OT III: Prophecy

The course is an introduction to some of the social, literary, and theological dimensions of prophecy in ancient Israel and its evolution in the exilic and post-exilic eras. The books of Amos, Isaiah, and Daniel are the chief means of illustrating this evolution, though other prophetic literature will also be addressed in lectures. In examining literature from various points during the centuries in which it took shape, we will see its evolution from a largely oral and embodied medium to one that increasingly relies on interpretation of its own written legacy. In addition to Israelite prophecy's independent value as theological expression, this transformation in turn sheds light on the appropriation of prophetic writings in the New Testament for understanding the meaning of Jesus? Life, teaching, death, and resurrection.