Canonical Process

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Bruce K. Waltke, “A Canonical Process Approach to the Psalms,” in Tradition and Testament: Essays in Honor of Charles Lee Feinberg, ed. John S. Feinberg and Paul D. Feinberg (Chicago: Moody Bible Institute, 1981), 3–18. Canonical Process Approach 


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dot:
    sameRank:
        - {arguments: [], statements: ["Canonical process approach", "Psalms as Prayers of Jesus"]}
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[Psalms as Prayers of Jesus]:"The Psalms are ultimately the prayers of Jesus Christ, Son of God." .star.

<Canonical process approach>:"From a literary and historical point of view, we should understand that the human subject of the Psalms... is Jesus Christ."
 +> [Psalms as Prayers of Jesus]

[Canonical process approach]:"The text's intention became deeper and deeper as the parameters of the canon were expanded."
 + "The people of God throughout history are united by a common knowledge and faith."
 + "God is the ultimate author of the progressively developing canon."
 + "As the canon developed, lesser and earlier representations were combined to form greater units that are more meaningful than their component parts."
 + "The canon closed with the addition of the last book of the New Testament."
 +> <Canonical process approach>

## 1. Original Psalmist

[Royal origin]:"In the original composition the king is the human subject of the psalms."
 + [External evidence]:"The Masoretic text identifies King David as the author, and presumably the human subject, of seventy-three psalms."
 + [Internal evidence]:The content of many psalms is fitting only for a royal subject.
 +> <Canonical process approach>

## 2. Psalms in the First Temple

"What did these psalms mean in their earlier canonical collections mentioned in such passages as 2 Chronicles 29:30 and Psalm 72:20 and used in connection with the worship of the First Temple?"

[Messianic significance]:"The many types of psalms composed for the First Temple and used in it and constituting a part of Israel's canonical literature had a messianic meaning and significance."
 +> <Canonical process approach>

<Messianic association>:The psalms are associated with Davidic kingship, and Davidic kingship was, in turn, associated with messianic expectations.

(1) [Royal significance]
(2) [Messianic association]:"Each living successor to David's throne was clothed in the large, magnificent, purple mantle of the messianic vision attached to the House of David."
(3) [Davidic failure]:"But none of David's successors up to the time of the Captivity had shoulders broad enought to fulfill this ideal mantle that was laid upon him."
----
(4) [Messianic significance]

[Royal significance]:"Most psalms had a royal significance in their cultic use at the First Temple."

<Davidic covenant>:In light of the promise of the Davidic covenant (the perpetuation of David's line), "it would be most surprising if David did not intend his many and varied types of royal psalms to be used by and for the house of David at the house of the Lord."
 +> [Royal significance]

[Democratization]:Many psalms were democratized during this period.
 - "It would be utterly foreign to the culture of preexilic Israel to suppose that the psalms were democratized in their interpretation."
 -> [Royal significance]

<ANE context>:"In the Ancient Near Eastern literature the king was the patron of the foreign cultus (exacly as is the case in Israel) and was the subject of numerous hymns."
 +> [Royal significance]

<Royal non-Davidic psalms>:"In many psalms not ascribed to David the king is the human subject of the psalm."
 + e.g. Ps. 44. "Although the psalm is assigned to the sons of Korah, the human subject is a king"
  + <King as representative>:The psalmist in Ps. 44 "represents the defeated army of Israel in prayer before God." This is most likely the king.
  + <Plural/Singular>:In Ps. 44, there is "fluid interchange between the plural pronoun 'we' and the singular pronoun 'I.'" The best explanation for this is that the king, the representative of the people, is the subject of the psalm.
 +> [Royal significance]

<Enemies>:"In many psalms the enemies are Israel's international political enemies"
 +> [Royal significance]

## 3. Psalms in the Second Temple

[Predictive significance]:"The psalms continued to have a royal and messianic significance, but they now carried a predictive meaning as well."
 +> <Canonical process approach>

<Hope and disappointment>:Messianic hope in the post-exilic period was repeatedly met with disappointment as sons of David failed to live up to expectations.

(1) [Post-exilic hope]:"The exiles who returned from the Captivity continued to associate the living House of David with the Messianic hope."
 + see Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
(2) [Post-exilic disappointment]:"When the Old Testament canon closed, no son of David was sitting on Yahweh's throne, and no living scion of David's line was associated with that hope."
----
(3) [Predictive significance]

## 4. Jesus Christ

[Jesus as Messiah]:Jesus of Nazareth, son of David, is the Messiah.
 +> <Canonical process approach>


Argument Mapcluster_11. Original Psalmistcluster_22. Psalms in the First Templecluster_33. Psalms in the Second Templecluster_44. Jesus Christn6Royal origin"In the original composition the king is the human subject of the psalms."n21Canonical process approach"From a literary and historical point of view, we should understand that the human subject of the Psalms... is Jesus Christ."n6->n21n7External evidence"The Masoretic text identifies King David as the author, and presumably the human subject, of seventy-three psalms."n7->n6n8Internal evidenceThe content of many psalms is fitting only for a royal subject.n8->n6n9Messianic significance"The many types of psalms composed for the First Temple and used in it and constituting a part of Israel's canonical literature had a messianic meaning and significance."n9->n21n10Royal significance"Most psalms had a royal significance in their cultic use at the First Temple."n22Messianic associationThe psalms are associated with Davidic kingship, and Davidic kingship was, in turn, associated with messianic expectations.n10->n22n11Messianic association"Each living successor to David's throne was clothed in the large, magnificent, purple mantle of the messianic vision attached to the House of David."n11->n22n12Davidic failure"But none of David's successors up to the time of the Captivity had shoulders broad enought to fulfill this ideal mantle that was laid upon him."n12->n22n13DemocratizationMany psalms were democratized during this period.n13->n10n14"It would be utterly foreign to the culture of preexilic Israel to suppose that the psalms were democratized in their interpretation."n14->n13n15e.g. Ps. 44. "Although the psalm is assigned to the sons of Korah, the human subject is a king"n25Royal non-Davidic psalms"In many psalms not ascribed to David the king is the human subject of the psalm."n15->n25n22->n9n23Davidic covenantIn light of the promise of the Davidic covenant (the perpetuation of David's line), "it would be most surprising if David did not intend his many and varied types of royal psalms to be used by and for the house of David at the house of the Lord."n23->n10n24ANE context"In the Ancient Near Eastern literature the king was the patron of the foreign cultus (exacly as is the case in Israel) and was the subject of numerous hymns."n24->n10n25->n10n26King as representativeThe psalmist in Ps. 44 "represents the defeated army of Israel in prayer before God." This is most likely the king.n26->n15n27Plural/SingularIn Ps. 44, there is "fluid interchange between the plural pronoun 'we' and the singular pronoun 'I.'" The best explanation for this is that the king, the representative of the people, is the subject of the psalm.n27->n15n28Enemies"In many psalms the enemies are Israel's international political enemies"n28->n10n16Predictive significance"The psalms continued to have a royal and messianic significance, but they now carried a predictive meaning as well."n16->n21n17Post-exilic hope"The exiles who returned from the Captivity continued to associate the living House of David with the Messianic hope."n29Hope and disappointmentMessianic hope in the post-exilic period was repeatedly met with disappointment as sons of David failed to live up to expectations.n17->n29n18see Haggai, Zechariah, Malachin18->n17n19Post-exilic disappointment"When the Old Testament canon closed, no son of David was sitting on Yahweh's throne, and no living scion of David's line was associated with that hope."n19->n29n29->n16n20Jesus as MessiahJesus of Nazareth, son of David, is the Messiah.n20->n21n0Psalms as Prayers of Jesus"The Psalms are ultimately the prayers of Jesus Christ, Son of God." ⭐n1Canonical process approach"The text's intention became deeper and deeper as the parameters of the canon were expanded."n1->n21n2"The people of God throughout history are united by a common knowledge and faith."n2->n1n3"God is the ultimate author of the progressively developing canon."n3->n1n4"As the canon developed, lesser and earlier representations were combined to form greater units that are more meaningful than their component parts."n4->n1n5"The canon closed with the addition of the last book of the New Testament."n5->n1n21->n0