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The authorship and historical origin of the Psalms, focusing on the role of David and early Jewish interpretations as recorded in the Talmud. the agreement between the Greek Psalter and the traditional Hebrew text, the discovery of an inscription at Khirbet el Qom, and the prophetic references to David in Hosea, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.
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Submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Theology in Grace Theological Seminary May 1984
Digitized by Ted Hildebrandt, Gordon College, Wenham, MA 2007
Title: THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE PSALM TITLES Author: James H. Fraser Degree: Master of Theology Date: May 1984 Advisers: Dr. Wayne Knife and Dr. Donald Fowler
Introductory notes or psalm titles are found in the text of many of the Biblical Psalms. These notes have been maligned and given a place of secondary importance by critics and translators alike in recent generations. The majority of critical scholars consider them to be late addi- tions to the text which in many cases are based upon ques- tionable exegesis or just plain conjecture. Such criticisms are unfounded in light of the Biblical and extra--Biblical evidences which point to their antiquity and credibility.
It is uncertain whether or not the titles were attached to the psalms at the time of composition. However, there is ample evidence to show that they have long been a part of the Psalter text. Both the manuscript evidence and Biblical evidence outside the Psalter support the view that they have always been a part of the canonical text of the Psalter. Some of the terms used in the titles had lost their meaning by the time the LXX translation was made indi- cating that the liturgical instructions of the titles had been in disuse for years. Also, several examples of this literary pattern may be gleaned from the Bible and extra- Biblical literature. They show that it was a well-known practice to attach either a title or colophon to poetic com- positions long before the post-exilic period.
The titles are valuable guides to the interpretation of the Psalter. They give accurate and reliable information concerning the authors, historical settings and liturgical use of the psalms in question. When l; is used with a proper name authorship is implied, although in the case of Asaph and the "sons of Korah" it is a generic designation. The support of other Scripture together with the internal agreement of the contents of the psalms with the titles shows that there is no justifiable reason for doubting the authenticity of the psalm titles.
ACCEPTANCE PAGE iv TABLE OF CONTENTS v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii
AJSL American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literature ANET James Pritchard, ed., Ancient Near Eastern Texts BA Biblical Archaeologist BASOR Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research Bib Biblica BDB Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, C. A. Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly ExpTim Expository Times ICC International Critical Commentary IEJ Israel Exploration Journal JBL Journal of Biblical Literature JSS Journal of Semitic Studies OTS Oudtestamentische Studien RB Revue Biblique VT Vetus Testamentum VTSup Vetus Testamentum, Supplements ZAW Zeitschrift für die Altestamentliche Wissenschaft
viii
In recent years there have been no works of major significance dealing with the psalm titles. Thirtle's book, The Titles of the Psalms , published in 1904 and considered by some to be the standard work on the subject is no longer of much help in dealing with the real issues. As has been pointed out by Nestle, Thirtle's theory that the musical por- tions of the superscriptions should really be subscriptions to the preceeding psalms is of little consequence.^1 In addition to his theory of subscriptions, Thirtle also dis- cusses and applies the meaning of the terms found in the titles but is of little help in responding to the critics who question their authenticity. It is largely due to the influence of these critics who have minimized the value of the psalm titles that there has not been more written on the subject. For the most part the critical scholars have dismissed the titles as secondary additions, which contain no reliable information that may be
(^1) E. B. Nestle, "The Titles of the Psalms," Exp Tim 23 (May 1912):383. For a more complete evaluation of Thirtle's work see Roderick V. Smith, "The Titles in the Psalms" (M. Div. thesis, Grace Theological Seminary, 1974), pp. 45-51. 1
General Character and Content of the Titles The value of this study of the authenticity of the superscriptions may be seen in reviewing the general charac- ter and content of the titles. Of the 150 Biblical psalms there are 116 which have some type of title.^1 These titles have often been ignored by English readers of the psalms because most English versions relegate them to a position of secondary importance by placing them at the head of the psalm in small print or leaving them out altogether. The Hebrew Bible, on the other hand, incorporates them into the text of the psalm so that when the verses were numbered in the six- teenth century they were counted as the first verse or part of the first verse. 2 Thus, indicating that in the Massoretic tradition of the Hebrew Bible they were regarded as an integral part of the text. Following Bullock's outline, the information con- tained in the titles may be divided up into five categories: (1) authorship, (2) historical origin, (3) literary features,
(^1) That means that there are 34 psalms which in the Talmud are referred to as "orphan Psalms." This number may be reduced even further if the opening h.yA Ull;ha of the Hallel psalms is considered as a title rather than a part of the composition. Delbert R. Hillers' "A study of Psalm 148," CBQ 40 (July 1978):325 favors the view that they are edito- rial, thus fitting into the category of a title. However, for the purpose of this paper they will be considered as a part of the actual psalm composition. This is the view favored by Kemper Fullerton, "Studies in the Psalter," The Biblical World 2 36 (1910):326-27. Cristoph Barth, Introduction to the Psalms (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1966), p. 6.
(4) liturgical use, and (5) musical notations.^1 The primary concern of this paper is with the first two categories of authorship and historical origin. Not only are they the crucial areas of controversy, but they also provide vital information which should serve as foundational guidelines for any study of the psalms. The other three areas will be discussed primarily from the standpoint of their antiquity and therefore their contribution in helping to establish the trustworthiness of the material pertaining to the first two categories.
Divergent Views On the Value of the Titles Most scholars would agree that there is at least some value in the titles, though a few reject them as altogether worthless. Since no one knows for sure how or when the ti- tles came to be a part of the psalms, speculations on their origin have abounded. This then has paved the way for a wide diversity of views concerning their value. The following seven views are representative of some of the attitudes of scholars toward the psalm titles either as a whole or toward certain parts of them.
The Inspired Scripture View The belief that the titles should be considered as a part of the inspired text of Scripture was the general
(^1) C. Hassell Bullock, A n Introduction to the Old Testament Poetic Books (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979), p. 124.
were added by trustworthy leaders in Israel such as Ezra who wanted to preserve a "valuable and well-authenticated tradi- tion."^1 Green 2 and Unger^3 both conclude that as ancient traditions the titles should be accepted as true except in individual cases where there is adequate proof to the con- trary. The implication of both writers' conclusions is that such proof may not exist.
The Critical-Tradition View The proponents of this view, such as Kirkpatrick 4 and Perowne^5 of the nineteenth century and Sabourin^6 more recently, accept the titles as ancient traditions which may or may not be trustworthy. Therefore, their value must be weighed and tested by the usual critical processes. This critical process may in some cases simply result in a
(^1) H. C. Leupold, Exposition of the Psalms (Grand Rap- ids: Baker Book House, 1959), p. 6. 2 Henry W. Green, "The Titles of the Psalms," Methodist Review 3 72 (July 1890):506. Merril F. Unger, Unger's Commentary on the Old Testament 4 , 2 vols. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1981), 1:740. A. F. Kirkpatrick, The Book of Psalms, Book I , The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Collages (Cambridge: at the University Press, 1897), pp. xxix-xxx. 5 J. J. Stewart Perowne, The Book of Psalms , 2 vols. in 1, 4th ed. (Cambridge: George Bell and Sons, 1878; reprint ed., Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1976), pp. 97, 101-103. 6 Leopold Sabourin, The Psalms: Their Origin and Meaning (Staten Island, New York: Alba House, 1974), pp. 16-17.
different interpretation of what has traditionally been held
to be the authors of the psalms (dvidAl; etc.), rather than a
complete rejection of the title.
The Psalter-Compilation View This view completely rejects the psalm titles as reliable traditions which indicate the author, date, or character of the original psalms. However, they are consid- ered of some value in determining how the psalms were used and how they were collected together into their present form.^1 According to this view the various parts of the ti- tles indicate smaller collections of psalms which the indi- vidual psalms were a part of at one time. Each time then that a psalm was taken from one collection and put in another the name of the previous collection would be prefixed to it.^2 With this view the titles would be of no value in interpret- ing the text of the psalms themselves.
The Midrashic-Exegesis View The midrashic-exegesis view is concerned primarily with the historical data in the titles and in some cases with the area of authorship. Proponents of this view include
(^1) Charles Augustus Briggs and Emilie Grace Briggs, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms , vol. 1, ICC (New York:. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1906), p. lviii. See also J. W. Rogerson and J. W. McKay, Psalms 1-50 , The Cambridge Bible Commentary (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1977), p. 3. 2 George R. Berry, "The Titles of the Psalms," JBL 33 (1914): 199.
pretty much follows Mowinckel's view of the titles, explains
that dvidAl; means "for the Davidic ruler" who exercises cer-
tain functions in the cult.^1 The chief value of the titles for the adherents of this view is to support their theory that the psalms were actually composed for and used in the cultic services of the temple rather than derived from real historical experiences.
The Higher-Critical View The early opinion of the higher critics was that the psalms were composed much later than the time of David. This led to the belief that the titles must be spurious ad- ditions of the text based on groundless and erroneous con- jecture. The end result being that they were rejected as untrustworthy. Toy, writing in 1886 said: "The statements of the titles are worthless; that is though they may in some cases be right, they may always be wrong, and are therefore of no use as critical guides." 2 This was the view of Driver 3 and Cheyne^4 as well as many others at that time.
(^1) Arthus Weiser, The Psalms, trans. Herbert Hartwell, The Old Testament Library (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1962), pp 96-97. 2 C. H. Toy, "On the Asaph-Psalms," Journal of the Exegetical Society 6 (1886):73. 3S. R. Driver, An Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testament (1897; reprint ed., Cleveland: The Word Publishing Co., 1956), p. 378. 4 Thomas Kelly Cheyne, The Origin and Religious Con- tents of Psalter (London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, & Co., 1891), p. 190.
Interestingly enough this was the view of Calvin who regard- ed them as marginal glosses which were of little value in interpreting Scripture.^1 This extremely low view of the psalm titles has seemingly fallen right along with the higher critical theory which placed most of the psalms in the post-exilic period. The discoveries of Ras Shamra, along with literary research in Egypt and Babylon has brought to light an advanced hymnody in vogue before and during David's time, with some amazing parallels to the Biblical psalms.^2 These finds, together with the evidence from Qumran has caused most crit- ics to push the date of the origin of the psalms back into the pre-exilic period and reconsider the testimony of the headings. These many views along with minor variations which will be interacted with further at appropriate places in the thesis, point out the present state of confusion concerning the real purpose and value of the psalm titles.
(^1) John Calvin, Commentary on the Book of Psalms , vol. 2 trans. James Anderson (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1949), p. 27. 2 R. Laird Harris, "Psalms," in vol. 2 of The Bibli- cal Expositor (Philadelphia: A. J. Holman Company, 1960), pp. 35-36. See also Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible , s.v. "Psalms, Book of," by J. B. Payne; and William Foxwell Albright, Archaeology and the Religion of Israel (Baltimore: The John Hopkins Press, 1942), pp. 125-29.
There is considerable evidence that the psalm titles have always been a part of the canonical text of the Old Testament Scriptures. This in itself would argue in favor of the authenticity of the titles because of the very nature of Scripture as God's inspired Word. Further evidence seems to indicate that they can be dated back much earlier even than the time when the OT canon was completed around 400 B.C.^1 Thus, not only placing their authenticity on sound footing textually and theologically but also historically as well.
Textual Evidence for their Antiquity In their effort to discredit the validity of the psalm titles some critics have pointed to the lack of agree- ment among the ancient manuscripts when it comes to the
(^1) Although many critical scholars would disagree with this early date for the completion of the canon, it does harmonize with the well-established tradition that the spirit of prophecy departed from Israel after the days of Ezra. For a full discussion of the canonization of the OT see R. Laird Harris, Inspiration and Canonicity of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1957), pp. 154-
psalm titles. 1 These discrepancies are cited as evidence that the titles at least in part are late additions. While this may be true concerning some of the titles found in the LXX and the Syriac Peshitta, the majority of the titles as they are found in the MT find substantial support for their antiquity in nearly all of the ancient Hebrew manuscripts and the ancient primary versions which are available to us today.
Hebrew Manuscripts The MT Prior to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, virtually all of the known Hebrew manuscripts were based upon the work of the Masoretes, who sought to stan- dardize and preserve the text of the OT. The oldest of these manuscripts still available today come from the tenth and eleventh centuries.^2 Besides these early editions of the Psalter numerous other editions based on earlier manu- scripts are available for comparison. In examining these many manuscripts, there is near unanimous agreement on the
(^1) Frederick Carl Eiselen, The Psalms and Other Sacred Writings (New York: The Methodist Book Concern, 1918), p. 43 Otto Eissfeldt, The Old Testament an Introduction , trans. Peter R. Ackroyd (New York: Harper and Row, 1965), p. 451. 2 The oldest ones being the Alleppo Codex from the first half of the tenth century and the Codex Leningradensis (L), which is dated around A.D. 1008. Ernst Würthwein, The Text of the Old Testament , trans. Errol F. Rhodes (London: SCM Press Ltd., 1979) pp. 34-35.
