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4.5
C. Hassell Bullock wrote An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books where he discusses each time period and prophetic work within Israel's history. He generally follows the same literary pattern in every chapter when discussing each work of prophetic literature: the prophet's life, an outline, the date of the work, the literary nature and authenticity of the work, any historical issues concerning the book, an analysis of the book, and the writer's theology and message. The book is compiled based upon the period in which the writer is authoring his work: Neo-Assyrian period, Neo-Babylonian period, and the Persian period. This review will be confined to the "major" prophets. They are designated as such because of the length of their works; not the importance of the content in comparison to the other prophetic works in the OT.Isaiah: Prophet Par ExcellenceIsaiah is considered by the author to be "...a bright star in the prophetic constellation of the 8th century B.C., soaring like an eagle in his literary and theological distinction." Concerning the authenticity and authorship of the book, Bullock does not believe that Isaiah is a composite of oracles by different authors in the Isaiah tradition but an "anthology of genuine Isaiah prophecies" written over a long period of time by a man with ample personal, spiritual, and cultural assets. The book of Isaiah itself is split up into two parts (part 1: chaps. 1-33 and part 2: chaps. 34-66) with seven main divisions: chs. 1-12, 13-23, 24-27, 28-33, 34-35, 36-39, and 40-66. Recognizing the fear of oversimplification, the author reduces Isaiah's theology to two encompassing ideas found within the text of chapter one: "my people" and "the Holy One of Israel." Dr. Bullock remarks that "The first term is the stamp of the Lord's claim upon Israel, implying Israel's covenant relation to Him, whereas the second term emphasizes Yahweh's distinctiveness and sets Him apart from Israel." The whole of Isaiah's rebukes, oracles, and prophesies concern the interface of those two themes being worked out within the history of a sinful people. The means of reconciliations within the book for a sinful people who have broken faith with their covenant God are the prophet, Cyrus, and the coming Messiah who will usher in a glorious, new age. Bullock points out that "...[the] mission, which the prophet had announced but not accomplished, and whose way for future development Cyrus had paved, was uniquely effected by the obedient suffering of the Servant."Jeremiah: Prophet to the Nations Jeremiah, who prophesied during the New-Babylonian period, is described by the author as the prophet to the nations because he was convinced of Yahweh's universal sovereignty. All men in all nations were called to account to the Lord of the universe, Israel's God. The author believes the work is authentic with the material coming from Jeremiah himself through the hand of his scribe Baruch unless good evidence says otherwise. Because the work does not meet the standard criterion for arranging the prophetic books, does not possess a distinct chronology and contains varying subject matter, the book is split into three "books" based upon "centers" and identifiable criteria: book one (1:1-25:13), two biographical interludes (26-29 & 32-45) book two (30-31), and book three (46-51). The purpose of Jeremiah's work was twofold: one, to announce the sin of Judah who consistently forsook the Lord and devised a religious system that was abhorrent to the Holy One of Israel and two, to herald a message of impending doom upon God's people if repentance was not forthcoming. Four prevalent ideas or motifs found within the work are the prophet's prayers, the concept of the love of God, the juxtaposition of the old and new covenants, and the future of Judah. Jeremiah, like Isaiah and the other prophets of Israel's prophetic repertoire, prophesied and looked ahead for the messianic age that was to come after being inaugurated by a restored, Davidic ruler.Ezekiel: The Merging of Two Spheres Dr. Bullock praises Ezekiel as the meeting place in Israel's history of the prophetic guild and the priestly ministry. He was the emerging of two, important roles within the life of Israel: the prophet and the priest. Despite the issues concerning the geographical location of Ezekiel's ministry, the various modes of prophetic revelation, the prophet's "dumbness", and the "thirtieth" year problem, the author believes the work to be an authentic work of one man because of the dating system that almost consistently uses Jehoiachin's exile as its reference point, the homogeneity of thought, the well-balanced prophetic/priestly approach to Israel's present dilemma and future hope, and the consistency of language patterns. The book of Ezekiel is split into three main sections concerning the day of the LORD both nationally and internationally: Israel's doom (national: 1-14), the doom of the nations (international: 25-32), and Israel's restoration (national: 33-48). Ezekiel's message is one of polarity: God will turn his face from Israel (7:22) and yet he will not hide his face (39:29), Israel drives Yahweh from the sanctuary (8:6) and yet he gives instructions concerning the cultic practices (37:26-28), Yahweh gives up the land (14:12-20) and yet reclaims the land for his people (47:13-48:35), Israel breaks the old covenant (16:59) and yet Yahweh establishes an everlasting covenant (37:26), etc. Ezekiel's message also centers on the knowledge of God as the goal of his prophetic ministry. The people are to be holy because it reflects Yahweh's character as true and worthy of worship.Daniel: Witness in Babylonia Daniel, who prophesied during the Persian period, was a young man deported to Babylonia who witnessed and testified to the true God of the earth through his prophetic ministry. The author recognizes the varied historical issues concerning the book that bears Daniel's name: the "third year of Jehoiakim" and the dating of Daniel's exile, the historical issues surrounding the "monarchy" of Belshazzar, the nature of who Darius the Mede actually is, the issue of why some of the book is in Hebrew and some in Aramaic, and the prevalence and existence of loan words within the work. The dating of the book is also a convoluted discussion because of the history, language, and placement of the book within the Hebrew canon. Dr. Bullock believes that the book is set up into two unified sections with one characterized by backward reflections (1-6) and the other characterized by apocalyptic utterances and oracles about events within cosmic history (2; 6-12). The major theme of the book is that Yahweh is the sovereign God over the spiritual and political realm. God's complete control was manifested in the great events surrounding the fall of Jerusalem, the exile, and the rising and falling of ancient nations.Likes/Dislikes I appreciated Bullock's work for the thorough history and background information concerning each of the books. The most interesting parts for me were the historical problems concerning the authorship and authenticity of each book. I really enjoyed reading certain sections like Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Jeremiah because of my lack of information and knowledge concerning those books (I have not read Ezekiel and Jeremiah in a while...). It is encouraging to see the general unity in purpose and message of the prophets: Yahweh is faithful when his people are faithless, sin has consequences, there is hope and judgment on the Day of the LORD, and that God is the sovereign Lord of history. My only issue with the book is that it was quite monotonous and tedious at times but that is to be expected when trying to cover so much history within a 413 page book. I would have also benefited from some information concerning the authors he was rebutting when defending the conservative stance on each of the books.
