DOCSLIB.ORG

A Reevaluation of Hosea 4: 1 3 - 14

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Reevaluation of Hosea 4: 1 3 - 14 No Prostitute Has Been Here: A Reevaluation of Hosea 4: 1 3 - 14 BY Karin R. Shrofel A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Religious Studies University of Winnipeg Winnipeg, Manitoba December, 1999 National Library Bibliothèque nationale 1*1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellingtm OnawaON KlAW OnawaON K1A OW Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une Licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, dismbute or seii reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfichelnlm, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or othenwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimes reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES ***** COPYRIGHT PERMISSION PAGE No Prostitute Has Been EIere: A Reevaiuation of Hosea 4: 13-14 A Thesis/Practicum submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial hilflllment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts Permission bas been granted to the Library of The University of Manitoba to lend or sell copies of this thesidpncticum, to the National Library of Canada to microfilm this thesis/practicum and to lend or sell copies of the Nm, and to Dissertations Abstracts International ta publish an abstrrct of this thesis/practicum. The author reserves other publication rights, and neither this thesis/practicum nor esteusive extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's wr9ten permission. I TABLE OF CONTENTS 1n:roduction ......................................... 1 Chapter 1. TRADITIONAL SCHOLARSHIP ON HOSEA 3:13-14 . .9 The Marriage Metaphor Gomer bat-Diblairn Modem Sc hoiarship on Hosea 4: 1 3 - 1 3 Conc Iusion v 2. THE ROOT QDS .............................. -39 The Root qds @des and Qëdsirn in 1 and 2 Kings Qëdë~trnin Job 36:14 @des and Qëdë~âin Deuteronomy 23: 17 QëdZsâ in Genesis 38:21-22 Conclusion 3. "CULT PROSTITUTES" IN EXTRA SIBLICAL AND CLASSICAL SOURCES .......................... 70 Qëdë~ôt'sExtra Biblical Cognates 11 The Ugaritic Evidence The Mesopotamian Evidence Ancient Greek Sources Conclusion 3. ISRAEL VERSUS CANAAN: A RHETORIC OF OTHERNESS . 105 The Pro-Israelite/Anti-CanaaniteStance of Modem Biblical Scholars The HistoryNature Dichotomy The HistoryNature Dichotomy as a Western Construct Conclusion 5. THE RHETORiC OF THE MARNAGE 1METAPHOR. 141 Covenants and Marriages Analyzing the Mamage Metaphor Feminist Biblical Scholars and the Rhetoric of Hosea's Marriage Metaphor Zuh and n p from the Wronged Husband Perspective Conclusion 6. NO PROSTITUTE HAS BEEN HERE: RECONSTRUCTING THE ROLE OF THE QPDE~ÔT. -167 Recent Reconstructions of the Roles of the Qëdës6t: A Critique A Reevaluation of the Role of the Qëdë~Ôt 7. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS . .18 1 Bibliography ....................................... 186 iv Abstract In this thesis, 1 present the major points of contention with traditional biblical scholars' assumption that the Hebrew qiidëi% (Hosea 4:13-14) were cult prostitutes. First. in a word study of the Hebrew root q& 1 demonstrate that its range of meanings in no rvay includes sexual activity. Second, by reviewing extra biblical ANE texts in which cognate terms for qédèSôt occur, I dem~nstratethat there is no unarnbiguous evidence supporting the notion of institutionalized sex cults. Third, 1 argue that ancient Greek sources. which purport to describe sexual rites among ANE peoples. are too rhetorical to be regarded as historically accurate accounts. The mistaken notion of ANE cult prostitution arises out of scholars' failure to recognize texts such as Hosea 4: 13- 14 as primarily polemical in intent. Such rhetorical texts were designed to denigrate Israel's rivals, and not to offer an accurate portrayai of Canaanite religious activity. Furthemore, traditional scholars. and even certain critics of the cult prostitution hypothesis, have not understood Hosea's sexual language of rnh and n 'p as exclusively metaphorical. Hosea adopted the metaphor COVENANT IS MARNAGE, casting Yahweh as a husband and Israel as an adulterous wife. to efTectively convey 19 his male audience the gravity of breach of covenant, and mr because the sexual language identified the nature of the apostate religious activity. Reading the sexual language of Hosea 4:13-14 as an exclusively metaphorical description of apostate religious activity, 1 maintain that the qédë?Ôf were not cult prostitutes. Rather. on the bais of both the co~ectionmade between sacrifice and the qedé&i? in Hosea 4: 13-14 and the pairing of q~dës'Ôt.scognates with sacrificial activity in the extra biblical material, I propose that the qeaë~z~were officia1 assistants to pfiests in Canaanite-styled sacrificial rites. These rites were condemned by conservative Yahwists such as Hosea. but were not necessarily, nor even likely, sexual in nature. HOSEA 3: 13-14 AND THE CULT PROSTITUTION HYPOTHESIS I have a rîb with modem biblical scholars in their treatment of the Hebrew qëdëSÔt. There is a long tradition of rendering qëdë~ôt,found in this form in Hosea 4: 14 alone, as "cult prostitutes." It is further assumed on the basis of both this passage and on the sexual language eniployed in the book of Hosea, particularly in the first four chapters, that a "Canaanite-styled" fertiiity cult is the prirnary tarzet of Hosea's invective. The related terms qëdësâ (ferninine singular form - Gen 3821; Deut 23:17), qiides (masculine singuIar fom - 1 Kings 1424; Deut 23:18), and qëdë~irn(masculine plural fonn - 1 Kings 15: 12; 2 Kings 23:7; Job 36: 14) are also transIated as fernale and male cult prostitute(s). However, the particular occurrence of qëdë~ôt in Hosea 4: 13- 14, surrounded as it is by sexual imagery and cultic language of sacrificing. offerings, and priests. is perhaps the greatest contributor to the notion that the terni designates women whose activity was both sesual and cultic. It is for this reason that I focus upon Hosea 3:13-14 in uiiraveling the case of the cuit prostitutes. The tradition that the qëdesôt were cult prostitutes is certainly alive and well arnong an ovenvl~elmingmajority of modem Hosea scholars. These scholars continue to translate qëdë~ôtas "cult prostitutes," "temple prostitutes," "sacral prostitutes," "ritual harlots," or "sacred prostitutes," and assume that ritual sex was carried out in the eighth century B.C.E. at sacred sites in Hosea's native land of Israel.' Qëdë~ôtliterally means "holy 'F.W. Farrar. The ,Minor Pronhets (London: Nisbet and Co.. n.d.) 86: W.E. Crane. "The Prophecy of Hosea," Bibliotheca Sacra 89 (1932) 437; Elrner .4. LesIic. Old Testament Relinion in the Licht of its Canaanite Background (New York: Abincedon, 1936) 174-175: Rolland Emerson Wolfe, .Meet Amos and Hosea (Xew York: Harper and Brothers, 1945) 94; Abraham J. Heschel. The Pro~hets(New York: Harper and Row, 1962) 45; J.B. Phillips. Four Pro~hets:Amos. Hosea. The First Isaiah, iMicah (London: Geoffrey m-omen." However, traditional scholars' notion of an alleged Canaanite sex-cult that beguiled Israel away from acceptable forrns of Yahweh worship is finnly entrenched. According to these scholars, the "holy women" who are named in Hosea's scathing invective against Canaanite religion and its hold upon the imagination of Israel, must indeed have been holy harlots. In recent years, some biblical scholars have begun to question the daims of traditionai scholarship about the qëdë~ôt and the cultic activity in which they alle_eedly participated.' These cntics of the traditional school have identified several crucial points Blrs. 1963) 35; Jared J. Jackson. "Yahweh v. Cohen et al.: God's Lawsuit with Priest and People - Hosea 4." Pittsbureh Perspective 7 (1966) 3 1: James .M. Ward. Hosea: A TheoIocical Comrnentarv (Neri* York: Hxper and Row. 1966) 76: Walter Brueggemann. Tradition For Crisis: A Srudv in Hosea (Richmond: John Knox. 1968) 49: James Luther iMays, Hosea: A Comrnentarv (OTL; Philadelphia: Westminster. 1969) 72; J.F.Craghan. "The Book of Hosea: .4 Sunsy of Recent Literature on rhs First of the mino or Prophets." Biblical TheoIorrv Bulletin 1 (1971) 83-84: Henry McKeating. The Books of Amos. Hosea. and Micah (Cambridge: Cambrid~eUniversity Press. 1971) 99: Edwin .M. Yamauchi, "Cultic Prostitution: A Case Study in Cultural Diffusion." in Hany -4. Hoffner, Jr. (ed.). Orient And Occident (Xeukirchener : Verlag Butzon 6C Bercekr Kevelaer. 1973) 215: Hans Walter Woiff. Hosea (Hem; Philadelphia: Fortress. 1974) 72; G.W. Anderson, "Hosea and Yahweh: God's Love Story." Revienr and Ex~ositor72 (1975) 430: John Olen Strange. "The Broken Covenant: Bankrupt Relision (Hosea 4-6):' Revient and Espositor 72 ( 1975) 441: Francis 1. Andersen and David Noel Frsedman. Hosea: A New Translation with introduction and Commentarv (-413 24; Garden City: Doubleday and Co.. 1980) 343: Karl A. Plank. "The Scarred Counrenance: Inconstancy in the Book of Hosea." Judaism 32 (1983) 346: Harold Fisch. "Hosea: A Poetics of Violence." Poe- With a Pumose (Bloornington: Indiana University Press, 1988) 1JS; James Lirnburg. Hosea-Micah (Atlanta: John Knox. 1988) 23: H.D.Beeby. Grace Aboundinn: A Commentarv on the Book of Hosea (Grand Rapids: WilIiam B. Eerdmans Pub!ishing Co., 1989) 2: .Michael Lee Catlett. Reversal in the Book of Hosea: A Literan: Analvsis (Unpublished Ph.D dissertation.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Session 4 (Hosea 9.1-11.11)
    Tuesday Evening Bible Study Series #8: The Minor Prophets Session #4: Hosea 9:1 – 11:11 Tuesday, January 24, 2017 Outline A. The Prophecies of Hosea (4:1 – 14:9) 1. Israel’s festivals are condemned (9:1-9) 2. Before and after (9:10 – 11:11) a. The present is like the past (9:10-17) b. The end of cult, king, and calf (10:1-8) c. Sowing and Reaping (10:9-15) d. Israel as God’s wayward child (11:1-11) Notes Israel’s festivals are condemned and Hosea’s Response (9:1-11) • Four important parts of Chapter 9 1. A prophecy of what is coming as a result of God’s departure 2. A proof from the behavior of the people that these things are coming 3. A truncated prayer of Hosea 4. God’s final word on the subject, followed by Hosea’s response. • Hosea condemns Israel’s celebration of their harvest festival as unfaithfulness to the Lord and is denounced. 1. Gathering around threshing floors were features of harvest festivals and occasions for communal worship. Threshing floors were also the site of sexual overtures (Ruth 3). 2. Mourner’s bread – associated with the dead, and is considered unclean. 3. Festival of the Lord = the harvest festival of tabernacles or Sukkoth. 4. The site of Memphis, Egypt (originally Hiku-Ptah), had been the capital of the Old Kingdom. By Hosea’s time it had become a cultural and religious center, but was famous for its ancient tombs. 5. “Sentinel” is often used to refer to prophets.
    [Show full text]
  • The Prophetic Wisdom of Hosea Lesson One an Introduction to Hosea
    The Prophetic Wisdom of Hosea Lesson 1 An Introduction to Hosea Manuscript -0- For videos, lesson guides and other resources, visit Thirdmill at thirdmill.org. © 2017 by Third Millennium Ministries All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means for profit, except in brief quotations for the purposes of review, comment, or scholarship, without written permission from the publisher, Third Millennium Ministries, Inc., 316 Live Oaks Blvd., Casselberry, Florida 32707. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ABOUT THIRDMILL Founded in 1997, Thirdmill is a non-profit Evangelical Christian ministry dedicated to providing: Biblical Education. For the World. For Free. Our goal is to offer free Christian education to hundreds of thousands of pastors and Christian leaders around the world who lack sufficient training for ministry. We are meeting this goal by producing and globally distributing an unparalleled multimedia seminary curriculum in English, Arabic, Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish. Our curriculum is also being translated into more than a dozen other languages through our partner ministries. The curriculum consists of graphic-driven videos, printed instruction, and internet resources. It is designed to be used by schools, groups, and individuals, both online and in learning communities. Over the years, we have developed a highly cost-effective method of producing award- winning multimedia lessons of the finest content and quality. Our writers and editors are theologically-trained educators, our translators are theologically-astute native speakers of their target languages, and our lessons contain the insights of hundreds of respected seminary professors and pastors from around the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Priests and Cults in the Book of the Twelve
    PRIESTS & CULTS in the BOOK OF THE TWELVE Edited by Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer Ancient Near East Monographs Monografías sobre el Antiguo Cercano Oriente Society of Biblical Literature Centro de Estudios de Historia del Antiguo Oriente (UCA) Priests and Cults in the Book of the twelve anCient near eastern MonograPhs General Editors alan lenzi Juan Manuel tebes Editorial Board: reinhard achenbach C. l. Crouch esther J. hamori rené krüger Martti nissinen graciela gestoso singer number 14 Priests and Cults in the Book of the twelve Edited by lena-sofia tiemeyer Atlanta Copyright © 2016 by sBl Press all rights reserved. no part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by means of any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permit- ted by the 1976 Copyright act or in writing from the publisher. requests for permission should be addressed in writing to the rights and Permissions office,s Bl Press, 825 hous- ton Mill road, atlanta, ga 30329 usa. library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data names: tiemeyer, lena-sofia, 1969- editor. | krispenz, Jutta. idolatry, apostasy, prostitution : hosea’s struggle against the cult. Container of (work): title: Priests and cults in the Book of the twelve / edited by lena-sofia tiemeyer. description: atlanta : sBl Press, [2016] | ©2016 | series: ancient near east monographs ; number 14 | includes bibliographical references and index. identifiers: lCCn 2016005375 (print) | lCCn 2016005863 (ebook) | isBn 9781628371345 (pbk. : alk. paper) | isBn 9780884141549 (hardcover : alk. paper) | isBn 9780884141532 (ebook) subjects: lCSH: Priests, Jewish.
    [Show full text]
  • Hosea: God's Persistent Love
    Lesson 1 Hosea: God’s Persistent Love July 4, 2021 Background Scripture Hosea 1, 4, 6 Lesson Passage: Hosea 1:2-10; 4:1-6; 6:4-11 (HCSB) Introduction: Hosea, whose name means salvation, or deliverance, was a contemporary of Amos. Hosea was a young preacher in the nation of Israel, the northern kingdom, and he was a contemporary of the prophets Isaiah and Amos. He lived, as we are told in the first verse, during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (kings of Judah, the Southern Kingdom), and during the reign of Jeroboam. Jeroboam was one of the wicked kings of Israel and the nation was going through a difficult time when Hosea was preaching. Hosea has the distinction as being the last prophet God sent to that nation. The peoples’ conduct was nothing close to that demanded by God. They were guilty of swearing, breaking faith, murder, stealing, committing adultery, deceit, lying, drunkenness, dishonesty in business, and other crimes equally abominable before Jehovah (4:1-2, 11; 6:8-9; 10:4; 13:1-2). The priests were also involved in violence and bloodshed (6:9). The picture painted in the Book of Hosea is truly that of a nation in decay. God was completely left out of the peoples’ thinking. The prophet’s task was to turn the thinking of the people back to God, but they were too deeply steeped in their idolatry to heed his warning. They had passed the point of no return and they refused to hear. The key to Hosea’s prophecy is the parallel of Hosea’s personal life to that of God’s relationship with Israel.
    [Show full text]
  • Hosea 4:1-19
    Hosea 4:1-19 1. This chapter begins the second part of Hosea’s book. 2. Hosea writes no more about himself or his family. 3. The rest of the book (4:1-14:8) is made up of accusations against Israel that mixed with statements promising ultimate redemption of Israel in the future 4. Outline here: a. 4:1-3 – YHWH’s case against Israel i. 4:1 – No Faithfulness, No Love, No Knowledge of God ii. 4:2 – Social crimes identified iii. 4:3 – Result of Israel’s acts of corruption b. 4:4-14 – YHWH identifies two guilty groups: i. 4:4-10 – priests and prophets ii. 4:11-14 – the people c. 4:15-19 – Warning to Judah to NOT follow the northern nation of Israel 5. General thoughts about chapters 4-14: a. The time and setting of the words of Hosea in the remaining chapters (4-14) cannot be known and guesses can become misleading. b. The rest of the book does not breakdown into clear divisions of individual messages, oracles or prophecies c. Chapters 4-14 is a book or literary production and not merely a collection of Hosea’s messages d. The theme continually switches from accusations with announcements of judgment to promises of redemption and restoration of a intimate relationship with Israel and YHWH. Hosea 4:1 – “Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel, for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Hosea 4–14 in Twentieth-Century Scholarship
    Hosea 4–14 in Twentieth-Century Scholarship BRAD E. KELLE Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, CA, USA [email protected] ABSTRACT Twentieth-century scholarship on Hosea has addressed a wide range of interpretive questions that often reflect the common approaches to the prophetic literature in general, yet an inordinate amount of atten- tion has been paid to the marriage and family imagery in Hosea 1–3. In recent years, scholars have corrected this tendency, exploring ways that texts throughout Hosea 4–14 offer insights into long-standing critical issues. Rather than exhibiting a movement in which newer methodological perspectives have replaced older traditional approaches, all of the established, modern scholarly pursuits remain prominent in the current study of Hosea 4–14. Scholars are now reformulating the traditional questions, however, from new angles largely generated by interdisciplinary influences. These influences have also given rise to previously unexplored lines of inquiry, such as synchronic, literary, and theological readings, Book of the Twelve studies, and metaphor theory. Studies using metaphor theory with an eye toward religious, political, socio-economic, and gender consid- erations seem likely to occupy the central place in Hosea scholarship in the immediate future. Keywords: Baal, Book of the Twelve, covenant, eighth-century history, feminist criticism, form criticism, goddess, history of scholarship, Hosea 1–4, Israelian Hebrew, metaphor, religion of Israel Currents in Biblical Research © The Author(s), 2010. Reprints and Permissions: http://www.sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav Vol. 8.3: 314-375 ISSN 1476-993X DOI: 10.1177/1476993X09346514 Downloaded from cbi.sagepub.com at Bobst Library, New York University on April 28, 2015 KELLE Hosea 4–14 in Twentieth-Century Scholarship 315 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Leader Guide
    A Love That Will Not Let Me Go Leader Guide (NASB and ESV) A STUDY ON HOSEA KINGS & PROPHETS SERIES COURSE 8 i A Love That Will Not Let Me Go Leader Guide (NASB and ESV) © 2005, 2013, 2015 Precept Ministries International Published by Precept Ministries of Reach Out, Inc. Chattanooga, Tennessee 37422 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the U.S.A. Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible® © The Lockman Foundation, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. www.lockman.org Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 2nd Edition (10/2015) ii USING LEADER GUIDES Leader Guides are intended for you, the leader, to guide your Precept Upon Precept® and In & Out® discussions. They are designed to help you reason through the content of the lessons and to ensure you have understood what your group should have learned from their study. The guides offer effective plans for leading discussions. The Holy Spirit is your guide as you prepare. He is the one who knows what your group needs to apply to their lives. Pray for them as they study and for yourself as you prepare to lead the discussion.
    [Show full text]
  • Hosea 4 Copy
    Hosea 4:1-19 The Covenant Love of God and the Idolatry of His People I. Introduction A. Review — Chapters 1-3 address Hosea, Gomer and their children. What were some of the major points that we need to walk away from that section with? B. As we step into chapters 4-14, we need keep in mind that at times it’s easy to get lost staring at the details of a leaf, and forget to appreciate the clear picture of the forest. There will be times when we are wrestling through how to understand a verse or even a word, but don’t let that frustrate you. The problem isn’t the Bible, the problem is the people who translate/interpret/study the Bible — us! As we work through those details we need to step back to get the major theme that God is communicating in the passage. C. Structure of 4:1-14:9:1 1. 4:1-6:3 — Evidence of ignorance of God and statement of hope 2. 6:4-11:11 — Evidence of disloyalty to God and statement of hope 3. 11:12-14:9 — Evidence of faithlessness to God and statement of hope II. 4:1-3 — Three accusations What are the accusations that Yahweh is bringing against Israel? He explains three things that are absent and 5 sins that are present. What follows is the result of Israel’s sin, the desolation of the land. 1. 1 — Three accusations about what is missing… a) Truth/faithfulness — knowing the truth and living by it.2 As Michael Barrett puts it, “The absence of truth in the land, therefore, includes the notions of Israel’s unreliability and untrustworthiness with reference to the stipulations of the covenant.
    [Show full text]
  • The Reception of Hosea 1–3 Through the Centuries
    religions Article Family Dynamics, Fertility Cults, and Feminist Critiques: The Reception of Hosea 1–3 through the Centuries Bradford A. Anderson School of Theology, Philosophy, and Music, Dublin City University, D09 N920 Dublin, Ireland; [email protected] Abstract: This article examines a number of contested and contentious issues in the reception of Hosea 1–3, exploring how readers through the centuries have engaged with the interpretive challenges found in the initial chapters of this prophetic text. These include (1) debates concerning whether the marriage of Hosea and Gomer should be understood literally or figuratively; (2) questions concerning the identity of the woman in chp. 3 in relation to the events of chp. 1; (3) proposals on how to understand the metaphorical elements related to Hosea’s marriage and Israel’s infidelity; (4) ethical, theological, and rhetorical concerns raised by these chapters, including feminist critiques; (5) the place of Gomer’s children in the opening chapter of the book; (6) the themes and rhetoric of chp. 2, including the punishment and wooing of the wife and Israel; and (7) the role of Hos 1–3 in Jewish and Christian liturgical traditions. This study offers soundings from across historical, religious, and interpretive traditions that give a sense of the wide-ranging ways in which this book has been read and understood through the centuries. In particular, it highlights that while specific questions and issues related to Hosea have persisted through the years, the underlying interpretive assumptions and approaches to these questions have shifted considerably in various historical periods, which in turn has led to considerable diversity in the reception of this prophetic text.
    [Show full text]
  • Outside the Bible Ancient Jewi$H Writings Related to Scripture
    2 Outside the Bible Ancient Jewi$h Writings Related to Scripture Edited by Louis H. Feldman, James L. Kugel, and Lawrence H. Schiffman THE JEWISH PUBLICATION SOCIETY . PHILADELPHIA · .,.... The Letter ofJeremiah Steven D. Fraade The Letter (or Epistle) ofJeremiah belongs among the books ofthe Septuagint (LXX) that were not included in the canon of the Hebrew Bible, but are included in the canons of some Christian Bibles. In some ancient versions it either follows or is attached to (as chap­ ter 6 of) 1 Baruch, with which it has no direct literary connection, but shares a similar chronological and geographical setting. In other versions, it follows Lamentations, simi­ larly ascribed to Jeremiah, preceding Ezekiel. Except for its superscription (v. I), there is no reason to suppose that it is either a letter or that it was written by the prophet Jeremiah. It is so framed by the superscription, most likely under the influence ofJ er. 29: 1-23, which speaks of a letter from Jeremiah to the exiles in Babylonia. Whereas Jer. 29 speaks of a let­ terto those already in exile (following 597 BCE), the Letteris framed in V.1 as anticipating that exile. Its contents may be characterized as a homily admonishing its audience against the wor­ ship or veneration of idols in Babylonia. In particular, the Letter repeatedly mocks the idols and those who would worship them, since the idols are mun"dane objects that are con­ structed by humans and lack any power to provide benefits to their worshipers, or even to protect themselves against rot, theft, and toppling.
    [Show full text]
  • DONG SOO LEE Ph. D. University of Edinburgh
    STUDIES IN THE TEXT AND STRUCTURE OF HOSEA 12-14 by DONG SOO LEE Ph.D. University of Edinburgh 1990 I hereby declare that the work presented in this thesis is the result of my own research, and that it has been composed by myself. Cý cq-ý TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3 ABSTRACT OF THESIS 4 INTRODUCTION 5 ABBREVIATIONS 10 I REVIEW OF THE INTERPRETATION OF THE BOOK OF HOSEA 1.1 Earlier Modern Interpretation of the Book of Hosea 12 1.2 Current Interpretation of the Book of Hosea 19 1.3 Concluding Observations 48 II TEXTUAL CRITICISM OF HOSEA 12-14 11.1The Aim and Value of Textual Criticism 51 11.2Review of the Studies on the Textual Criticism of the Book of Hosea 52 11.2.1 Scrolls from the Judean Desert 52 11.2.2 Ancient Versions 55 11.2.3 Text-critical Analyses of the Book of Hosea by Commentators 66 11.2.4 Concluding Observations 74 11.3 Text-critical Analyses of Hosea 12-14 75 11.4 A Translation of Hosea 12-14 120 III STRUCTURAL CRITICISM OF HOSEA 12-14 III. 1 Significance of Structural Criticism 126 111.2Review of the Studies on the Structural Criticism of the Book of Hosea 129 111.3Concluding Observations 140 111.4The Aim of Rhetorical Criticism 141 111.5Structural Overview of the Book of Hosea 148 111.5.1Hosea 1-3; 4-14 148 111.5.2Hosea 4-11; 12-14 150 111.6The Literary Unity of the Book of Hosea 153 111.6.1The Relationship of Hosea 4-11 to 12-14 154 111.6.2The Relationship of Hosea 1-3 to 4-14 157 111.7Structural Overview of Hosea 12-14 160 111.7.1The Unit Hosea 12:1-15 161 111.7.2The Unit Hosea 13:1-14: 1 164 111.7.3The Unit
    [Show full text]
  • Eighth-Century Minor Prophets
    TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication .............................................................i Brief Explanation About the Technical Resources Used in this Commentary Series ....ii Brief Definitions of Hebrew Grammatical Forms Which Impact Exegesis........... iv Abbreviations Used in This Commentary.................................... x How This Commentary Can Help You ..................................... xii A Guide to Good Bible Reading .......................................... xiv Introduction to Amos .................................................1 Amos 1............................................................8 Amos 2...........................................................25 Amos 3...........................................................38 Amos 4...........................................................56 Amos 5...........................................................66 Amos 6...........................................................79 Amos 7...........................................................88 Amos 8...........................................................97 Amos 9..........................................................105 Introduction to Hosea ...............................................119 Hosea 1..........................................................123 Hosea 2..........................................................130 Hosea 3..........................................................144 Hosea 4..........................................................149 Hosea 5..........................................................158
    [Show full text]