Songs for the last days : eschatological exegesis of Psalms in Hebrews

Abstract

Psalm texts function as the structural and theological backbone of Hebrews from start to finish. Commentators have noticed this through the centuries in a variety of ways, but few have examined the use of Psalms outside of quotations or connected the author’s use of Psalms with his broader eschatological outlook. In this thesis, I argue that the author’s eschatology is his dominating exegetical presupposition allowing numerous psalms to be read in a multivalent way for his present situation. Psalms, for our author, not only provide him with messianic material for his exegetical commentary, but also speak to a deeper interpretive tradition that is detectable through scriptural allusions, shared motifs, and narrative structures. Attention to these more subtle features of Hebrews is likely only the tip of the iceberg. Structurally, I examine three passages of Hebrews (Heb 1:5–13; 12:18–28; Heb 13:15) corresponding to three perceived gaps in scholarship (the relationship between quoted texts, the author’s cultural encyclopedia, and the function of scriptural allusions). By focusing on Psalms and the eschatological nature of the author’s exegesis, we are better suited to situate Hebrews in relation to other Second Temple and early Jewish interpretive traditions.