Papers by Richard J Clifford
America (magazine). diginal edition, 2024
The protests over the war in Gaza that roiled many college campuses in the United States this pas... more The protests over the war in Gaza that roiled many college campuses in the United States this past May and June raised once again the ancient specter of anti-Semitism. This year's version of the prejudice arose from Israel's vigorous response to Hamas's attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which slaughtered 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages. Jewish fears of such prejudice are understandable, given their long history of suffering from violent anti-Semitism. But peaceful and clearly articulated campus protests against Israeli military actions are, of course, legitimate, to be expected and even welcomed. Christian protesters, however, may not be fully aware of the bloody history of anti-Semitism that was fueled in part by Christian anti-Judaism going back to the origins of Christianity. And the Catholic protesters among them may not be aware that their church invites them in these opening years of the third millennium to a new and positive relationship with their Jewish neighbors.
Sibyls, Scriptures, and Scrolls, 2017
Examenation of the mention of the divine assembly of heavenly beings in Genesis 1-11. U find it p... more Examenation of the mention of the divine assembly of heavenly beings in Genesis 1-11. U find it plays an important role literatarily and theologically.
Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2020
Journal of Biblical Literature, Mar 1, 1981
... The difficult MT may reflect an attempt to preserve the LXX Vorlage and a verb, while the Vor... more ... The difficult MT may reflect an attempt to preserve the LXX Vorlage and a verb, while the Vorlage of Quinta et al. may preserve the original mater. ... Mountains and valleys are a merism showing the wide range of their flight. Richard J. Clifford ...
Journal of Biblical Literature, 2000
The consensus of commentators is that the sufferers in Psalms 39 and 90 are asking for a deeper s... more The consensus of commentators is that the sufferers in Psalms 39 and 90 are asking for a deeper sense of the transience of life, especially of their own life, in order to face their present tribulation with equanimity and faithfulness. There are substantial reasons, however, to question the consensus. This article proposes an alternate interpretation of Pss 39:5 and 90:12 and points out the implications for the poetic logic of the psalms. I. Psalm 39:5 Commenting on Ps 39:5-6a, K. Seybold explains: "The ill prayer has his end in view and laments that his life has come to an end so soon. He prays about the remaining number ('measure') of days and notes that his life has been short: only 'handbreadths' of days were begrudged to him. He feels he is too young to die." 1 Other commentators differ in nuance but agree that the prayer is for awareness of the brevity of life, in particular of the psalmist s own life. 2 The interpretation is reflected in the major translations. 1 K. Seybold, Die Psalmen (HAT 1/15; Tübingen: Mohr-Siebeck, 1996) 163. My translation. 2 F. Delitzsch: "[The psalmist] prays God to set the transitoriness of earthly life before his eyes (cf. xc. 12); for if life is only a few spans long, then even his suffering and the prosperity of the ungodly will last only a short time" (C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Psalms [Commentary on the Old Testament; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991, reprint of 1871 edition] vol. 5, part 2, p. 29). H. Gunkel emends v. 5a to "pHIR, "I will let you know my end," and suggests that the psalmist argues, "Don't you know the measure of my days, that my life span is truly nothing before you who live forever?" {Die Psalmen [6th ed.; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1968] 164). C. Α. Briggs takes *2Ép as "the end of my life, how short a time will elapse before the end" and Ό* ΓΠ0 as "the measure of time comprehended in the days of life" {The Book of Psalms [ICC; New York: Scribner's, 1914] 1.346). According to H.-J. Kraus, "The petitioner prays to Yahweh for enlightenment concerning the fate of death that engulfs him, concerning the transitoriness of his life"
Journal of the American Oriental Society, 1975
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Among the biblical wisdom books, Qoheleth stands out for being relentlessly empirical in a cultur... more Among the biblical wisdom books, Qoheleth stands out for being relentlessly empirical in a culture that revered inherited wisdom. "/ found", "/ sought", '7 applied by mind", and other first person verbs appear more than eighty-one times, twenty-one times with emphasis added by the pronoun ,¿mf, "I". At the same time, Qoheleth's thought can be elusive to an exasperating degree. Both qualities, self-confident searching and puzzling conclusion, characterize 7,23-29. It should be noted at the outset that Qoheleth assumes an exceptionally broad understanding of wisdom, which is aptly characterized by R Machinist: "a set of observalions on the nature of the world and the God who created and controls ,!נ and on where humans fit and how they should behave in this divine creation" 1. Commentators generally recognize that 7,23-29 (identified, as a section by T. Krüger, F.J. Backhaus, and this essay) 2 are among the most difficult verses in Qoheleth. Scholars differ, however, on the dimension of the unit. 3, whether v. 26 criticizes women in general 4 or only deceptive women such as those depicted, in
Biblica, 2022
In Ugaritic, the noun drkt in certain contexts means "rule, dominion." Can Hebrew derek occasiona... more In Ugaritic, the noun drkt in certain contexts means "rule, dominion." Can Hebrew derek occasionally have the same meaning? The article examines fifteen biblical instances where the claim has been made or could be made, concluding that six instances seem certain, two uncertain, and seven unlikely.
Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft
There are passages in the Hebrew Bible in which the translation of the Hebrew G-stem verb ḥāṭā’ a... more There are passages in the Hebrew Bible in which the translation of the Hebrew G-stem verb ḥāṭā’ as »to miss, fail to attain« makes better sense than its otherwise dominant meaning »to sin.« Though modern Hebrew lexica allow for the occasional meaning of »to miss,« many modern translations fail to consider »to miss« and insist on »to sin.« The article examines eleven instances in the Bible where »to miss, fail to attain,« makes better sense than the traditional »to sin,« especially in the Wisdom literature.
Creatio ex nihilo in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. University of Notre Dame Pressible, 2021
An examination of creation from nothing in Sumerian, Akkadian, Ugaritic, and biblical literature
... more An examination of creation from nothing in Sumerian, Akkadian, Ugaritic, and biblical literature
pp. 55-76
"When the Morning Stars Sang", 2017
Biblische Zeitschrift 66.2 (2022), 293-301., 2022
The commonly accepted translation of Ps 115,1, "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name gi... more The commonly accepted translation of Ps 115,1, "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory כבוד( )נתן for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness," does not express the full meaning of the phrase. Important precision is provided by examination of several neglected or unrecognized factors such as the meaning of "to us," "give," and "glory," dialectical negation in the community's petition, and the function of V 1 within the psalm.
“Observations on the Texts and Versions of Proverbs,” in Wisdom You are My Sister (Roland Murphy volume; Catholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series; Washington: Catholic Biblical Association, 1997) 47-61., 1997
An examination of the ancient versions of the Book of Proverbs
Harvard Semitic Studies, Cambridge, MA, Harvard university Press,, 1973
A study of the cosmic mountain in the religions of the ancient Near East and in the Bible
“Psalm 90: Wisdom Meditation or Communal Lament,” in The Book of Psalms: Composition and Reception (Vetus Testamentum Supplement 99; P. W. Flint & P. D. Miller, ed.; Leiden: Brill, 2005) 190-205.
The essay seeks to show that Psalm 90 is a standard communal lament by clarifying vv. 11-12: "Who... more The essay seeks to show that Psalm 90 is a standard communal lament by clarifying vv. 11-12: "Who knows the full extent of your anger, / ... Let [us] know how to compute accurately our days [of affliction]. Let us bring that knowledge [into] our minds."
To Touch the Text: Biblical and Related Studies in Honor of Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S.J. (ed. M. Horgan and P. Kobelski; NY: Crossroad, 1989) 93-102., 1989
Detailed philogical and textual analysis of the lament in Isaiah 63-64.
“In Zion and David A New Beginning: An Interpretation of Psalm 78,” in Traditions and Transformations: Turning Points in Biblical Faith (eds. Baruch Halpern and Jon Levenson; Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 1981) 121-41., 1981
Psalm 78 consists of an introduction (vv. 1-11) and two parallel recitals of the national story, ... more Psalm 78 consists of an introduction (vv. 1-11) and two parallel recitals of the national story, "Red Sea and Wilderness" (vv. 12-39) and "From Egypt to Canaan" (vv. 40-72) in order to reval that God's choice of Zion and the Davidic dynasy is the completion of the mighty acts of the exodus..
Worship 95.2, 2021
The recent revision of the words of institution in the Catholic Roman Missal is inaccurate, both ... more The recent revision of the words of institution in the Catholic Roman Missal is inaccurate, both in biblical terms and in liturgical translation theory.
Harvard Theological Review, 1980
At least from the time of the influential analysis of B. Duhm in 1899, a scholarly consensus has ... more At least from the time of the influential analysis of B. Duhm in 1899, a scholarly consensus has developed which judges Psalm 89 to be a composite of poems of widely different date. 1 Often cited is the view of H. Gunkel: to an old hymn (vv 29-52) a lament (vv 39-52) has been appended. The hymn was joined to the lament by interposing vv 20-38 and at the same time vv 4-5 were inserted. 2 Articles in recent years have challenged the prevalent view of original disunity. J. M. Ward in 1961 showed that arguments based on metric considerations are not conclusive and that logic, vocabulary links throughout the whole poem, and poetic structure all argue that the psalm was a single poem from the 'Duhm also dated the psalm to the first century B.C.
Theological Studies, 2002
Many Christians find the Christian Bible, comprised of the Old and New Testament, diffuse, lackin... more Many Christians find the Christian Bible, comprised of the Old and New Testament, diffuse, lacking unity, and therefore difficult to use in systematic theology. Yet the Bible itself uses a powerful organizing principle that spans both testaments and unites them, namely the Exodus in its dual aspects of liberation and formation. There are three Exodus moments. Exodus I is the thirteenth-century B.C.E. foundational event. Exodus II is its sixth-century renewal. Exodus III is the first-century C.E. climactic renewal of Israel by Jesus.
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Papers by Richard J Clifford
pp. 55-76
pp. 55-76