The genre and setting of Psalm 45

Trotter, J.M. (2009) The genre and setting of Psalm 45. Australian Biblical Review, 57 . pp. 34-46.

Abstract

Psalm 45 has been identified as a wedding song or royal wedding song by most scholars over the last century. On the basis of that genre identification, various proposals about the social setting of the psalm have also been made. This article makes a new proposal regarding the genre and setting of Psalm 45. In particular, a number of aspects of the psalm that do not fit with the typical genre identification are highlighted and investigated. On the basis of the analysis of these divergent elements, this article proposes that Psalm 45 should be identified as a coronation psalm. On the basis of this new genre identification, this article also proposes that Psalm 45 can be better understood by reading within the sociological setting of coronation rituals and within the literary context of other coronation psalms. Finally, the recognition of Psalm 45 as a coronation psalm can provide new insight into ancient Judahite coronation ideology and rituals.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Murdoch Affiliation(s):	School of Social Sciences and Humanities
Publisher:	Fellowship for Biblical Studies
Publisher's Website:	http://www.fbs.org.au/
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/21942

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