Prophetic Literature & The Books of the Prophets

“While there are many textbooks about the prophetic literature, most have taken either a historical or literary approach to studying the prophets. A Chorus of Prophetic Voices, by contrast, draws on both historical and literary approaches by paying careful attention to the prophets as narrative characters. It considers each unique prophetic voice in the canon, in its fully developed literary form, while also listening to what these voices say together about a particular experience in Israel’s story. It presents these four scrolls―Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Book of the Twelve―as works produced in the aftermath of destruction, works that employ prophetic characters, and as the words uttered during the crises. The prophetic literature became for Israel, living in a context of dispersion and imperial domination, a portable and adaptable resource at once both challenging and comforting. This book provides the fullest picture available for introducing students to the prophetic literature by valuing the role of the original prophetic characters, the finished state of the books that bear their names, the separate historical crises in the life of Israel they address, and the “chorus of prophetic voices” one hears when reading them as part of a coherent literary corpus.” – WJK Press

“This distinguished piece of history-writing has the added merit that Blenkinsopp weaves into his account many of the talking points and insights that have emerged from study of the prophets in the past two or three decades. It thus provides a much-needed report on the ‘state of the art’, and is doubly welcome on that account.” – Robert P. Gordon

“The Old Testament prophets spoke to Israel in times of historical and moral crisis. They saw themselves as being a part of a story that God was weaving throughout history–a story of repentance, encouragement, and a coming Messiah. In this updated introductory book, each major and minor prophet and his writing are clustered with the major historical events of their time. Our generational distance from the age of the prophets might seem to be a measureless chasm. Yet we dare not make the mistake of assuming that passing years have rendered irrelevant not only the Old Testament prophets, but also the God who comprehends, spans, and transcends all time. In these pages, C. Hassell Bullock presents a clear picture of some of history’s most profound spokesmen–the Old Testament prophets–and the God who shaped them.” – Moody Publishers

“This book is a comprehensive treatment of the ancient prophetic phenomenon as it comes to us through biblical, Near Eastern, and Greek sources. Once a distinctly biblical concept, prophecy is today acknowledged as yet another form of divination and a phenomenon that can be found all over the ancient Eastern Mediterranean. Even Greek oracle, traditionally discussed separately from biblical and Mesopotamian prophecy, is essentially part of the same picture. The book gives an up-to-date presentation of textual sources, whether cuneiform tablets from Mesopotamia, the Hebrew Bible, Greek inscriptions, or ancient historians, the number of which has increased substantially in recent times. In addition, the book includes comparative essays on topics such as prophetic ecstasy; temples as venues of prophetic performances; prophets and political rulers; and the prophets’ gender which can be either male, female, or non-gendered. The book argues for a common category of ancient Eastern Mediterranean prophecy, even though the fragmentary and secondary nature of the sources allows only a restricted view to it. The ways prophetic divination manifests itself in ancient sources depend not only on the socio-religious position of the prophets but also on the genre and purpose of the sources. The book shows that, even though the view of the ancient prophetic landscape is restricted by the fragmentary and secondary nature of the sources, it is possible to reconstruct essential features of prophetic divination.” – Oxford University Press

“The prophets of the Old Testament use a wide variety of metaphors to describe God and to portray people in relation to God. Some of these metaphors are familiar and soothing; others are unfamiliar and confusing. Still others portray God in ways that are difficult and uncomfortable–God as abusive husband, for instance, or as neglectful father. Julia O’Brien searches the prophetic books for these metaphors, looking for ways in which the different images intersect and build off each other. When confronted with disturbing metaphors, she deals with them unflinchingly, providing a sharp critique and evaluation of the interpretations of these metaphors for God. Giving particular attention to the possible uses of these metaphors in the church today–for good or ill–O’Brien listens to the fullness of the prophetic messages and points us toward new ways to read these theological metaphors for a just faith today.” – Presbyterian Publishing

“A true compendium of recent scholarship, the volume includes 115 articles covering all aspects of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the twelve “minor prophets” and Daniel. Each book’s historical, cultural, religious and literary background is thoroughly covered, alongside articles on interpretation history and critical method. Pastors, scholars and students will find this a deep resource for their Old Testament studies.” – IVP Academic

“Imperialism and Biblical Prophecy is a radically new interpretation of prophetic poetry. Using more than thirty new translations from the Hebrew Bible, it shows that this poetry is inseparable from imperialism, that each of the three major waves of biblical prophecy which have survived in the Old Testament occurred in response to simultaneous waves of imperialist conquest.” – Routledge

“Inspired Speech was originally published as a Festschrift to honor the work of Professor Herbert B. Huffmon, Professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible at Drew University. Thirty-three of his colleagues and students contributed to the work, which explores various aspects of prophecy in ancient Israel and its neighboring cultures. The result is a volume which provides an excellent overview of the current state and future directions of scholarship on prophecy in the biblical world.” – T&T Clark

“Exegeting a text—burrowing deep into its history, language, and literary structure—is an indispensable skill for any serious student of the Bible. Given their theological richness and poetic power, the prophetic texts of the Hebrew Bible would seem to be prime candidates for exegetical examination, but they often pose difficulty. In this book, James Nogalski offers solid, practical guidance on how to read and exegete a prophetic text in its literary, historical, and conceptual contexts. Assuming no prior knowledge of Hebrew, Nogalski devises an exegetical method that focuses on the distinctive elements of prophetic literature, rather than on the narrative material one finds in practically all introductions to exegesis. He provides clear examples for understanding poetic texts, prophetic genres, changing voices, and other important aspects of these texts. This book offers essential tools to help readers navigate the particular challenges and opportunities of interpreting the prophets” – WJK Press

“Following the Hebrew canon, the author offers a basic introduction, which includes critical issues such as authorship, unity, dates of composition and revision, and structure. Drawing upon current scholarship, Dr. Nogalski shows how these issues are relevant to the theological themes and movements that help characterize the text and hold meaning for us. The last decades have seen many changes when it comes to the study of the four Latter Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the book of the Twelve). Among others, these changes have identified a greater role for the prophetic scroll – not merely the prophetic character – as a vehicle for conveying the prophetic message.” – Abingdon Press