THE BOOK OF THE TWELVE & THE NEW FORM CRITICISM Edited by Mark J. Boda, Michael H. Floyd, and Colin M. Toffelmire Ancient Near East Monographs – Monografías sobre el Antiguo Cercano Oriente Society of Biblical Literature Centro de Estudios de Historia del Antiguo Oriente (UCA) THE BOOK OF THE TWELVE AND THE NEW FORM CRITICISM Ancient Near East Monographs General Editors Ehud Ben Zvi Roxana Flammini Alan Lenzi Juan Manuel Tebes Editorial Board: Reinhard Achenbach Esther J. Hamori Steven W. Holloway René Krüger Steven L. McKenzie Martti Nissinen Graciela Gestoso Singer Number 10 THE BOOK OF THE TWELVE AND THE NEW FORM CRITICISM Edited by Mark J. Boda, Michael H. Floyd, and Colin M. Toffelmire SBL Press Atlanta Copyright © 2015 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, SBL Press, 825 Hous- ton Mill Road, Atlanta, GA 30329 USA. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The Book of the Twelve and the new form criticism / edited by Mark J. Boda, Michael H. Floyd, and Colin M. Toffelmire. pages cm. -- (Ancient Near East monographs ; volume 10) Includes bibliographical references and indexes. Summary: “Contributors to this volume explore the theoretical issues at stake in recent changes in form criticism and the practical outcomes of applying the results of these theoretical shifts to the Book of the Twelve. This volume combines self-conscious methodological reflection with practical examination of specific texts in an effort to demonstrate the practical consequences of theoretical decisions and the value of certain methodological stances”-- Provided by publisher. ISBN 978-1-62837-060-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-62837-062-1 (hardback : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-62837-061-4 (electronic) 1. Bible. Minor Prophets--Criticism, Form. I. Boda, Mark J., editor. II. Floyd, Michael H., editor. III. Toffelmire, Colin M., editor. BS1560.B575 2015 224’.90663--dc23 2015014546 Printed on acid-free paper. Contents Abbreviations vii Introduction 1 Michael H. Floyd New Form Criticism and Beyond: The Historicity of Prophetic Literature Revisited 17 Michael H. Floyd “I Will Make Her Like a Desert”: Intertextual Allusion and Feminine and Agricultural Metaphors in the Book of the Twelve 37 Beth M. Stovell Reading the “Prophetic Lawsuit” Genre in the Persian Period 63 James M. Trotter The Vision Report Genre between Form-Criticism and Redaction-Criticism: An Investigation of Amos 7–9 and Zechariah 1–6 75 Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer Harrowing Woes and Comforting Promises in the Book of the Twelve 97 Carol J. Dempsey Twelve (and More) Anonyms: A Biblical Book without Authors 119 Erhard S. Gerstenberger Form and Eschatology in the Book of the Twelve Prophets 137 Marvin A. Sweeney Where Are the Prophets in the Book of the Twelve? 163 James D. Nogalski - v - vi New Form Criticism and the Book of the Twelve A Deafening Call to Silence: The Rhetorical “End” of Human Address to the Deity in the Book of the Twelve 183 Mark J. Boda The Book of Amos as “Prophetic Fiction”: Describing the Genre of a Written Work that Reinvigorates Older Oral Speech Forms 205 Tim Bulkeley Sitz im What? Context and the Prophetic Book of Obadiah 221 Colin M. Toffelmire The Non-Israelite Nations in Zephaniah: Conceptual Coherence and the Relationship of the Parts to the Whole 245 D. C. Timmer Form Criticism in Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi: From Oral Sayings to Literature 265 Paul L. Redditt A New Form-Critical Approach to Zechariah’s Crowning of the High Priest Joshua and the Identity of “Shoot” (Zechariah 6:9–15) 285 Anthony R. Petterson Goals and Processes of the “New” Form Criticism 305 Martin J. Buss New Form Criticism and the Prophetic Literature: The Unfinished Agenda 311 Robert R. Wilson Bibliography 323 Ancient Sources Index 347 Modern Authors Index 361 Abbreviations AB Anchor Bible ABR Australian Biblical Review AcBib Academia Biblica AIL Ancient Israel and Its Literature ANEM Ancient Near East Monographs AOAT Alter Orient und Altes Testament ApOTC Apollos Old Testament Commentary ARM Archives royales de Mari ATD Das Alte Testament Deutsch AzTh Arbeiten zur Theologie BBR Bulletin for Biblical Research BEATAJ Beiträge zur Erforschung des Alten Testaments und des antiken Judentum BETL Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium BHQ Biblia Hebraica Quinta. Edited by Adrian Schenker et al. Stuttgart: Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, 2004– Bib Biblica BJS Brown Judaic Studies BKAT Biblischer Kommentar, Altes Testament BLS Bible and Literature Series BSac Bibliotheca Sacra BSOAS Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies BZAW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft CBET Contributions to Biblical Exegesis and Theology CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly CC Continental Commentaries CHANE Culture and History of the Ancient Near East Colloq Colloquium COS The Context of Scripture. Edited by William W. Hallo. 3 vols. Leiden: Brill, 1997–2002 CTR Criswell Theological Review DJD Discoveries in the Judaean Desert EvT Evangelische Theologie - vii - viii New Form Criticism and the Book of the Twelve ExAud Ex Auditu FAT Forschungen zum Alten Testament FOTL Forms of the Old Testament Literature FRLANT Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und Neuen Testaments GMTR Guides to the Mesopotamian Textual Record HBAI Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel HBM Hebrew Bible Monographs HBS History of Biblical Studies HCOT Historical Commentary on the Old Testament HdO Handbuch der Orientalistik HS Hebrew Studies HSM Harvard Semitic Monographs HThKAT Herders Theologischer Kommentar zum Alten Testament HTS HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies HUCA Hebrew Union College Annual IBS Irish Biblical Studies IBT Interpreting Biblical Texts ICC International Critical Commentary IECOT International Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament Int Interpretation JANESCU Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society of Columbia University JAOS Journal of the American Oriental Society JBL Journal of Biblical Literature JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society JHebS Journal of Hebrew Scriptures JNES Journal of Near Eastern Studies JNSL Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages JSNT Journal of the Study of the New Testament JSNTSup Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old Testament JSOTSup Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series JSS Journal of Semitic Studies JTS Journal of Theological Studies KAT Kommentar zum Alten Testament LAI Library of Ancient Israel LBS Linguistic Biblical Studies LCBI Literary Currents in Biblical Interpretation LHBOTS The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies LSAWS Linguistic Studies in Ancient West Semitic LSTS The Library of Second Temple Studies MGWJ Monatschrift für Geschichte und Wissenschaft des Judentums Abbreviations ix NAC New American Commentary NCB New Century Bible NICOT New International Commentary on the Old Testament NIVAC The NIV Application Commentary OBO Oribis Biblicus et Orientalis OTG Old Testament Guides OTL Old Testament Library OTM Oxford Theology and Religion Monographs OTT Old Testament Theology RBL Review of Biblical Literature RBS Resources for Biblical Studies ResQ Restoration Quarterly RNBC Readings: A New Biblical Commentary RSR Recherches de science religieuse SAA State Archives of Assyria SBB Stuttgarter biblische Beiträge SBLDS Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series SBS Stuttgarter Bibelstudien SGBC The Story of God Commentary Series SemeiaST Semeia Studies SHBC Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary SJOT Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament SR Studies in Religion SSN Studia Semitica Neerlandica StBibLit Studies in Biblical Literature (Lang) SymS Symposium Series TAD Textbook of Aramaic Documents from Ancient Egypt. Edited by B. Porten and A. Yardeni. 4 vols. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbraun, 1986–1999 TDOT Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament. Edited by G. Johannes Botterweck and Helmer Ringgren. Translated by John T. Willis et al. 8 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974–2006. TOTC Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries TUMSR Trinity University Monograph Series in Religion USQR Union Seminary Quarterly Reviews VT Vetus Testamentum VTSup Supplements to Vetus Testamentum WAW Writings from the Ancient World WBC Word Bible Commentary WUNT Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungenzum Neuen Testament ZAW Zeitschrift für die altestamentliche Wissenschaft ZTK Zeitschrift für Theologie und Kirche Introduction Michael H. Floyd This collection of essays addresses new developments in form criticism in relation to the Minor Prophets. Martin Buss and Robert Wilson, who were invited to give their responses to the collection, both trace many of these new developments, and the individual articles all touch on them in one way or another. It would therefore be redundant to recount here at the outset all that is new in these examples of form-critical method as it is currently being practiced. For present purposes suffice it to summarize the evolution of the discipline in terms of a major shift from treating prophetic books as a means of accessing the prophets for whom they were named to treating prophetic literature as the primary object of investigation