Comps Prep

Question 1

5 Typical Components to Individual Lament

Answer 1

(1) opening address, often in the form of a vocative (“My God”); (2) description of the distress or crisis; (3) plea for help (from God), often followed by reason for God to hear or act; (4) profession of trust; (5) promise to praise God or to offer a sacrifice.

Question 2

3 Typical Components to Hymn in Psalter

Answer 2

(1) opening invitation to praise; (2) rationale for praise, often introduced by the Hebrew particle meaning “for” (kî); (3) renewed call to praise.

Question 3

Defining Characteristics of Hebrew Poetry

Answer 3

High degree of parallelism, imagery and terseness

Question 4

Colon; Bicolon

Answer 4

__________

Question 5

Add more from Basic Terminology of Poetry

Answer 5

__________

Question 6

Outlines of Books

Answer 6

___________

Question 7

Meter… what types have been suggested? What is consensus regarding presence of meter??

Answer 7

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Question 8

Though not the first to note parallelism, who might be described as the initiator of the modern study of parallelism in Hebrew Poetry, when, and what types did he identify?

Answer 8

Robert Lowth, 1753, 1) Synonymous 2) Antithetic 3) Synthetic

Question 9

Alter’s view of parallelism

Answer 9

Alter prefers to speak of line B having a focusing or intensifying function within the parallel structure.

Question 10

Kugel’s view of parallelism

Answer 10

Kugel avers that “all parallelism is really ‘synthetic.’ ..Kugel developed his well-known formula: “A is so, and what’s more, B is so.” Thus, in a typical verse line B has what Kugel calls a “seconding” or “afterwardness” function. Yet this is much more than the Lowthian idea of synonymous or antithetical restatement. “B typically supports A, carries it further, backs it up, completes it, goes beyond it.” In short, line B is connected with line A to construct a single, complex statement.

Question 11

Berlin’s view of parallelism and main types…

Answer 11

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Question 12

Other poetic features…, ellipsis, stair step, chiasm, apostrophe …

Answer 12

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Question 13

Gerald Wilson’s take on synthetic parallelism

Answer 13

Wilson refers to it as “advancing parallelism.” In this type, line B does not exhibit similarities with line A in regard to syntax, structure or semantics. Line B advances the theme presented in line A.

e.g.,
Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God,”
They are corrupt, they commit abominable acts;
there is no one who does good. (Ps 53:1 NRSV)

advancing parallelism offers the psalmist “maximum flexibility in creating lines that develop, direct, and advance” the movement of the psalm.

Question 14

Staircase parallelism

Answer 14

In this pattern elements from line A are repeated in line B with additional comments added to complete the thought.

The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble. (Ps 9:9 NRSV)

Question 15

emblematic parallelism

Answer 15

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Question 16

incomplete parallelism, Janus parallelism, climactic parallelism, and metathetic parallelism, others???

Answer 16

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Question 17

Merism

Answer 17

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Question 18

Inclusio

Answer 18

*Inclusio is the repetition of lines or phrases at the beginning and end of a composition, thus forming a type of literary envelope.”

Question 19

Metonymy

Answer 19

Metonymy is a figure of speech in which the name or designation of one thing is substituted for that of another object that is closely associated… lexical substitution…

Question 20

Synecdoche

Answer 20

In this figure of speech the whole is represented by a part (or vice versa), or a particular is used to refer to the whole (or vice versa).

Question 21

Apostrophe

Answer 21

a figure of speech in which the psalmist speaks directly to an absent person(s) or thing(s) as though actually present. Frequently in the psalms the psalmist will speak to kings or even foreign nations…

Question 22

What are some ways Hebrew poetry achieves terseness?

Answer 22

The use of imagery (picture is worth a thousand words), ellipsis, nonuse of particles and conjunctions

Question 23

Discuss Mowinckel’s contributions to the study of Psalms for better or worse

Answer 23

cultic setting_annual enthronement festival

Question 24

Discuss Gunkel’s contributions to the study of Psalms for better or worse

Answer 24

_form criticial method, sitz im leben, ___

Question 25

Discuss relative value of Psalter’s superscriptions

Answer 25

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Question 26

Discuss current trends in reading Psalms

Answer 26

BL - It has become trendy to read Psalms within their canonical context. Some see links between close or adjacent Psalms such as 1 and 2, which suggest that they should be read together. This is somewhat analogous to the function of parallelism in poetry which at times forces readers to see connections between the separate lines and to thereby better understand the meaning of the whole when read together (Kugel’s A, and what’s more, B).

Scholars such as Childs have also noted how the placement of Psalms like provide a lens for interpreting what follows (the priority of Torah).

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G. H. Wilson’s The Editing of the Hebrew Psalter (1985) and subsequent work particularly spurred this approach. Wilson argued that the Psalter was shaped by the presence of both explicit and nonexplicit editorial markings, such as the doxologies, the terminology found in the superscriptions, and markings at the “seams” of the five books. Theologically, the Psalter’s structure recognized the apparent failure of the Davidic covenant (books 1–3), and in light of that failure books 4–5 held this Davidic hope in tension with the call of wisdom to dependent trust in Yahweh alone as king.

Question 27

5 features that help identify strophes/stanzas within a poem

Answer 27

Content, Generic Components, Acrostic, Selah, and Refrain (Content is primary)

Question 28

What are the five periods in the history of OT Theology?

Answer 28

Emancipation from Dogmatics (ca. 1650–1800)
The Influence of Rationalism (ca. 1750–1875)
OT Theology Eclipsed by the History of Israelite Religion (ca. 1875–1930)
Biblical Theology Movement (1930-1970)
Proliferation of New Approaches (1970-Present)