Rise of Prophecy
Arose in Israel as a check on the KingIt rose and fell with the monarchy and the divided kingdom
Navi
God's messenger or spokesman"Nevi'im" is the plural for "prophets"
Prophets are Forth-Tellers
Great old testament prophets are primarily forth-tellers (proclaiming God's truth to the crisis at hand) rather than fore-tellers (predicting the future)
Divination
Various method to see (seer) or divine a word from God, usually an answer to a yes or no question
Urim and the Thummim
Within Israel, seers used divine lots
Necromancy
Consulting the deadAstrology and animal entrails reading were used beyond IsraelBy contrast, for Israel's prophets, knowing the future is not soothsaying. It is anticipating the unfolding of a present spiritual condition
Ecstatic Prophets
Possessed by a spirit in an ecstatic frenzyElsewhere in the ancient world, sometimes artificially induced with wine or opiumAt the shrine to Apollo in Delphi, Greece, archaeologists have discovered evidence of fumes that may account for the trance-like state
Pre-Classical (non literary) Prophets
The great 9th century BCE prophets who confronted Israel's decadent kings
Elijah and Elisha
Prophets who confronted Israel's Decadent kings (pre-classical prophets)Received much insight through dream and visions"When there are prophets among you, I the Lord make myself known to them in visions, I speak to them in dreams"Every time an angel appears to Joseph in the Gospels, it is in a dream
Elijah
The greatest of the 9th Century BCE, Pre-Classical (non literary) prophetsHe offers both a prophetic challenge and orchestrates a political collapse of the wicked King AhabThe Elijah story clearly places the prophet about the king in the spiritual hierarchy of Israel
The Cult of Baal
Baal was the Canaanite storm god whose consort was Baalath or AsherahBaal's love-making with his female consort revived the fertility of the womb and fieldThis could be encouraged by the sympathetic magic of sacred prostitutionOffered a way to control the gods and the elements rather than obey the mysterious YahwehThe Hebrews were drawn to Baalism especially in times of famine
The Elijah Cycle
King Ahab marries a Phonecian princess named Jezebel who is an ardent promoter of BaalismElijah, a fearsome prophet, arises to confront this challenge
The "Still Small Voice"
Elijah ascends to heaven in a chariot of fire, the only prophet so honoredHe is also presented as a new Moses, signaling a new Era in Hebrew history: the ProphetsElijah's successor, Elisha, arranges a bloody coup that brings Ahab's rein to an end
Modes of Prophetic Knowing
Dreams, Visions, Urim and Thummim, Ecstatic Vision, stillness of Conscious, and Instight
Classical Prophets
Elisha's death marks the end of the 9th century BCE pre-classical prophetsThey are remembered mostly for their deeds rather than their wordsThe 8th century BCE and beyond Classical prophets left a literary legacy: Amos, Hosea, IsaiahThey are remembered for their spoken oracles and written words
The Prophet's Placement in the Canon
Two sections in the Hebrew Bible
Former Prophets
Historical Narratives: Joshua-Kings (The Deuteronomistic History)History understood in light of the prophetic Torah1 & 2 Kings: "King _____ did what was evil in the sight of the Lord."
Latter Prophets: "Major" (single scroll) and "Minor"
Major and Minor refer to the fact if they consume one scroll or if there are several to one scroll
Major Prophets
Isaiah, Jeremiah, EzekielRequire 1 Scroll Each
Minor Prophets
The book of the 12All on 1 Scroll
Thematic
Law, History, Writing, Prophets
Chronology
Torah, Nevi'im, Kethuvium (Law, Prophets, Writings)
Prophets to the Northern Kingdom of Israel
Amos and Hosea
Amos and Hosea
First of the classical or literary prophets (8th century BC)Prophesied during period of peace and prosperityThe Assyrian empire was on the riseAssyria will be God's instrument of God's judgment due to social injustice (Amos) and apostasy (Hosea)
Amos
Inaugurated period of classical prophecy during the reign of king JeroboamScholars consider him the first of the classical prophets Lavish wealth of the rich created gross injustices for the poor and powerlessAmos, shepherd and dirt farmer from the south, went to bitterly denounce the decadent north
Themes of Amos
Social Injustice: Called for justice for the poorReligious Hypocrisy: Appalled by piety lacking morality Judgment is Coming: "The Day of the Lord" A day of judgment, not triumph
Judgment
Against the nations, including IsraelYahweh is no patron deity nor Israel's "mascot" Yahweh is a cosmic, not national deityIsrael has been judged by God's plumb line and been found wanting
Hosea
A contemporary of Amos, for whom the root problem is apostasy, which he conceives of as infidelity to GodHosea's marriage to the promiscuous Gomer is a parable of Yahweh's relationship to IsraelDespite Israel's unfaithfulness, God shows hesed (covenant love)Yahweh also likened to a loving fatherHosea is more compassionate that Amos, perhaps due to his personal story
Conclusions after Hosea and Amos
Neither Hosea's compassion nor Amos' stinging critique turn Israel from evilIsrael falls to the AssyriansFor the Deuteronomic historian, this is an inevitable result of Israel apostasy