This elective Old Testament course will provide students an opportunity to examine many of the Twelve Minor Prophets in a deeper manner. Our exploration will emphasize both the historical setting of the prophets, noting how their message connected to the world around them, as well as the literary shape of the prophetic books and the many different rhetorical tools they used to proclaim the Word of God. Students will also have a chance to consider aspects of both prose and poetry in the Hebrew prophets, the process by which the current form of texts were developed and passed down from generation to generation, the social contexts of ancient Israel and modern Southeast Asia, the development of apocalyptic prophecy in the Near East, and the basics of other research methods such as form and text criticism. Despite the apparent emphasis on means of interpretation, the course will really focus on the way the prophetic literature remains an important witness for the sake of Christ’s church today, as well as how the ancient prophetic work can inform the way we carry out God’s work in the postmodern church here in Malaysia.
Articles
- David Petersen. The Prophetic Literature: An Introduction. Chapter 1.
- James D. Nogalski. Interpreting Prophetic Literature. Excerpt.
- Renita J. Weems. Battered Love. Chapter 4.
- Charles C. Torrey. “Apocalypse.” Jewish Encyclopedia.
- Julia M. O’Brien. “On Saying ‘No’ to a Prophet” and “In Retrospect…”
- Mayer I. Gruber. “Nineveh the Adultress.”
- Hans Walter Wolff. “Prophets and Institutions in the Old Testament.” Trans. Thomas Trapp. Currents in Theology and Mission 13.1 (1986): 5–12.
Note to Students: The article regarding a re-envisioning of the kosher laws in Judaism by R. Dr. Rachel Mikva has been re-published as an essay in a collection, rather than in a journal. This means you won’t be able to find it in ATLA Religion Serials. Rabbi Mikva has been kind enough to send me a pre-publication draft version of that article, and I’d be glad to share it with you—but do not want to release it publicly. If you would like to read it, please feel free to email me and request a copy. You are quite welcome to it! —Pastor Aaron