Understanding the Old Testament Prophets

Some of the Old Testament's most powerful language and vision comes from Israel's great prophets. Prophetic texts present timeless challenges to men and women down through the ages. They continue to evoke powerful responses from contemporary readers and listeners. This course explores the worldviews and theologies of the ancient Near Eastern world to highlight how they influenced the message and mission of Israel's ancient prophets, and how these shaped written prophetic texts as they appear in the biblical canon today, and how they influenced Jesus' gospel message. You will consider the prophetic call, vocation, charism, persona, mission, and experience. Through other topics, you'll explore the role of imagination in prophetic proclamations, metaphor and symbolic action, the prophets' portrayal of God, the prophets' vision for worship and cosmic redemption, and discuss the violence embedded within prophetic texts. Two clusters of texts, the laments of Jeremiah and the servant songs of Isaiah are explored in detail. Throughout the course, Israel's transgressions are exposed, and disturbing images are held up for hermeneutical and critical theological reflection. The final portion of the course explores the life and mission of Jesus within the prophetic tradition.