Collective Reinterpretation in the Psalms: A Study of the Redaction History of the Psalter (Forschungen Zum Alten Testament 2.Reihe)

Marko Marttila reevaluates the extent and nature of the collective passages in the Psalter. Many of the complaint psalms written by an individual were reread at a later stage from a national point of view. In the altered religious, political and social circumstances, the earlier texts were reworked and reinterpreted so that they would comply more closely with the prevailing conditions. This collectivizing tendency probably began during the exile and continued until the final redaction of the Psalter (about 200-180 BCE). Most of the ancient contributors are unknown to us, but the Hasideans at least may have played an important role in this process in its final stage, since there are some obvious passages where the Hasideans seem to represent the people of Israel exclusively.