The Prophetic Books Of The Old Testament Their Origin Contents And Significance

The Old Testament Prophetic Books: An Introduction is a valuable reference tool designed for those students who want a comprehensive guide to the Old Testament prophetic books. The book serves primarily as an introduction, providing a thorough discussion of introductory matters such as authorship, date, historical background, purpose, structure, and outline. The book also functions as a sort of survey/handbook, providing a summary of the contents of each book accompanied by helpful background information such as the meaning of character's names and the dates of significant events. Finally, the book acts as a study guide, providing a series of study questions at the end of each chapter for review and discussion. Israel P. Loken is Chair and Professor of the Bible and Theology Departments at College of Biblical Studies. He is also Adjunct Professor of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary. He previously taught at Dallas Christian College. Dr. Loken has earned degrees from Lancaster Bible College (B.S.) and Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M. and Ph.D.). He is a frequent speaker at churches, conferences, and schools. He is the author of the Loken Expositional Commentary series. Dr. Loken and his wife Kimberley live in Houston, TX.

Excerpt from The Prophetic Books of the Old Testament, Vol. 1: Their Origin, Contents, and Significance The Jewish Canon of Sacred Scriptures, called, as a part of the Christian Bible, the Old Testament, is divided into three groups of books: (i) The Law, or To'rah; (2) the Prophets, or N (3) the Writings, or Kethi'tbh tm. The first volume of the Biblical Introduction Series, entitled The Books of the Pentateuch, deals with the first division, the third volume, bearing the title The Psalms and Other Sacred Writings, treats the books in the third division. The present work, which appears in two volumes, called The Prophetic Books of the Old Testament, covers the second division, or, the Prophets. The prophets are subdivided into two groups. The first group is called by the Jews Former Prophets, or, the First Volume of Prophets, and includes the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings; the second, the Latter Prophets, or the Second Volume of Prophets, in cluding the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve, that is, the twelve Minor Prophets. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This critically informed and theologically sensitive introduction to the Prophets considers the often-misunderstood prophetic books of the Old Testament, including an exploration of their historical context, their artful use of language, and their place within the chorus of Old Testament voices.

The writings of the prophets make up over a quarter of the Old Testament. But perhaps no other portion of the Old Testament is more misunderstood by readers today. For some, prophecy conjures up knotted enigmas, opaque oracles and terrifying visions of the future. For others it raises expectations of a plotted-out future to be reconstructed from disparate texts. And yet the prophets have imprinted the language of faith and imagination with some of its most sublime visions of the future - nations streaming to Zion, a lion lying with a lamb, and endlessly fruiting trees on the banks of a flowing river. We might view the prophets as stage directors for Israel's unfolding drama of redemption. Drawing inspiration from past acts in that drama and invoking fresh words from its divine author, these prophets speak a language of sinewed poetry, their words and images arresting the ear and detonating in the mind. For when Yahweh roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem, the pastures of the shepherds dry up, the crest of Carmel withers, and the prophetic word buffets those selling the needy for a pair of sandals. The Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets is the only reference book of its kind. Not only does it focus exclusively on the prophetic books; it also plumbs their imagery of mountains and wilderness, flora and fauna, temple and Zion. It maps and guides us through topics such as covenant and law, exile and deliverance, forgiveness and repentance, and the Day of the Lord. Here the nature of prophecy is searched out in its social, historical, literary and psychological dimensions as well as its synchronic spread of textual links and associations. And the formation of the prophetic books into their canonical collection, including the Book of the Twelve, is explored and weighed for its significance. Then too, contemporary approaches such as canonical criticism, conversation analysis, editorial/redaction criticism, feminist interpretation, literary approaches and rhetorical criticism are summed up and assayed. Even the afterlife of these great texts is explored in articles on the history of interpretation as well as on their impact in the New Testament.

Excerpt from The Prophetic Books of the Old Testament, Vol. 2: Their Origin, Contents, and Significance Until very recently few scholars thought it necessary to devote any space to a discussion o-f the genuineness or integrity of the book. Even Driver disposes of the ques tion in a single sentence; N 0 critical question arises in connection with the authorship of the book, the whole from beginning to end bearing unmistakably the stamp of a single mind.24 In the same spirit Gray writes: It is the work of Ezekiel, a priest, who was one of the captives of the year 597 B. C. The question of sources arises just as little as the question of integrity. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

A carefully organized, step-by-step introduction to the books of the biblical prophets, the men behind them, their message, and their relevance for today. +

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