Abstract
The prominence of Psalm 110 in the Epistle to the Hebrews is evident from even a cursory reading of the letter, but, surprisingly perhaps, a sustained, focused consideration of the psalm’s function within the epistle has yet to be produced. Jared Compton’s new monograph, a revision of his doctoral dissertation supervised by Donald Carson, seeks to address such a lacuna, and thereby offer a sustained reading and interaction with the epistle’s use of the psalm. Compton argues that Psalm 110 is not just significant for Hebrews, but rather assumes a structural or determinative function within it; the citation of Ps 110:1, and its announcement of an enthroned messiah, effectively set the foundational premise that underpins the letter’s subsequent exposition and argument. Coupled with this is Hebrews’ use of Ps 110:4, namely that the vindicated/enthroned messiah is seated as the eternal, heavenly high priest, one who ‘solves’ humanity’s problem through his death.
Compton’s argument is fundamentally exegetical in nature, and much of the monograph is dedicated to close examination of the epistolary text. Such exegetical analysis is well considered, exhibits plenty of interaction with secondary materials, and Compton rightly makes the case for the significance of the psalm. Particularly helpful is his discussion of Heb 2:5–18, and the way in which Hebrews’ exposition of Ps 8 is informed/influenced by the writer’s understanding of Ps 110; the analysis is nuanced and thoughtful, and is probably the best part of the monograph. At the same time, one senses that the argument for the sustained dependence upon Ps 110 becomes less persuasive when dealing with the later parts of the epistle; for example, Compton has to work very hard to show how the psalm influences the argument of Heb 8–10, where it receives little, if any, citation. One wonders, therefore, why the psalm is not cited more here—compared, say, to Jer 31 —if it is really deemed to be so determinative. Likewise, interspersed with the exegetical discussion are a number of excurses; these are not uninteresting in and of themselves, but they tend to break up the flow of the exegetical argument, and are not always germane to the primary topic. All in all, though, the monograph offers fresh insight into the use of Ps 110 in Hebrews, and the way in which such use informs the epistle’s citation of other scriptural texts.