The Question of Definition 3. The Question of Focus 4. The Question of Intentionality 5. The Question of Canonical Plurality 6. The Question of Emphasis 7. The Question of Tradition 8. The Question of the Whole Canon 9. The Question of Confessionalism 10. The Question of Theology Conclusion 3. THE CANONICAL CRITICISM OF JAMES SANDERS . . . . . . 126 A Description of Sanders's Approach The Need for Canonical Criticism The Agenda and Assumptions of Canonical Criticism Reconstruction of the Canonical Process Differences with Childs The Gains of Canonical Criticism Evaluation of Sanders's Approach Evaluation of Sanders's Reconstruction Evaluation of the Assumptions and Gains of Canonical Criticism iii Conclusion PART TWO THE CHRISTO-CANONICAL APPROACH . . . . . . 182 4. THE CANONICAL PROCESS APPROACH OF BRUCE WALTKE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Assessment of Prior Interpretation A New Proposal Dependence on, and Distance from, Childs Similarity to, but Distinction from, Sensus Plenior Four Convictions Four Stages Issues to Be Raised in Regard to Waltke's Canonical Process Approach Conclusion 5. THE CHRISTO-CANONICAL APPROACH TO THE OLD TESTAMENT: CHRIST IS THE CANON ABOVE THE CANON . . . 204 Thesis Number One: Christ Is Criterion of Canon Thesis Number Two: Christ Asserts Himself as Canon by His Spirit Thesis Number Three: Christ is Lord over the Whole Canon Thesis Number Four: Christ Asserts His Authority in Covenantal Canon Thesis Number Five: Christ Has Incarnated Himself in Biblical Canon Thesis Number Six: Christ is Lord over Canonical Meaning Thesis Number Seven: Christ is Lord over the Canonical Meaning of the Old Testament iv Conclusion 6. THE CHRISTO-CANONICAL APPROACH TO THE OLD TESTAMENT: CHRIST IS LORD OVER THE INTERPRETER . . . 277 Thesis Number Eight: Christ is Lord over Hermeneutical Methodology Thesis Number Nine: Christ is Lord over the Disclosure of Meaning Thesis Number Ten: Christ's Canon Is Canonical over All Scholarly Reconstruction Thesis Number Eleven: Christ's Canon Is for Christ's Church Thesis Number Twelve: Christ's Canon is Paradigmatically Authoritative Thesis Number Thirteen: Christ's Canon Is to Be Interpreted in the Light of Its Canonical Unity Thesis Number Fourteen: Christ's Canon Is a "Fuller Sense" Conclusion PART THREE THE APPLICATION OF THE CHRISTO-CANONICAL APPROACH TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS. . . . . . 386 7. THE CHRISTO-CANONICAL APPROACH TO THE SHAPE OF THE BOOK OF PSALMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387 The Psalms Superscriptions The Authorship Ascriptions The Historical Titles Earlier Psalter Collections Earlier Forms of the Psalter The Elohistic and Yahwistic Psalters The Five Books v Competing Canonical Psalters? The Final Shape of the Psalter: Theological? Canonical? Christological? Is there a Theological Rationale? Is the Psalter's Shape Canonical? Does the Psalter Have a Christological Structure? 8. THE CHRISTO-CANONICAL APPROACH TO THE PSALMS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE WHOLE CANON . . . . . . . . . . 453 Three Lines of Evidence Royal Interpretation of the Psalms Canonical Process The Intertestamental Period The Use of the Psalms in the Old Testament The "Flash Point": The Use of the Psalms in the New Testament The Use of Psalm 22 in Hebrews 2:11-13 Suggested Explanations Septuagint Influence Philonic Influence Qumran Influence Rabbinic Midrash The "Testimony Book" Hypothesis Sensus Plenior The "Redeemer" Myth Hierophany Towards a Solution The Use of Psalm 22 in the New Testament vi The Context of Psalm 22:23 New Testament Use of the Context of Isa 8:17-18 Linked Contexts Other Passages in Which Christ is the Psalmist Matthew 13:35 (Psalm 78:2) Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34 (Psalm 22:2) Luke 23:46 (Psalm 31:6) John 2:17 (Psalm 69:10) John 13:18 (Psalm 41:10) John 15:25 (Psalm 35:19; 69:5) John 19:24 (Psalm 22:19) Acts 2:25-28 (Psalm 16:8-11) Romans 15:3 (Psalm 69:10) Romans 15:9 (Psalm 18:50 [2 Samuel 22:50]) Romans 15:11 (Psalm 117:1) Hebrews 10:5-7 (Psalm 40:7-9) Conclusions 9. THREE MESSIANIC PSALMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533 Psalm 8 Matthew 21:16 Hebrews 2:6-9 Psalm 41 Psalm 41 in the Context of the Book of Psalms and the Old Testament vii bliyya al Intra-Psalter Connections The Use of Psalm 41 in John 13 Psalm 129 Psalm 129 in its Old Testament Context Psalm 129 in its New Testament Context Conclusion 10. IMPLICATIONS OF THE CHRISTO-CANONICAL APPROACH FOR INTERPRETING THE BOOK OF PSALMS . . . . . . . 590 The Psalms Are to Be Interpreted According to the New Testament Paradigm The Psalms Are a Messianic Reservoir The Psalms Are the Skandalon of the Old Testament The Psalms Are to Be Prayed Conclusion BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 608 viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS USED AB Anchor Bible ALGHJ Arbeiten zur Literatur und Geschichte des hellenistischen Judentums ANF The Anti-Nicene Fathers ANQ Andover Newton Quarterly AOAT Alter Orient und Altes Testament ARG Archiv für Reformationsgeschichte ASTI Annual of the Swedish Theological Institute ATR Anglican Theological Review AusBR Australian Biblical Review AUSS Andrews University Seminary Studies BA Biblical Archaeologist BASOR Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research BETL Bibliotheca ephemeridum theologicarum lovaniensium Bib Biblica BibOr Biblica et orientalia BibRev Bible Review BibS(N) Biblische Studien (Neukirchen, 1951-) BJRL Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester BJS Brown Judaic Studies BSac Bibliotheca Sacra BT The Bible Translator BTB Biblical Theology Bulletin ix