Memories of Asaph

Mnemohistory and the Psalms of Asaph

Karl N. Jacobson

• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN:
  9781506423463
• eBook ISBN:
  9781506418728
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Criticism & Interpretation

Although the Psalms of Asaph (Pss. 50, 73‒83) contain a concentration of historical referents unparalleled in the Psalter, they have rarely attracted sustained historical interest. Karl N. Jacobson identifies these psalms as containing cultic historiography, historical narratives written for recitation in worship, and explores them through mnemohistory, attending to how the past is remembered and to the rhetorical function of recitation in the cultic setting. Jacobson describes mnemohistory at the intersection of memory and history, explores the singularity of the rhetorical and formals aspects of remembrance in the Asaph material, and discusses “residual mnemohistory,” material that is not intentionally called to remembrance. Jacobson shows that Asaph “remembers” the past as a movement from henotheism to a more orthodox form of Yahwism as the core memory that informs a new historical situation for worship participants. By describing the “way Asaph remembers,” Jacobson highlights symbolic and individualized elements of the psalms' mnemohistorical work that earlier form-critical approaches failed to recognize.

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How Asaph Remembers

To reiterate one of the tenets of this study, when historical references are employed in and with the language of memory, there is a rhetorical function and impact of the psalm that is different than it would otherwise be if the mnemohistorical referent were either absent or if some other Erinnerungsfigur were employed. Within the Asaphite corpus of the Psalter, there are two forms in which a historical referent is found.^[1] The Psalms of Asaph offer both clear, intentional historical referents (explicit mnemohistory) and unintentional holdovers or reflections of older traditions and practices (residual mnemohistory).

Explicit mnemohistory is marked by the vocabulary of memory: the base terms employed are זכר (remember), its antonym שׁכח (forget), and several synonyms for remembering, שׂיח (muse, complain), חשׁב (consider, reckon), הגה (meditate, mutter), and ספר (number, recount). A particular object of these various terms functions within the psalm both as remembrance of the past and as symbol. The remembered event (or, more rarely, person) has relevance for the present self-understanding of the community or individual and implications for the future. The symbol—the historical referent that the psalm invokes—recalls an event (or individual) that has been (and remains) definitive for the community or serves to illustrate a theological issue at stake. To borrow from William P. Brown, a symbol, much like a metaphor, has constitutive, definitive power.^[2]

The symbol, the historical referent, allows the hearer/reader of the psalm to view the present situation differently. But a mnemohistorical referent ought not to be confused with simple metaphor. Metaphor is essentially comparative: object A is expressed through or even likened to object B in ways that are sometimes concrete but more often abstract.^[3] The historical referent, preserved and reexperienced in remembrance, is less abstract. The symbol is both recourse to the past and a concrete happening in itself; it both preserves the past and creates, or better, re-creates, the experience of that past in a new time and place.^[4]

Residual mnemohistory is something altogether different. The implicit memory is not consciously or explicitly remembered. The residual mnemohistorical reference may be characterized as the embryonic stage of the resolution to symbol. Whether or not that resolution continues or is stillborn is essentially beside the point. The memory of the historical situation, individual, or event is present largely as a part of the context for the explicit mnemohistorical symbol. In addition, the Asaphite Psalms retain anachronisms and holdovers that afford a glimpse of older, perhaps outdated traditions. The residual memory is, then, an unintended holdover, a historical kernel or anachronism that is preserved in the text—a result of the often conservative nature of cultic poetry.

Asaphite mnemohistory is primarily concerned with re-presenting a particular view of historical events in Israel; on the one hand, this serves to preserve historical memory and awareness, and on the other, it addresses, informs, and shapes the present community. The purpose of the remembered past is to shape Israelite identity, society, and theology.^[5] This is neither neutral, objective recording of history nor nostalgic reflection, but rather purposeful recollection, both performed and prescribed.

The Psalms of Asaph then may be characterized as appearing in one of two forms, either as an explicitly referenced event (and, more rarely, an individual or group) or as a residual, implicit “leftover” that preserves but does not necessarily intend to inculcate a specific memory. There are also two basic ways in which explicit mnemohistory in particular may be characterized in terms of its extent, or appearance, within a given psalm. First, mnemohistory is explicitly made, where past events are more or less detailed. Second, the antecedent historical event is referred to in symbolic language and imagery.

Explicit Mnemohistory in the Psalms of Asaph

Explicit mnemohistory is marked by the vocabulary of memory: pleas for remembrance and not forgetting (Pss 74:2, 18–19, 22–23; 79:8; 80:15), the stated intention that memory be established or forgetting staved off (cf. Pss 77:4, 7, 12–13; 79:13 ), or response to the statute and decree that the people remember (Ps 78:5; and similarly 81:5–6). In every Asaphite psalm in which such vocabulary of memory is attested, some historical referent is employed as well.

Explicit mnemohistory is marked by references to specific events from the past, events that serve as instruction applicable to the present age or contemporary situation (see Psalm 78 in particular; see also Ps 77:14–21). The explicit mnemohistorical referent may appear as part of a plea for the Lord to deliver the people (e.g. Psalms 74, 79, 83) or as a call to or reason for praise and worship (cf. Ps 81:4–5).

Explicit referents include: the exodus (Pss 77:17–21; 78:10–14, 44–52; 80:9; 81:5–10), the wilderness wandering (Pss 78:15–43, 52–53; 81:7), the “conquest” and residence in the promised land (Ps 78:54–55), the abandonment of Shiloh (Ps 78:60), and the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem (Pss 74:3–9, 79:1–4). There are also two referents that do not fit neatly into the larger historical picture of Israel’s formative experiences: God’s establishment of his abode in Salem through victory over the nations (Ps 76:3–10)^[6] and an otherwise uncertain assertion in Psalm 78 (vv. 9–10) of a betrayal and flight from battle by the Ephraimites. Though we do not know much if anything about these particular events—other than what we learn from the Asaphite material—they are, nevertheless, explicit, and their function can be discerned.

The Rhetoric of Explicit Mnemohistory in the Asaphite Psalms

As Jan Assmann noted regarding Moses and Pharaoh in the memory of Egypt, historical events, as they are remembered, tend to resolve into a symbolic function. In these psalms, the one historical event (or complex of events) that has most clearly achieved this resolution into symbol is the exodus. The exodus stands as the vehicle of theological knowledge and spiritual hope for both the individual and the nation of Israel. In the symbolic resolution of the mnemohistorical material, referents may thus function didactically (e.g., Psalms 78, 81) or provide the context or setting out of which a particular psalm arises (e.g., Psalms 80, 83). Other events, even those that it may not be possible to identify historically, function both as a point of reference around which the people may rally (i.e., from which they may take an important element of their identity) and a point of theological instruction. The events in question are re-presented, speaking directly to the present situation of the reader or audience.

The issue of forgetting is not central to the Asaphite Psalter. What is clear is that memory is selective—what is deemed important or meaningful is preserved, “scripturalized,” and passed on as important. Further, memory in the written cortex of the Asaphite Psalms is not perfect or “on demand,” meaning that there are both memories that are intentional, meant for inculcation, and memories that are not. The former is the written, preserved cultural memory, the latter is the residue that is preserved incidentally.

The Vocabulary of Remembrance

Explicit mnemohistory is introduced by the vocabulary of memory. There are a variety of terms employed, sometimes as either synonym or antonym, sometimes in parallel or hendiadys with the base term זכר. Other significant vocabulary of remembrance in the Asaphite Psalms includes: שׁכח (forget), שׂיח (muse, complain), חשׁב (consider, reckon), הגה (meditate, mutter), and ספר (number, recount).

זכר

The base term for memory in all the Hebrew Bible is זכר. The root זכר occurs either as a verb or a noun some sixty-one times in the Psalter. The hiphil infinitive construct להזכיר (make remember) appears twice in the superscription of a psalm meant for th...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Table Of Contents
• Introduction and History of Interpretation
• Theoretical Considerations: History and Communal Memory
• Mnemohistory and the Asaphite Corpus
• How Asaph Remembers
• Psalm 78: The Heart of What Asaph Remembers
• What Asaph Remembers
• Excursus: Residual Memories in the Asaphite Corpus
• Conclusions: Why Asaph Remembers
• Bibliography
• Name and Subject Index
• Ancient Sources Index