Rollens & Hart/Many Sparrows, 6. From Liturgy to Polemic

This is an examination of the use and interpretation of Psalms 82 and 110 in four settings: pre-and post-exilic Israelite, Rabbinic Judaism, New Testament/early Christianity, and Greek Orthodoxy. I use the analytical lens of Social Identity theory. These Psalms are striking case studies in the multi-generational and multi-community appropriation of texts, with radical shifts of interpretation and usage at each stage. What emerges is a picture of the utility of texts which speak of group conflict – those texts can be adapted to fit a variety of conflict settings.