Makarismus und Eulogie im Psalter : Buch- und kanontheologische Erwägungen

Abstract

The formulas אשרי and ברוך appear in the Psalter often in conspicuous places. All these significant places are listed in tables in the article and the incidence and function of each of these instances are discussed. The main focus of the investigation is, however, on the analysis of those psalms in which both formulas occur together. Such instances of simultaneous occurrence of macarism and eulogy are not only found in the closing psalms of Parts I-IV of the Psalter (Pss 41; 72 [verbal form]; 89; and 106), but also at the end of Part V (Pss 144[-145]) before the final Hallel (Ps 146-150), and also in the mammoth Ps 119 (located in the centre of Book V). This state of affairs can hardly be accidental; it is much more probable that the double address in these psalms in a horizontal (macarism) and vertical (eulogy) direction is indicative of a compositional and theological intention. Since they are located in contexts of teaching and praise, these terms point toward the basic dimensions and functions of the Psalter as a composition. On top of that, they bring – against the background of Deut 33 and 1 Kings 10 – Davidic-Salomonic perspectives to the Psalter and enhance the fivefold structure of the Psalter, creating a clearer analogy between the Psalter and the Pentateuch.