Introductory Material

Question 1

1. The tri-partite division of the bible and where specified?

Answer 1

Torah (Law), Nebi’im (Prophets), Ketubim (Writings)

prologue of the book of Sirach: “That is why my grandfather Jesus devoted himself to reading the Law, the Prophets, and the other books of our ancestors”.

Question 2

2, 3. Order in the Hebrew Bible vs. the LXX?

Locations?

Order’s theological motivations?

Answer 2

Hebrew = TaNaK (Torah, Former Prophets, Latter Prophets, other Writings incl. wisdom books.) Thus, in the HB, prophets placed after Torah.

LXX = prophets mostly at the end.

For HEBREW BIBLE: They are organized according to the figure of Moses: Joshua begins by mentioning Moses, and Micah, the last prophet, also mentions Moses—thus, Moses serves as a bookend to the prophets. They are also presented as interpreters of the Law that Moses delivered (esp. in Deut, Josh, Malachai), just as Moses was the original interpreter of the Torah.

Fir LXX: most of the prophetic books are separated from the pentateuch and the Law. Christian redactors may have placed them at the end of the OT (closer to the NT) to emphasize their fulfillment in the NT. The prophets do not look back to the Law, but forward to the New Covenant and to Christ.

Question 3

4. Who are the anterior (former) prophets?

Answer 3

The prophets in Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings

Question 4

4. Who are the posterior (latter) prophets?

Answer 4

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the “Twelve Prophets”

Question 5

4. Who are the 12 posterior (latter) prophets IN THE “Book of 12”?

Answer 5

Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

Question 6

5. Who are the pre-classical prophets?

Answer 6

All of the prophets BEFORE Amos (around 760 BC). The pre-classic prophets are all those contained in the “Former Prophets.”

Question 7

5. Who are the Classical Prophets?

Answer 7

All from Amos and AFTER. The classic prophets are all those contained in the “Latter Prophets,”

Question 8

6. Major and Minor Prophets?

Answer 8

The fifteen prophetic books of the “classic” prophets are divided into Major and Minor Prophets based on the book’s length.

Major Prophets = Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel

Minor Prophets ( the “Book of the 12”) = Hosea, Amos, Micah, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi

Question 9

7. The prophet as a seer/fortune teller.

Answer 9

This does have a Biblical foundation (e.g. Isaiah predicts the Virgin Birth). But not all prophets foretell the future. The mission of the prophet is primarily to illuminate the present with the word of God, not to predict the future.

Question 10

8. What is the difference between prophecy and divinization?

Answer 10

The main difference between a prophet and a divinizer is in the mediator—the point of contact between heaven and earth. In the two types of divination: the divine message is mediated indirectly, by means of natural objects or persons, which require a technique to interpret.

In contrast, the PROPHET HIMSELF IS THE MEDIATOR, since he receives the divine message DIRECTLY, without any technique. Also, a prophet works for free. Note that divinization was prohibited by the Torah in Deut.

Question 11

9. What are the two types of Divinization?

Answer 11

1. technical: the observation of nature, astrology, animals, sacrifices, liquids etc.; and
2. natural: interpretation of dreams, consultation of the dead, and oracles),

With these, the divine message is mediated INDIRECTLY, by means of natural objects or persons, which require a technique to interpret. In contrast, the prophet receives the divine message directly, without any instrument.

Question 12

10. What is the four-fold (4) description of a prophet?

Answer 12

1. The prophet is an inspired person.
   - His inspiration comes from a personal contact with
   God.
   -The prophet does not consult documents and existing sources, but he refers to his own real-life experience.
   -His strength is from relationship with God and Word.
2. The prophet is a public character.
   - He is not a hermit. His place is in the piazza, in the street, in the midst of the people. He lives in contact with others. He knows the plots of politicians, the life of ordinary citizens, and the sufferings of the people. He cares about all aspects of life, because God does.
3. The prophet is a threatened (minacciato) person.
   - He is threatened by those he criticizes (esp. the powerful, and the hypocritical rulers), and he is accountable to God. There are numerous examples of cruelty towards prophets: Hosea was called crazy and stupid, Jeremiah was called a traitor, Zechariah was stoned.
4. The prophet is a person with a charism.
   - Prophecy is a charism, a gift from God. It breaks the barriers of sex, culture, social class, religious barriers, and age

Question 13

11. What does the term nabi’ mean and to whom is it applied?

Answer 13

This is the most common Hebrew word for “prophet.”

It may come from the Hebrew root nbi (“to announce” or “to call”), in which case a prophet would be someone who calls or announces (active sense), or who is called (passive sense).

The feminine singular variation nebî’āh also occurs (6 times), as does the masculine plural nebî’îm.

It is applied to both true and false prophets (e.g. the prophets of Ba’al).

This is the only term used for “prophet” in the Latter Prophets (though it is also used often in the Former Prophets).

Question 14

12. Roeh? only in the former prophets—never in the latter.

Answer 14

Seer (rō’eh), from ra’ (“to see”); the one who sees things that others do not see.

Question 15

12. Hozeh? Only in the former prophets—never in the latter.

Answer 15

Seer / Visionary (ḥōzeh), from hazah (“to see”). Hozeh indicates a religious type of vision, but means virtually the same thing as rō’eh.

Question 16

12. ishha’elohim? Only in the former prophets—never in the latter.

Answer 16

Man of God (’îš [hā]’ĕlōhîm). This title was often applied to thaumaturgists (miracle workers) and healers, esp. Elijah. Later it came to be applied to someone in special contact with God, esp. Hosea and Isaiah.

Question 17

13. Three possible meanings for the Greek term prophetes?

Answer 17

from pro-phemi (“to speak for”). Thus it means “one who speaks for [God]”

What does the prefix “pro” (“for”) mean?

1. “before” temporally – to announce the future.
2. “before” spatially – to speak in front of someone
3. “for” or “in the place of” – to speak in place of someone else [i.e. God].
   
   • This last meaning is the most attested to.

Question 18

13. False Prophets in GK?

Answer 18

Unlike Hebrew, Greek has a special word for false prophets: ψευδο-προφuτης (pseudo- prophets). The term προφuτης is reserved only for true prophets of the Lord.

Question 19

14. Prophetesses in the Bible? 5 major, some mentions.

Answer 19

In the Old Testament, the term nebi’ah (prophetess) appears 6 times:
1. Miriam (Exod. 15:20)
2. Deborah (Jgs. 4:1E24)
3. Huldah (2Kgs. 22:14E20; 2Chr 34:22E28)
4. Noadia (Neh. 6:14)
5. The wife of Isaiah (Is 8:3)
− **also, in Ezekiel 13, the “daughters of Israel” are commanded to prophesy.

In NT the term προφητις (prophet in feminine) occurs 2 times
− Anna (Lk. 2:36-38), Jezebel (Rev. 2:20-23)
**also, 1 Cor. 11:5 mentions women who prophesy without their heads covered

Question 20

15. Explain: (1) Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron.

Answer 20

1. Some say the word here has a liturgical, cultural function (the context in Exodus is Miriam’s dancing and singing), OR Others say it is simply an honorable title. OR simply a “mistake” in the text.
2. Significance
   − Numbers 12:1-16—Aaron and Miriam murmur because the Lord seems to favor Moses, and
   Miriam asks: “Did the Lord speak only through Moses? Did he not also speak through us?” This
   suggests the Lord spoke through all 3.
   − Micah 6:4—Incredibly, the figure of Miriam appears again. Micah does not talk of prophecy, but he mentions all three siblings (Moses, Aaron, Miriam – the order is important). We understand that all three were sent by the Lord to this people with an assignment and with authority. This is the only text upon which one can say that Miriam had a certain authority and that the word prophetess might therefore imply authority. Remember how the story ended after Miriam was punished for her murmuring in Exodus: the people did not move until she returned. All this is to say that maybe the title of prophetess is not simply liturgical, honorific, or anachronistic, but used by the author for a reason.
3. Miriam is admired greatly in rabbinic literature with many legends about her prophecy. Her role as older sister was to prepare the way for the birth of Moses. She said to her father, “You are destined to beget a son who will free Israel.” Philo of Alexandria calls her “hope.” For the rabbis, she was “almost a perfect model.”

Question 21

16. Explain: (2) Debora.

Answer 21

1. According to the Book of Judges, Deborah was the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel.
2. She was also a prophet, and is the only female judge. She would sit under a palm tree to receive those who ask for her help.
3. She advises general Barak. Deborah stated that Barak ought to go to war against King Labin and his general Sisera. The famous line Barak told Deborah was: “if you come with me I’ll go, if you don’t go, I won’t go.” Deborah responds that the glory of victory will not be Barak’s, but the Lord will protect Barak. She predicts that the Lord will deliver the enemy General Sisera into the hands of a woman named Yael (or Jael), after he abandons his army which is losing, and that Yael will hide him in her tent and then kill him by hammering a tent stake into his head.
4. Her story is told twice, in chapters 4 and in Judges 5:2-31 gives the same story in poetic form. This passage, often called The Song of Deborah, may date to as early as the 12th century BC and is perhaps the earliest sample of Hebrew poetry.
5. In Hebrew, her name, דְּבוֹרָה , translates as bee.

Question 22

17. Explain: (3) Hulda.

Answer 22

1. She is the only woman whom the OT describes as saying “Thus says the Lord.”
2. In 622 B.C., a document was found in the temple, and King Josiah (great reformer-king of Judah) advised Hilkiah the priest to “inquire of the LORD” if the text was truly the Mosaic Law. Hilkiah and his group went directly to Huldah, indicating that she was recognized as a real prophet (although some suggest that Josiah went to her only because Jeremiah was busy). She declared that the text was truly of God, and she also took the opportunity to announce that a catastrophe was on the way, in which God would punish the people for their unfaithful way of life. She uses the famous phrase “Thus says the Lord…”!
3. As a prophet, her task was to assert the authenticity of the book found in the temple. Moreover, she assumes the responsibility to interpret the words of the Lord. Her prophecy ended up being true, and is much discussed among scholars.
4. There is a Huldah Gate in Jerusalem, and some say she had an academy.

Question 23

18. Explain: (4) Noadia.

Answer 23

1. In the book of Nehemiah 6:14 “prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid.” (Interestingly the LXX has “prophet” and not “Prophetess.”)
2. Hence, she may have been a false prophetess. She was against the reform of Nehemiah. Although a number of other prophets opposed Nehemiah’s reforms, she is the only one mentioned by name (“Noadiah and the rest of the prophets”). Thus we can assume that she had some prominence. Noadiah shows that Hebrew prophetesses were a regular and important part of Hebrew culture.

Question 24

19. Explain: (5) the wife of Isaiah.

Answer 24

1. The Hebrew word used here in Isaiah 8:3 is nebia, but it is unclear why, “And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the LORD said to me, Call his name MaVher’ shal-al-hash-baz.”
2. Perhaps she is only called “prophetess” inasmuch as she is married to Isaiah the prophet.
3. There are no prophecies attributed to her. Isaiah had two sons by her, who bore symbolic names (8:18) E Shear-jashub, Remnant will return (7:3; see 10:22, Only a remnant will return) and Maher-shalal-hash-baz, Pillage hastens, looting speeds (8:1-4).

Question 25

20. Explain: the three types of oracle genres.

Answer 25

1. Judgment oracles
2. Exhortations and warnings:
3. Oracle of salvation

Question 26

21. Explain: the types of narrative genres.

Answer 26

1. Visions (Dramatic, Object/Thing, Mysterious)
2. Symbolic action by the prophet
3. Biographical narratives

Question 27

20. Judgement Oracles?

Answer 27

Typical of the earlier prophets / pre-exilic period. Many begin with the word “woe” (Amos 5:15ff). They contain two parts: (1) an indication of the sins of the people and (2) an announcement of a disaster. The transition between the two parts is marked by the word “therefore…”, and the second part always uses the future tense (Amos 3:9E11).

Question 28

20. Exhortations and Warnings?

Answer 28

Exhortations (positive) and warnings (negative) both

seek to change the behavior of the recipients, and are always in the imperative. (Amos 4:4-5).

Question 29

20. Oracle of Salvation?

Answer 29

Typical of post-exilic period. These oracles are always positive and use the future tense to describe blessings/improvements that will come sometime in the future. They often include words of hope, consolation, restoration, and harmony. (Amos 9:11-15)

Question 30

21. Narrative Genre, Visions

Answer 30

a. Dramatic Scene: Prophet witnesses events and, at the climax, hears divine words. (Isaiah 6:1E13)
b. Object: Prophet sees an object and speaks with God, who explains its significance. (Jeremiah 1:11ff)
c. Mysterious, Angelic-Explanation-Required: Prophet sees a strange vision that requires an angel of God to come and explain it. (Zech. 2:1ff; Dan. 7:1ff)

Question 31

21. Narrative Genre, Symbolic Action

Answer 31

These are only found in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Zachariah, and 1&2 Kings. The common structure of this narrative is:

a) Divine initiative,
b) how the prophet performs the action and
c) the explanation of the meaning of the action. (Ez. 37:1ff “dry bones”)

Question 32

21. Narrative Genre, Biographical Narratives

Answer 32

There are only two: Is 36-39 and Jr 36-45. The focus is on the message, not on the prophet himself.

Question 33

22. Explain: the types of genres taken from other environments (e.g. daily life)

Answer 33

1. Funerary lament
2. Pre-trial and Trial controversies

Other genres include parables (2 Sam 12:1-7), comparisons (Jer 17:11), hymns (Amos 5:8f), secular songs (Isaiah 5:1-7), and prayers (Jer. 32:16-25).

Question 34

23. Explain: the problems of reading the prophetic books. Threefold.

Answer 34

1. One problem in studying the prophetic books is the difficulty of finding a clear order and organization. One method is to look for a macro structure based on negative and positive elements (see next question).
2. Another problem is that many prophetic books underwent a series of changes, additions, restructuring. So it can be difficult to approach a prophetic book as a unified whole because of the long process of composition and redaction.
3. It is therefore necessary to look at these books both Synchronically (as we have them today) and Diachronically (as they developed over time) in order to avoid distortion.

Question 35

24. Macro-structure: Negative or Positive and 3 examples.

Answer 35

Prophetic books are difficult to find a structure in. One way to organize them is to look for a macro-structure based on negative and positive elements. For example, one part of a book might contain oracles of judgment, warnings, penalties, disasters, etc., and another part might contain an oracle of salvation. This structure can be found in …
− Isaiah: 1-39 (oracles of judgment) and 40-55 (message of salvation)
− Amos: 1:2-9:7 (oracle of judgment) and 9:8-15 (oracle of salvation)
− Hosea: 1:2-9 (unfaithful spouse) and 2:1-3 (reconciliation)

Question 36

25. Development: Oral Preaching of a prophet

Answer 36

1. This is the first stage in the development of a prophetic book and nothing is written down yet.
2. The prophet is proclaiming God’s message to a person or group of people. Inevitably some followers were struck by the prophet’s words and decided to make a memory of the prophet.
3. The beginnings were the memory of the prophet or of his disciples and the first accounts were placed in writing.

Question 37

26. From the prophet to the book. (the genesis of the books: the fourfold process of their formation)

Answer 37

There are four general stages in the formation of a prophetic book:

1. Oral preaching of the prophet
2. The prophet’s disciples are moved by his words and write down the most important messages, sometimes adding their own explanations and comments. These were put into small collections (organized by theme and not chronologically).
3. Editors: They systematized the small collections.
4. Other additions: Significantly different additions. (Is 24, 27 and deutero-Zachariah).

Question 38

27. Prophets outside of Israel in the OT

Answer 38

The OT speaks of prophecy occurring outside of Israel:
− Balaam (Num. 22-24)
− The 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah (1Kgs 18:19E40).
− Prophets of various foreign peoples (Jeremiah 27:9).
The Bible confirms the presence of these other prophets, but we have to distinguish if these are to be understood as prophets in the biblical sense or if they are diviners.

Question 39

28. Explain: the prophetic phenomenon in Mesopotamia (Mari and Assyria). MARI in Mesopotamia

Answer 39

1. The city of Mari was discovered and excavated in 1933.
2. They found archives, most dealt with economic issues,
3. Two sections: official and unofficial

Question 40

28. Mari Prophecies: official section “words”

Answer 40

muhhum –ecstatic prophets
apilum – prophets that interpreted the oracles

the word nabum was also found, corresponding to the Hebrew nabi.

Question 41

28 Mari Prophecies: unofficial section

Answer 41

Contains the other (miscellaneous) prophets.

1. Some prophets received prophecy while they slept in the temple (cp. Samuel). The prophecies were all favorable toward the king.
2. No messages of confrontation or criticism of the king or social problems were found. The prophecies often used the formula “Thus says [name of the God],” and related with others through their use of symbols.

Question 42

28. Explain: the prophetic phenomenon in Mesopotamia (Mari and Assyria). ARBELA in Assyria

Answer 42

Arbela in Assyria (7c. BC) This collection is similar to the one at Mari. It contained both men and women prophets as well as both official and unofficial prophets. The prophecies were always favorable to the king. The prophecy seems to have had a political function.

TWO KEYS
− the common formula “Do not fear…” (reassuring the king), and
− the grouping of oracles according to the name of the prophet (or the name of the deity)

Question 43

29. Explain: the prophetic phenomenon in the 3 Syro-Palestine area.

Answer 43

1. Emar (14/13c. BC): the first city of Syria.

Prophets are called nabu and munabbiatu (from the Heb. root nabi), which meant “to call, to scream, or to complain.” Unlike the last at Mari and Arbela, these prophecies were lamentations. They did not reinforce the king, but are full of mourning, grief, and funeral poems.

2. Biblo (11c. BC) A story about an episode of ecstatic prophecy.
3. Hamat (8c. BC) There was a text that was found that presents the activity of seers. A king prophetically describes his kingdom being threatened.

KEY POINTS

1) the word haziyim is found, which has a similar
root as Hebrew hozeh “to see,” and
2) the formula “Don’t fear…” o Deir ‘Alla (8/7 c. BC): in today’s Jordan.

Discovered in 1976, this is the only case where a prophet mentioned in the Bible was found mentioned elsewhere: Balaam. He is described as a seer of the gods. Balaam exhorts the people to repent so that a calamity does not come from God. This mode of expression is reminiscent of Jeremiah.

Question 44

30. What relationship is there between the three aforementioned phenomena and biblical prophecy?

Answer 44

1. Prophecy was not a phenomenon isolated to the Israelites.
2. There are many similarities between Biblical and pagan prophecy in vocabulary, phrasing, and even content.
3. Outside of Israel, prophecy was often marginalized and more attention was given to divinization (wonder working). NB In Israel, prophecy was an essential religious and social institution.

Yet Israel’s prophecy is unique since God actually, authoritatively used Israel’s prophets to speak to His people.

Question 45

22. Trial and pre-trial drama genre used by prophets.

Answer 45

1. In ancient Israel there were two ways of resolving a legal dispute: a direct discussion between the two parties (“pre-trial”) or a formal session in front of a judge or panel of judges who arbitrate the dispute (“trial”). The Hebrew term for lawsuit/quarrel is rîb.
2. Various prophetic texts reflect the vocabulary and procedures of such controversies, applied to a crisis in the relationship between YHWH and His people (e.g. Isaiah 1:2E3; Jer. 2:4E13). The scene usually involves the appearance of witnesses that listen to the accusations of YHWH against the unfaithful people and His verdict against them.

Question 46

22. Funeral Lament drama genre used by prophets.

Answer 46

(e.g. David for Saul and Jonathan — 2 Sam 1:19-27)
Like in many cultures, in Israel you would sing a formal lament for a dead person. The Hebrew term for this is qînāh (not to be confused with the simple mourning cry ’ôy / hôy). In Hebrew, these laments almost always had a particular rhythm (3 accents + 2 accents).

Some prophetic texts adapt this literary genre in anticipation of the fall of Israel (e.g. Amos 5:1-3) or the fall of a foreign nation (such as Tyre, in Ez. 26:17ff)