The Prophetic Literature

THE PROPHETIC LITERATURE INTRODUCTION Exile. About 750 B.C., the earliest "literary prophet," Amos, appeared. In the book Our Old Testament contains a number of that bears his name we have a collection books that we classify as prophetic litera of his oracles, visions, and some bio ture. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel are graphical information. Similar materials called the Major Prophets because the are found in the other writing prophets. books that bear their names are longer We often speak of the preexilic than the books of Daniel, Hosea, Joel, prophets-Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Nahum, and Jeremiah, and Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, perhaps Habakkuk and Obadiah. The dat and Malachi (called the Minor Prophets, ing of some of the prophets is uncertain. primarily because their length is shorter Jonah is nl0re a story about a prophet than than the Major Prophets). a collection of prophetic oracles. The Daniel is not included among the story is set in the preexilic period. prophets in the second section of the The Old Testament prophets warned Hebrew Bible. That book is placed in the Israel and Judah of a national disaster that third section of the canon, the Holy would come upon them from the Lord Writings (Hagiographa). Daniel is consid because of religious corruption and social ered a sage in Jewish tradition, which injustice. They spoke out against kings, helps to explain the book's place in the priests, and people as spokespersons for third section, composed primarily of the Lord. The key phrase that introduces books of wisdom. their oracles again and again is, "Thus says the LORD." PROPHETS IN ISRAEL Before Israel, the Northern Kingdom, In the Bible, non-Israelite prophets are was destroyed by the Assyrians in 722 acknowledged (Numbers 22:2), but the B.C., Amos and Hosea had prophesied prophetic tradition in Israel was extraordi there. The remainder of the literary nary in the numbers and fervor of the prophets spoke to the kingdom of Judah. prophets. Before the establishment of the The oracles of the preexilic prophets were monarchy, tradition recalls Abraham, carried to Babylon by devout disciples. Aaron, Miriam, Deborah, and Moses as There they played an important role in the prophets. Six important figures appeared religious reforms of the people before the from the eleventh to the ninth centuries: return. Samuel, Nathan, Ahijah, Elijah, Micaiah, All of Ezekiel and the last half of Isaiah and Elisha. To all of them the term encouraged the Jews in exile. Obadiah and prophet was applied. These are the "non possibly Daniel are also set in this period. literary" prophets. They were endowed They gave hope of restoration. After the with prophetic and sometimes miraculous return to Jerusalem and until the time of powers. Sometimes groups of persons Ezra (about 430 B.C.), Zechariah, Haggai, were associated with a major prophet, Joel, and Malachi prophesied. They are such as Elisha. called the postexilic prophets. According The great age of prophecy was during to Jewish tradition, the prophetic spirit left the Divided Kingdom period and into the Israel in the time of Ezra. THE PROPHETIC LITERATURE 79 THE PROPHETIC MESSAGE ahead of their time in social, moral, and humanitarian issues. They taught that Prophets were spokespersons for God. religious ritual without a genuine concern They were "forthtellers" more than "fore for the welfare of the weaker members of tellers." Their predictions usually concern the day of the Lord, an approaching day society was unacceptable before God. of destruction, due to the sin and rebellion This idea prepared for the survival of the of the people. But later generations could Jewish religion when the Temple was often see how the words of the prophets destroyed. spoke to their times and to the future. This While they described the suffering that characteristic of prophecy is in line with would come as the result of transgression, the recognition that the word of God is the prophets also planted the idea that a living and active. remnant would return. This idea gave rise The influence of the prophets grew to the messianic hopes of postexilic times. after the destruction of Jerusalem when Even in the postexilic era, the prophets the doom they had foretold came about. continued to look forward to a bright The prophets inspired the religious con future for God's people. Thus Malachi, cept of ethical monotheism. This is the the last of the Old Testament prophets, concept of God as the only ruler of the closes with the promise: "Lo, I will send universe. you the prophet Elijah before the great The biblical prophets emphasized the and terrible day of the LORD conles" (4:5). relationship between God and Israel John the Baptist was the fulfillment of through the covenant. They were well that prophecy (Matthew 11: 11-15). BOOKS OF THE BIBLE 80 .

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