[OT] 18 - Literary Prophecy: Micah, Zephaniah, Nahum and Habbakuk

RLST 145: Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) (Fall, 2006)

Lecture 18 - Literary Prophecy: Micah, Zephaniah, Nahum and Habbakuk

Overview:

Micah, eighth-century southern prophet and contemporary of Isaiah, is discussed. Structurally, the book of Micah alternates three prophecies of doom and destruction and three prophecies of hope and restoration. Micah attacks the doctrine of the inviolability of Zion and employs the literary form of a covenant lawsuit (or riv) in his denunciation of the nation. Several short prophetic books are also discussed: Zephaniah; the Book of Nahum, depicting the downfall of Assyria and distinguished for its vivid poetic style; and the book of Habbakuk, which contains philosophical musings on God's behavior. The final part of the lecture turns to the lengthy book of Jeremiah. A prophet at the time of the destruction and exile, Jeremiah predicted an end to the exile after 70 years and a new covenant that would be inscribed on the hearts of the nation.

Reading assignment:

Bible:
(1) Introduction to Micah (JSB pp. 1205-6), Micah 1-7
(2) Introduction to Nahum (JSB pp. 1219-20), Nahum 1-3
(3) Introduction to Habbakuk (JSB pp. 1226-7), Habbakuk 1-3
(4) Introduction to Zephaniah (JSB pp. 1234-5), Zephaniah 1-3

Class lecture:

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[OT] Naming prophet's kids

I found the names of Hosea and Gomer's children interesting:

• Lo-ruhamah: '"not loved, not forgiven," because God will no longer love or forgive or pardon the House of Israel'
  
•  Lo-ammi: '"not my people," a sign that God has dissolved the covenant bond. He's rejected Israel as his people--divorced Israel.'
• Jezreel:  "because God plans to punish Jehu for his slaughter of the house of Ahab. Even though Ahab was no favorite of God, you still should not raise your hand against the Lord's anointed. And so Jehu will have to be--Ahab will have to be avenged. Jehu will have to be punished at Jezreel, which is where the murder happened. "
  

These children are born through Gomer -- a promiscuous woman that God commands Hosea to marry in order to allude to the children of Israel's unfaithfulness to Him -- and their promiscuousness with other gods.

I also found the names of Isaiah's children interesting, which mean:

• "only a remnant will survive,"
  
• "hasten for spoil, hurry for plunder"

I've noticed a similar phenomena in Genesis -- where most names foreshadow that person's life, or events in their life.  

In westerns, apparently the good guys wear white hats and the bad guys wear black hats.  In the bible, the good guys have good names, and the bad guys have bad names.  Or, sometimes, they name their kids about  things going on in the surrounding environment.  For example the kings of Sodom and Gomorra (the bad guys) mean "in evil" and "in wickedness."  The good guys in the story are Melkesedek (king of righteousness) and Abraham (exalted father).

[OT] 17 - Literary Prophecy: Hosea and Isaiah

RLST 145: Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) (Fall, 2006)

Lecture 17 - Literary Prophecy: Hosea and Isaiah

Overview:

The lecture focuses on the eighth-century northern prophet Hosea, a linguistically difficult book set against the backdrop of the expansionist Assyrian Empire. Hosea's marriage symbolizes Israel's relationship with God and serves to remind Israel of God's forbearance and Israel's obligations and pledge to loyalty under the covenant at Sinai. The second half of the lecture shifts to Isaiah and his emphasis on the Davidic Covenant, rather than the Mosaic one, a key distinction between him and Hosea. Themes in Isaiah include the salvation of a remnant, Israel's election to a mission and an eschatology that centers around a "messiah" (anointed) king of the house of David.

Reading assignment:

Bible:
(1) Introduction to Hosea (JSB pp. 1143-4), Hosea 1-14
(2) Introduction to Isaiah (JSB pp. 780-784), Isaiah 1-12, 28-33, 36-39

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[OT] 16 - Literary Prophecy: Amos.

We're following through an online course offered by Yale as part of the open Yale course program (RLST 145: Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) (Fall, 2006)).  Each week we go through another lecture.  This week is Lecture 16 - Literary Prophecy: Amos.  Lectures are by Christine Hayes,  the Robert F. and Patricia Ross Weis Professor of Religious Studies in Classical Judaica at Yale.

Overview:

This lecture introduces the literary prophets of both the northern and southern kingdoms. The prophetic books are anthologies of oracles the sequence of which is often determined by literary rather than chronological considerations. This lecture studies the literary features and major themes of classical Israelite prophecy as evidenced in particular in the book of the eighth-century northern prophet Amos. The prophets denounced moral decay and false piety as directly responsible for the social injustice that outrages God. While the Deuteronomist blames the nation's misfortunes on acts of idolatry, the prophets stress that the nation will be punished for everyday incidents of immorality. The literary prophets counterbalance their warnings with messages of great hope and consolation.

Reading assignment:

Bible: Introduction to Amos (JSB pp. 1176-7), Amos 1-9

Class lecture:

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