In the Midst of the Congregation I Will Praise You' (Ps 22:23b): The Reinterpretation of the Psalms of the Individual in Judaism and Christianity

This dissertation looks at several psalms which exhibit a shift in focus from individual to communal concerns (e.g. Pss 3, 25, 51, 102, 130). Sometimes this change in focus seems to be the result of a textual intervention by a later scribe who was seeking to give an older psalm a new context in light of the community's experience. Part of this shift may also be rooted in the vow to praise, which the psalmist fulfills among the congregation. This reinterpretation of the psalms of the individual allowed for 'I' of the psalms to take on a variety of meanings, from David, the traditional author of many of the psalms, to other biblical characters, to Christ in the New Testament, and ultimately to any liturgical participant. Because many psalms of the individual later become collective in their focus, many times the community itself makes the 'I' of the psalms its own (Exod 15; Ps 129). After a close reading of many psalms in Chapter 2, Chapter 3 considers the significance of psalms set within narratives in the Old Testament. Most important here are the prayers of Tobit and Hezekiah (Tobit 3 and 13; Isa 38:9-20). Their prayers are not merely for or about themselves but reflect the concerns of the people to such an extent that their fates are intertwined. The final chapter considers the way psalms functioned in late Second Temple Judaism, particularly at Qumran. Psalms and other prayers inspired by them were important in shaping the self-understanding of the communities that prayed them.