Reading the Bible Intertextually

8: Psalm 113 and the Song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10): A Paradigm for Intertextual Reading?

119 gh Marianne Grohmann 8 Psalm 113 and the Song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10) A Paradigm for Intertextual Reading? Reception-Oriented Intertextuality as a Theoretical Framework Intertextuality as the “Dialogue of Texts” the word intertextuality has become a relatively significant term. Definitions range between the poles of an extremely broad concept or an exceptionally narrow one.1 nevertheless, intertextuality as a general expression for “the theory of relationships between texts”2 remains a viable term for describing the “dialogue of texts,” the dialogue between literary studies and biblical exegesis, between different interpretations of biblical texts, between the old and new testaments, and between Jewish and Christian hermeneutics. though competing concepts of intertextuality originate in the field of literary studies,3 biblical exegesis can learn much about intertextual relationships from literary criticism. of course, some of the broader conceptions of intertextuality stand in sharp tension with the notion of a canon. such understandings of intertextuality undermine the very idea of canonical boundaries and challenge the distinction between text and commentary by calling into question the borders between “sacred texts” and their interpretations.4 Forming an integral component of historical-critical biblical exegesis , this discipline often operates with the goal of reconstructing the oldest form of a text in a positivistic manner. approaches to exegesis that are informed by theories of intertextuality, however, can highlight the value of permitting different textual witnesses (e.g., that of the Masoretic 120 Marianne Grohmann text and that of the septuagint) to be read alongside one another and thereby set in dialogue.5 in discussion of the relationship between the old and new testaments , intertextuality clearly considers individual contexts. From a Christian perspective, the old testament is often considered only through the lens of the new testament: as vetus testamentum in novo receptum.6 By way of contrast, intertextuality points out the reciprocal influence that occurs when a text is placed in another context. introduction of the old testament context into the new testament is important and can bring different facets of meaning to light. intertextuality also enables moving beyond the categories of allegory and typology and can bring Jewish and Christian receptions of biblical texts together in conversation. When texts are understood as fragments of open discourse, a broadened view of the different discourses in Jewish and Christian interpretive communities becomes a genuine possibility.7 Jewish Hermeneutics From the beginning, Jewish biblical exegesis has been characterized by intertextuality, though the term has not been explicitly used. the lifeblood of Jewish exegesis consists of linking together passages from the tanak, varying interpretations of the text and the contexts of particular interpretive communities. indeed, one of the fundamental rules of Jewish biblical exegesis is that the text is never a finished product. on Mount sinai, for example, Moses had already been given the “oral torah”—the ongoing and variegated interpretations of scripture—together with the written text.8 the sacred nature of the torah does not in any way conflict with the interpretations of its readers. the basic rabbinic principle that the torah is “given for interpretation” holds to this day. the text is thus never complete. “readers alone make the Bible what it is for themselves.”9 Within a rabbinic context, the appropriation of the torah occurs by continually memorizing and internalizing its words. thus the obligation to study the torah is of preeminent worth and surpasses any other precept.10 the rabbinic principle that the torah was “given to be interpreted” continues to be valid today. rabbinic biblical interpretation assumes the unity of the sacred text while allowing for multiple interpretations. Moreover, a Jewish hermeneutic includes the fundamental assumption that everything is contained in the Bible: hb )lwkd hb Kphw hb Kph (“turn and turn [the torah], because everything is in it”).11 if there are doublets, they must have special significance, for not a single word in the Bible is superfluous. the sacred nature of the torah lies precisely in this point: it is a polyvalent text. Psalm 113 and the Song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10) 121 thus, due to its nature, the torah requires manifold interpretations. the Hebrew text itself contains several interpretive possibilities that can always be set together in new ways: hrwtl Mynp My(b# (“the torah has seventy faces”).12 rabbinic biblical exegesis, therefore, does not proceed in an arbitrary manner. there are certain guiding principles such as the seven rules of...