The Prophets: Introducing Israel's Prophetic Writings (Introducing Israel's Scriptures)

The prophets remain figures of enduring interest and importance in contemporary Judaism, Christianity, and even secular society. The Prophets introduces students to the rise of prophecy in ancient Israel, possible ancient Near Eastern parallels, the messages of individual prophets, and the significance of the compositional and editorial history of the prophetic writings. The book guides students into leading questions and issues in contemporary scholarship, and surveys different contemporary approaches to the messages of the prophets.

Part 1 introduces the prophets and prophecy in context. The rise of prophecy, the role of the prophet, key themes, and the fate of prophecy are explored. Part 2 profiles Israel's prophets during the eighth century, the exile, and the postexilic period. This section will also look at each book of the prophets and how the prophetic writings fit within the complete Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament. These chapters also provide insights into interpreting the prophetic writings today, including Jewish and Christian interpretations, prophecy and prediction, and the secular legacy of Israelite prophecy.

This textbook includes numerous images, charts, and maps to enhance the experience of the students.

Stephen L. Cook is Catherine N. McBurney Professor of Old Testament Language and Literature at Virginia Theological Seminary and the author of a number of books in Hebrew Bible studies, including Prophecy and Apocalypticism (Fortress, 1995). He resides in Alexandria, Virginia.

John T. Strong is professor of religion at Missouri State University and the coeditor, with Margaret S. Odell, of The Book of Ezekiel: Theological and Anthropological Perspectives (2000) and, with Steven S. Tuell, Constituting the Community: Studies on the Polity of Ancient Israel (2005). He resides in Springfield, Missouri.

Steven S. Tuell is James A. Kelso Professor emeritus of Hebrew and Old Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and the author of The Law of the Temple in Ezekiel 40-48 and commentaries on 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezekiel, and Nahum. He resides in Wexford, Pennsylvania.