Between Sheol and Temple: Motif Structure and Function in the I-Psalms

As against traditional cultic and sociological interpretations of the “I” Psalms, this original study stresses the “I” as a literary figure. Yet on the other hand, the historical interest of the traditional models is retained, here with emphasis on original function and intent. There is a common set of central motifs related to the “I”-figure, most easily discernible when referring to categories of locality. The “I” is depicted in a sacred landscape of contrasting localities—Sheol and Temple connected by the concept of Way. This motif structure deploys an ideological language in which the “I” figure is an embodiment of a religious paradigm, that attests a process of actualization and integration. The religiosity of these texts is of a mystical character, pointing to some religious practice of intense personal character aimed at experience of a divine reality. No doubt the social location of such experience was among the elite, but some texts hint at a possible democratization of the religious practice they portray.