Reclaiming Biblical Wisdom Psalms: a Response To Crenshaw

Abstract

This piece targets Crenshaw's article, 'Wisdom Psalms?' (CRBS 2000) that debunks a broad array of scholarly attempts to identify canonical wisdom psalms. Convinced that Crenshaw's minimalist perception often skews his reading of the biblical text and its interpretation, Kuntz counters that the Hebrew Psalter hosts a limited number of psalms that are stylistically and thematically reminiscent of what transpires in the widely recognized trinity of wisdom books in the Hebrew canon (Proverbs, Job, Qoheleth). Despite their overlap with other genres, wisdom psalms of diverse format and length exhibit shared features that warrant our embracing them as a viable psalmic category.

Psalms 111–112: Big Story, Little Story

“…The category of "wisdom psalms" presents a challenge, since there is no agreement on what constitute criteria by which we may call them that [18][19][20]. But with the heuristic approach I prefer, we can recognize that a number of psalms incorporate subject matter that is common in the wisdom books such as Proverbs (e.g., Ps.…”