Prophetism as a Literary Genre
Teacher
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Lesson 10
BASIC BIBLICAL TEXT
Jeremiah 29.1,4-11
BASIC BIBLICAL TEXT
Jeremiah 29.1,4-5
1This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
4This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:
5“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.
BASIC BIBLICAL TEXT
Jeremiah 29.6-8
6Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.
7Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
8 Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have.
BASIC BIBLICAL TEXT
9They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.
10This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.
11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29.9-11
GOLDEN TEXT
Habakkuk 2.2
Then the Lord replied:
Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.
AIMS
Identify the basic structure of the prophetic books and the reasons that led to the written record of the prophecies;
Distinguish the main genres of the typically prophetic literature;
Know other genres that are present in prophetic books.
INTRODUCTION
The prophetic messages were directed to a specific people, dealing with issues related to the time and of local interest, but the written form allowed these messages to go beyond generations and borders far beyond what the prophets could suppose.
Prophetic books present a special type of biblical literature, written for specific purposes in Israel's later history. The books of prophecy complement the historical books in many ways. The emphasis is not so much historical as hortatory.
INTRODUCTION
Much of what is recorded in the Scriptures, as coming from these holy men of God, the prophets, we must thank the children of the prophets, or the school of prophets.
These disciples felt impelled to write down what they heard, systematically recording their words. Centuries after centuries, this task gave rise to a literary style, which, although not homogeneous, is recognized as inspired prophetic literature.
1. PROPHETIC BOOKS AND THE HEBREW BIBLE
In the beginning, the five books of the Bible were the only document considered as the Word of God by the Israelites.
Later, two other sections came to compose the Hebrew Bible, called Tanak, which is an acronym formed by the name of its three parts:
the first, called Torah - which means law, instruction;
the second, called Neviim - the prophets;
and the third, Ketuvim - which means miscellaneous.
1.1. The prophetic books
As seen above, the prophetic books are part of the second division of the Hebrew Bible and are organized into Former prophets and Latter prophets.
Former Prophets - contains the books of Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings.
Latter prophets - composed of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the book of the twelve (called the minor prophets).
1.2. Prophetic literature creation
The prophet is the man of speech. It is imagined that, before it was a book, there was a message preached, either in words or symbolic deeds.
What we are fully convinced of is that God inspired the prophets. Even those who left nothing in writing had their words recorded by writers inspired by the Spirit of God. The message was never compromised, as the Spirit present in the preached message acted on the first written record, as well as guided the future manuscripts.
1.3. Why make a written record
of prophecies?
Many reasons can be given as answers to this question. Let's see a few:
1.3. Why make a written record
of prophecies?
Behind every reason, we see God thinking of future generations of non-Jews who needed to read these messages.
2. “THIS IS WHAT THE LORD SAYS”
The expression "thus saith the Lord" is a mark of prophetic literature, but they are not words for the exclusive use of the prophets. In fact, the expression has its origins in the diplomatic milieu.
In antiquity, ambassadors often used it when speaking on behalf of their kings. They are, therefore, the so-called messenger sayings, which basically serve to make it clear that the next sentence will not be formed by the messenger's words - since this is just a herald who is about to declare the edict of an authority that he represents at that moment.
2.1. Oracles of judgment
God's spokesperson functions as a prosecutor, who declares the Law and presents the mistake made. Then he announces what will happen to the transgressor, who has not heard, has not obeyed.
This style of literature is called the judgment oracle, precisely because it recalls what happens in a court of law. An example of this prophetic style can be seen in Elijah's words to King Ahab when he took over Naboth's vineyard (1 Kings 21:19).
2.2 Oracles of love and hope
The prophet does not live by misfortune alone. The God who presents himself as the judge of the transgressor is also a Father who loves his children, or a husband who loves his wife.
The book of the prophet Hosea is based on these two images of God: now of a husband, now of a father. In either case, we see a God who loves his people and expects them to repent and return to him.
2.3 Oracles of salvation and encouragement
These were messages that came in times of crisis, when repentance was delayed, leaving the judge with no other option but to apply the announced sentence. But as the psalmist says: His anger lasts only a moment (Ps 30:5).
Even while serving the sentence, God reveals himself merciful to his people, declaring that salvation is on the way (Is 41:8-13; Jer 29:10-14).
3. THE RELATIONSHIP OF PROPHECY TO OTHER GENRES
Each literary genre has its peculiarities when it comes to interpretation. After all, you cannot interpret all biblical texts using the same hermetical rules. This is knowledge of great importance, but unfortunately it does not receive the attention it deserves.
In addition to the genre removed from the judicial sphere, seen in the previous topic, other genres can be seen in prophetic books:
3.1 The parables
In a well-known text (2 Samuel 12:1-7), we see the prophet Nathan using a parable. The plot made David not realize that the prophet was denouncing his own sins.
One can also include the allegory used by the prophet Ezekiel in accusing the king of Judah, Zedekiah, who had pledged allegiance to the king of Babylon but was now seeking support from Egypt (Ezek 17:2).
3.2 Songs
It is possible to see songs being used as prophetic literature in: (a) Isaiah, chapter 12 - this could well have been inserted in the book of Psalms; and in (2) Habakkuk, chapter 3 - in this there is an oracle in song form (Hc 3.1).
3.3 Lamentations
These are texts that start with "Ouch". With this monosyllabic sound, the prophet expressed pain, sadness and anguish. It was as if his listeners were hearing the cries of mourners as they accompanied a funeral procession. Inevitable remembrance heralded an imminent death judgment (Is 5:20-22; Ezek 16:23; Luke 6:25).
3.4 Poetry
Poetic language is characterized by the use of figurative words. Among many other examples, this is what can be seen in the expression: (...) It will happen that the mountain of the House of the Lord will be established on the top of the mountains, and the peoples will flock to them (Mic 4.1).
CONCLUSION
There are several literary styles present in prophetic literature; the treatises in this class will be enough to awaken you to the beauty of the prophetic writings and motivate you to deeply study the lives and legacy of these incomparable characters.
GOD BLESS YOU!
EBD ADVEC
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