Studies in Hebrew and Ugaritic Psalms

The volume offers a fresh analysis of a central problem of comparative Ugaritic-Biblical scholarship: the relationship between biblical psalms and Canaanite literature. A critical survey summarizes the various stages of comparative scholarship over more than fifty years. There follow the two principal parts of the book: the first concerns Hebrew psalms with affinities to Ugaritic literature, and the second Ugaritic psalms and prayers with affinities to Hebrew literature. A detailed analysis of the form, structure, themes and motifs of biblical texts, and a scrutiny of their verses, cola, phrases and vocabulary against the background of ancient Near East literature lead to the thesis that there is no justification for assuming that Canaanite psalms are found in the Bible, or that biblical literature and Ugaritic literature should be considered a single entity. It is alleged that affinities may be elucidated based on common thematic, linguistic and stylistic elements.