Prophetic Literature

Prophetic Literature: From Oracles to Books presents an in-depth introduction to the origins and development of the Prophetic Books of the Old Testament, including an examination of the literary structure, authorship, and editorial processes that produced each book.

• The only introductory textbook that explores both how the prophetic books were composed and edited
• Accessible and engaging, the book contains numerous student features to encourage learning, including introductions, summaries, tables and boxes, etc
• Based on international scholarship on the individual prophetic books, including German scholarship that is otherwise inaccessible to most English readers

Preface viii

Resource Acknowledgments xii

Map 1 The ancient Near East xiii

Map 2 Israel and Judah xiv

1 What is a Prophetic Book? 1

2 The Book of Hosea 19

3 The Book of Amos 37

4 The Book of Micah 54

5 The Book of Zephaniah and the Twelve 72

6 The Books of Joel and Obadiah 91

7 The Books of Nahum and Habakkuk 108

8 The Books of Jonah and Haggai 125

9 Zechariah 1–8 142

10 Zechariah 9–14, the Book of Malachi, and the Twelve 155

11 The Book of Isaiah 172

12 The Book of Isaiah (Continued) 190

13 The Book of Jeremiah 208

14 The Book of Ezekiel 225

Glossary 242

References 247

Scripture Index 262

“as an introductory work, it is especially valuable because he is not sidetracked by extremely nuanced academic disagreement. He focuses on the broader structure of each prophet and how the composition reflects scribal changes and developments.” (The Biblical Review, 1 November 2015)

Ronald L. Troxel is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Hebrew and Semitic Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the author of LXX-Isaiah as Translation and Interpretation (2008).

"The strength of Troxel's Prophetic Literature: From Oracles to Books is in its portrayal of the scribal intentions as they used and reused the prophetic oracles according to the needs of the community. The prophetic literature emerges from the past to speak once again." Beverly Cushman, Westminster College

"Troxel has written a thorough and careful analysis of the ways in which prophetic oracles were shaped into books by later scribes. An excellent introduction to the prophets in light of contemporary scholarship." John J. Collins, Yale

This unique introduction to the prophetic books provides a comprehensive look at one of the most important, and misunderstood, genres of the Hebrew Bible. Ronald Troxel examines the nature and purpose of prophetic literature, as well as providing an in-depth account of the origin and development of each book.

He begins by placing the prophets in their historical and social context and introducing the idea of a prophetic book.The remaining chapters treat each prophetic book, examining its literary structure and the editorial processes that produced it. Readers are also introduced to the most recent scholarly research into the formation of prophetic books and the ongoing task of the scribes in updating previous works to meet new situations.

Prophetic Literature: From Oracles to Books offers rich and rewarding insights into a series of prophetic works whose profound influence and inspirational wisdom have endured to the present day. "The strength of Troxel's Prophetic Literature: From Oracle to Books is in its portrayal of the scribal intentions as they used and reused the prophetic oracles according to the needs of the community. The prophetic literature emerges from the past to speak once again."
—Beverly Cushman, Westminster College

"Troxel has written a thorough and careful analysis of the ways in which prophetic oracles were shaped into books by later scribes. An excellent introduction to the prophets in light of contemporary scholarship."
—John J. Collins, Yale