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93 P Son of David and Typology 5 As argued in the previous two chapters, typology can be thought of as a form of memory refraction in that it is a powerfully mnemonic tool and a highly influential interpretive cipher. I now apply my historiographical model to a specific typological characteristic of the Jesus tradition. The remainder of this book examines the title “Son of David” with an aim to (1) ascertain the title’s entry point into the Jesus tradition, (2) analyze the ways that it was mnemonically refracted in the interpretation of Jesus’ ministry (and vice versa1 ), and (3) discuss how this refracted the more developed (i.e., formalized) Jesus tradition in early Christianity. I have chosen the title “Son of David”2 for two reasons. First, while a form of Davidic messianism seems to have been significant in proto-Christian thought,3 it did not maintain prominence in the writings of the New Testament . There are many NT texts that take Jesus’ Davidic status for granted, but this concept has been all but eclipsed by other christological claims and titles. In some of these texts it is possible that “Son of David” was intentionally downplayed; in others it served as a backdrop for Christology but still relatively less prominent as compared with titles like “Son of Man,” “Son of God,” “Christ,” and “Lord.” Because the title has been relegated to obscurity in the Jesus tradition, the passages that betray its presence tend toward the less developed stages along christological trajectory(ies). This said, we will see that “Son of David” is not prominent in the earliest stages of the tradition either. 1 Following the mnemonic cycle, we should expect that if the title was used in or about the career of Jesus, this application refracted both the significance of the title and the significance of Jesus’ ministry. 2 For the sake of brevity I henceforth use “Son of David” in place of the phrase “the title Son of David.” At times I need to refer to a nontitular idea or figure using a form of this moniker ; in such cases I simply refer to “David’s son.” 3 By “proto-Christian” I mean the particular Jewish messianic circle that began to emerge around the ministry of Jesus that would eventually become a christological circle composed of both Jews and Gentiles. 94 The Historiographical Jesus In this way, the title stands at a bridge between the initial memories of Jesus and the Jesus tradition as it was commemorated by the authors of the NT. Moreover, it will be possible to chart the mnemonic sphere associated with “Son of David” from early perception refraction (memory) to later tradition refraction (commemoration). The second reason for choosing “Son of David” as a test case is that there is need for an exploration of the possibility that this title is derivative of typological interpretation of both the Davidic and Solomonic traditions. Studies on this topic commonly take the title to stem from either Davidic messianism or Solomonic exorcistic activity. Yet in most cases these categories are treated as mutually exclusive options. I argue that these overlapping mnemonic spheres reinforced one another to mutually refract the memories of Jesus and provided a mnemonic framework for “Son of David.” My overarching exegetical aim is to demonstrate that the mnemonic background of “Son of David” was both Davidic and Solomonic, that it was typological in nature, and—above all—that the charting of memory refraction will show how early memories of Jesus were initially shaped by typological interpretation. In these ways, my exegetical aim provides a work table for my primary theoretical and methodological arguments. In this chapter, I suggest the possibility of a Solomon typology in Jesus’ historical context. This chapter is weighted toward the analysis of literary trajectories of Solomonic tradition, because previous studies have tended toward a strictly Davidic reading of many texts that have close ties to Solomonic tradition. I do not intend to argue in favor of the latter at the expense of the former. But because texts like 2 Samuel 7, Isaiah 11 and Psalm of Solomon 17 have long attracted strictly Davidic interpretations, a Solomonic perspective helps to fill out the discussion and at points offers corrective exegesis. In these ways, I offer a fresh perspective on the mnemonic lenses evoked by Son of David typology. My aim with this chapter is to provide a general backdrop by which specific acts and words of Jesus can be mnemonically...

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