One of the Twelve Minor Prophetic books, the book of Micah contains the famous quote "what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8). However, many of us do not know the circumstances that led the prophet to these famous words. This serious commentary by Daniel Smith- Christopher analyzes the historical, social, and literary context of the book of Micah. Smith-Christopher presents a challenging perspective o...
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 con...
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 i...
This book of Jeremiah offers a remarkable range of literature, including prose, poetry, homilies, oracles, and proverbs. This commentary understands the book as a work of religious literature, to be examined in its final form and yet with careful attention to the historical contexts of writing and development through which the present text took shape. Jeremiah proclaimed a message of coming judgment, because of the people's unfaithful worship, and yet also emphasized the call to kno...
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 o...
This much-needed commentary provides an authoritative guide to a better understanding of the often-neglected book of Micah. It gives insight into the individual sayings of Micah, to the way they were understood and used as they were gathered into the growing collection, and to their role in the final form of the document. ""I am convinced,"" says Dr. Mays, that Micah ""is not just a collection of prophetic sayings, but is the outcome of a history of prophetic proclamations and is it...
This volume by Old Testament scholar Ronald Clements covers many aspects of research on the forms, structure, and theological message of the prophetic writings of the Old Testament. An introductory essay by Clements assesses the changing perspectives of literary and theological approaches to the study of the prophets during this same period. This book is for all who are interested in reading some of the most compelling Old Testament scholarship from one of the most respected scholar...
This volume brings to life the ministry and message of one of the most neglected of the major Old Testament prophets, and illuminates one of the most fascinating chapters on the history of Israel. Besides giving a verse-by-verse commentary of the Book of Ezekiel, Walher Eichrodt fully discusses its origin and composition and all the knotty problems of the prophet's own activity.The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testamen...
The book of Daniel is concerned with religious persecution. Daniel's message in this apocalyptic text, however, assures that God will deliver those who trust God, refuse to worship other Gods, and keep Jewish tradition in the face of persecution. C. L. Seow examines this difficult and provocative book and explores its relevance to faith and the church today.Books in the Westminster Bible Companion series assist laity in their study of the Bible as a guide to Christian faith and p...
The book of Amos holds a unique and central place among the canonical prophetic literature and presents a special array of issues for scholarly discussion. This book provides a thorough and balanced overview of the history of scholarship on the book of Amos, two essays that trace the history of scholarship and offer promising lines for further inquiry, a substantial anthology of readings of the multiple ways Amos has been analyzed and appropriated, an extensive and current bibliogra...
Respected scholar David Petersen provides a systematic and comprehensive introduction to the prophetic literature. Petersen takes into account the major advances in current research as he examines both the literature of the latter prophets (Isaiah-Malachi) as well as the Hebrew texts that describe the work and words of Israel's earlier prophets (e.g., Elijah and Elisha in 1 & 2 Kings).
Perfect for students, Reading Isaiah is a practical and nontechnical literary introduction to the book of Isaiah as a poem. Peter Quinn-Miscall translates much of the Hebrew text and focuses upon parallelism, figurative language, and the use of imagery.
In this important addition to the Old Testament Library, now available in a new casebound edition, renowned scholar Brevard Childs writes on the Old Testament's most important theological book. He furnishes a fresh translation from the Hebrew and discusses questions of text, philology, historical background, and literary architecture, and then proceeds with a critically informed, theological interpretation of the text.The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatm...
In Part Two of his commentary on Jeremiah and Lamentations, John Bracke provides a powerful interpretation of the prophet's message to a nation refusing to repent and obey God and points beyond exile and suffering to God's restoration of the people and renewal of the covenant.Books in the Westminster Bible Companion series assist laity in their study of the Bible as a guide to Christian faith and practice. Each volume explains the biblical book in its original historical context...
The prophet Jeremiah declared the word of the Lord at a critical time in the history of ancient Israel. In the first volume of a two-part commentary on Jeremiah, John Bracke provides a powerful interpretation of the prophet's message to a nation that refused to listen to the call to repent and to renew covenant living in obedience to God's commandments. Readers encounter God's anguish and pain over both the failure of the people and the suffering that they and Jeremiah were forced...
In this volume, Walter Brueggemann writes on Isaiah 1-39, which many scholars believe had a single author, Isaiah, of the eighth century BCE, who wrote in the context of the Assyrian empire between 742 and 701.Books in the Westminster Bible Companion series assist laity in their study of the Bible as a guide to Christian faith and practice. Each volume explains the biblical book in its original historical context and explores its significance for faithful living today. These books...
In this volume, Walter Brueggemann focuses on Second Isaiah (Isaiah 40- 55), believed to be written by a second exilic poet, and Third Isaiah (Isaiah 56-66), a third group of texts that rearticulate Isaianic theology in yet another faith situation. Brueggemann discusses both the distinctiveness of the texts and their canonical relatedness.Books in the Westminster Bible Companion series assist laity in their study of the Bible as a guide to Christian faith and practice. Each volume ...
Donald Gowan offers a unified reading of the prophetic books, showing that each has a distinctive contribution to make to a central theme. These books--Isaiah through Malachi--respond to three key moments in Israel's history: the end of the Northern Kingdom in 722 BCE, the end of the Southern Kingdom in 587 BCE, and the beginning of the restoration from the Babylonian exile in 538 BCE. Gowan traces the theme of death and resurrection throughout these accounts, finding a symbolic mes...
In this volume, Jeremias suggests that the book of Amos was produced through various stages over time. While he does write from a critical perspective, his creativity offers a sensitivity to literary issues within the text that is often missing from critical work.The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.
Often called "minor prophets," these first great classical prophets spoke to issues that dominated their times--love, redemption, fidelity, renewal, authority, justice, righteousness, and inclusivity--and that continue to have great relevance today.Books in the Westminster Bible Companion series assist laity in their study of the Bible as a guide to Christian faith and practice. Each volume explains the biblical book in its original historical context and explores its significance...
Taken together, the nine prophets found in the books Obadiah through Malachi lived during a tumultuous two hundred years of Israelite history. Their communities dealt with the crisis of the impending Assyrian threat in the eighth century and the Babylonia exile in the sixth, as well as the hopeful age of restoration in the late sixth and early fifth centuries. Intimately connected to the travails and needs of their communities, these prophets had the responsibility of bringing God's...
This revised and enlarged edition of a classic in Old Testament scholarship reflects the most up-to-date research on the prophetic books and offers substantially expanded discussions of important new insight on Isaiah and the other prophets.
The book of Ezekiel was written during a tumultuous time in Israel's history. It follows a period that began with Ezekiel's warning of Jerusalem's fall and his prediction of the destruction of the temple--a sanctuary regarded as so holy that its destruction was unimaginable. The period continues with Ezekiel's and others' exile to Babylon. Although much in the book of Ezekiel focuses on the consequences of Israel's rebellion against God that lead to the destruction of Jerusalem, e...
In this first volume of the Library of Ancient Israel series, Joseph Blenkinsopp investigates three forms of biblical Israel's intellectual and religious leadership: the sage, the priest, and the prophet. The people who occupied these roles were directly responsible for what appears in the Old Testament text. Blenkinsopp looks at the development of these roles and how they functioned in their particular time and place. This investigation will lead to a keener understanding of the lit...
This volume in the Old Testament Library series focuses on Zechariah and Malachi.The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.
Daniel
Author(s):Choon-Leong Seow
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