Reading Psalms with the Scribes: Using Ancient Manuscript Evidence to Inform Biblical Studies

Reading Psalms with the Scribes argues for a new approach to the study of the Hebrew Bible, “reading with the scribes,” which puts variation in the ancient witnesses at the center of the endeavor.With a focus on texts from Psalms, Reading Psalms with the Scribes explores how ancient manuscript evidence can impact scholars' thinking about poetics, composition, and interpretation.Whereas most biblical scholarship keeps textual criticism distinct from other kinds of analysis - as a preliminary step that provides one correct version of the text to be studied, for example - the practice of reading with the scribes leverages moments of variation for their insights into the thoughts, practices, and work of scribes.The scribes of the Second Temple period were much more than copyists; they were practiced readers who paid close attention to the poetic features of psalms, competent editors who polished the existing strengths of psalms, talented authors who could add new elements to psalms without