“They burned down every sacred shrine in the land” (Ps 74:8b). Temple, time and memory in Ps 74
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/BPTh.2017.026Keywords
Ps 74, Psalms of Asaph, Third Book of the Psalter, memory, spatial studies, temple, name of GodAbstract
Psalm 74 is a communal lament over the destruction of the temple, an event that for the worshipper(s) signifies a “loss of the centre,” a destabilisation of the perception of space and time. In Ps 74, these two dimensions are strictly connected to temple (space) and memory (time). The article tries to analyse the interaction of the abovementioned elements in order to detect how they contribute to the depiction of such a destabilisation. After a short discussion about the structure and the logic of the psalm, the verses in which memory and the temple are mentioned (vv. 2–8.18–23) are closely analyzed and a concise conclusion is then drawn. The worshipper(s) feel themselves in a situation of eternal present and without a centre, forgotten by God, since the distress seems to endure without ending. The memory of the covenant (v. 2) and of the victory of God over the primeval chaos at the beginning of creation (vv. 12–17) opens a possibility of hoping for a future re-stabilisation of time and space, even if in an undetermined way (v. 21).References
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