Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 177:707 (Jul 2020)
Article: Messianism In Light Of Literary Strategy
Author: Seth D. Postell

BSac 177:707 (July-September 2020) p. 329

Messianism In Light Of Literary Strategy

Seth D. Postell

Seth D. Postell is Academic Dean, Israel College of the Bible, Netanya, Israel.

Abstract

Some have claimed that messianism is a marginal topic in the Hebrew Bible, based on the limited number of verses considered genuinely messianic, but this article approaches the subject of messianism differently—within the context of compositional analysis. Though the Messiah is infrequent in terms of a count of verses, he consistently appears at the literary seams in the macrostructures of many of the Old Testament books. These findings suggest that the Messiah is not a marginal topic, but central to the compositional and literary strategy of the Hebrew Bible.

One could easily claim that messianism is a marginal topic in the Hebrew Bible, which contains relatively few passages considered messianic. The small number of overtly messianic verses, contrasted with the large volume of verses about law, wisdom, and justice, might suggest that messianism as a category does not primarily belong to the grammatical-historical meaning of the Hebrew Bible. Messianism might easily be considered a meaning added in the later history of interpretation. This article, however, considers the subject of messianism within the context of compositional analysis in order to show that the Messiah, though infrequent in a count of verses, consistently appears at the literary seams in the macrostructure of many Old Testament books. These findings indicate that the Messiah is not a marginal topic, but central to the compositional and literary strategy of the Hebrew Bible.

Compositional Analysis And The Messiah In The Hebrew Bible

Before looking at the compositional structure and literary seams in a sampling of books in the Hebrew Bible, it is necessary to make a

BSac 177:707 (July-September 2020) p. 330

few comments about compositional analysis in general and literary seams in particular. Although John Sailhamer often used the terms “compositional analysis,” “compositional strategy,” and “seams” as part and parcel of his exegetical methodology, little has been written about this methodology, particularly with respect to the exegetical endeavor of whole books.1 According to Sailhamer, compositional analysis is:

the attempt to describe the semantics of the arrangement of source material in the biblical texts. What methods and techniques does an author employ in producing a final text? What large units of text has the author employed to build the final text? What functions do the individual units within the final text play in the light of the completed...