Psalms in/on Jerusalem: Aesthetics, Ethics, Hermeneutics
Conference "Psalms in/on Jerusalem: Aesthetics, Ethics, Hermeneutics"
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, June 4, 2015
For many readers, Psalms has been the most personally present of all biblical books. In geographic terms, it has had a pivotal role in making Jerusalem the privileged landscape and inscape of belief for both Jews and Christians. We explored the ways in which Jerusalem is represented in Psalms – from its position in the context of liturgical and pilgrim songs to its role as metaphor. Special attention was given to questions of reception, to the ways in which the Book of Psalms has travelled across its native bounds into other cultural settings, acquiring new forms and meanings. Among the topics addressed: What characterizes the geographic imagining of Psalms in different aesthetic zones: literature, music, visual arts? How is psalmic Jerusalem represented in public discourse, pedagogical institutions, and political conflicts in different historical contexts? To what extent are sites in Jerusalem defined through their affiliation with David as Psalmist? What is the role of the Book of Psalms in disputes between Jews, Christians and Moslems over David’s legacy in Jerusalem (from David’s Tomb to the City of David)? In what ways do the various artistic media differ from each other in probing questions of space in Psalms and what kind of exchanges and collaborations can be discerned among them? To what extent can aesthetic inquiries within religious realms change our perception of religious space and religious experience?
Program
Thursday June 4th, 2015
9:00 - 9:30
Greetings
- Israel Yuval, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Head of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School for Advanced Studies in the Humanities
- Ilana Pardes, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Director of the PhD Honors Program, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School for Advanced Studies in the Humanities – Opening Remarks
Readings of Selected Psalms - Robert Alter and Ruth HaCohen
I. 9:30 - 10:30
Chair: Vivian Liska, University of Antwerp, The Hebrew University
- Jonathan Sheehan, University of California, Berkeley
Psalms and the Types of Christian Sacrifice - Yael Sela Teichler, The Open University
Moses Mendelssohn on Psalms, Music, and Redemption between Jerusalem and Athens-on-the-Spree
II. 10:45 - 12:15
Chair: Ilana Pardes, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Ron Hendel, University of California, Berkeley
Myth and Mimesis in the Psalms of Jerusalem - Jonathan Stavsky, Mandel Scholion, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Oral Tales and Written Truth in the Reception History of Septuagint Psalm 118 (119): 85 - Ariel Zinder, Tel Aviv University
His Highness: God's Voice and the Mountain-King
III. 13:15 - 14:15
Chair: Ruth Ginsburg, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Leora Batnitzky, Princeton University
The Anticipation of the Future and the Eternity of the Moment: Franz Rosenzweig's Reading of Psalm 115 - Vivian Liska, University of Antwerp / The Hebrew University
Paul Celan, the Last Psalmist
IV. 14:30 - 15:30
Chair: Ora Limor, The Open University
- Sidra Dekoven Ezrahi, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
"By the Waters of Babylon": The Amnesia of Memory - Ophir Münz Manor, The Open University
Psalms in the Poetry of T. Carmi
V. 16:15 - 17:45 - CONCERT
Psalms and Music - Remarks by Ruth HaCohen and Edwin Seroussi, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra Conducted by David Shemer
Cantors: Maimon Cohen and Roni Ish-Ran
Program:
Mizmor le-David - Psalms in Oral Jewish Traditions and in Works by Benedetto Marcello, Claudio Monteverdi and Heinrich Schütz
17:45 - 18:45 - RECEPTION
VI. 18:45 - 20:00 (in Hebrew with simultaneous translation)
Greetings: Richard Cohen, Academic Director of “Da’at HaMakom,” The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Chair: Galit Hasan-Rokem, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Keynote speakers:
- Robert (Uri) Alter, University of California, Berkeley
- Yair Zakovitch, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Conference Poster
Click here to download the Psalms in/on Jerusalem conference poster.
Photos guided tour
Guided tour to King David's Tomb in Jerusalem as part of the program of the conference "Psalms in/on Jerusalem".
