PROPHECY AND ISRAELS

INSTITUTIONS
ISRAEL INSTITUTIONS:
Priest in Israel were distinct from prophets

Only a few prophets were both priests and

prophets; Jeremiah and Ezekiel

Priests dealt with priestly institutions:

worship, offerings and sacrifice;

Wise men dealt with professional institutions

Prophets dealt with charismatic promptings

Law and priesthood
Were to teach about:
About God and the peoples relationship
with God in the tora / the law and the
covenant; the sanctuary and later the
Temple

Instead: practiced cult religion

In their failure to their mission, pre-exilic

prophets condemned them (Isaiah 11:6)
Monarchy / kingship
God was the only king of the people of Israel

Influenced by the natives of Canaan,

Philistines, and the surrounding nations they
demanded to have a king

God granted them the first king; King Saul

The coming of the kingdom was in

accordance to Gods will therefore
obedience to God
Prophets reminded the kings to:
Fidelity to God: Live and remain faithful to
the torah and covenant

Live moral and ethical lives

Not to make alliances with foreign nations

Failure to obey Gods commands, they

will be punished and perish
Some prophets during monarchy:
Nathan - king David
Nathan Solomon over Adonijah (1 Kgs
1:8; 1 Chronicles 28:5)
Elijah - King Ahab and prophets of Baal (1
Kgs 18, 21)
Shemaiah - king Rehoboam (2 Chro 12:5-
7)
Jehu king Baasha (1 Kgs 16:1-4)
Isaiah King Ahaz (Isaiah 7:10ff);
Hezekiah (2 kgs 20:12 ff);
Jeremiah kings of Israel (Jer 21:1ff)
 PROPHETIC LITERATURE
PROPHETI LITERATURE WERE PRODUCED
BY CLASSIC LITERARY / WRITING
PROPHETS:
Early and later prophets
Prophetic literature:
Written by disciples of the prophets who
preserved the prophetic oracles (isaiah
18:16-20; Jer 36; Amos 7:10-17 cf Amos
7:1, 4, 7; 8:1-2; confession of Jeremiah
12:1-6; 15:15-21)
 Poetic texts in prophetic books

Prose materials describes the lives of

prophets

Paraphrases what the prophets had said

Oracles on the revelation of YHWH

included, thus says the Lord, YHWH
speaks, some were Woes others weal

Obscurity proverbial, denouncement and

exhortations; prophecy of doom
Prophecy and apocalypse teaching with
visions (Amos 7:1-9; 8:1-3; 9:1ff; Ez 19:2-
14; 27:3-9) :
visions of ecstatic experience;

vision with poetic forms;

vision in narrative;

vision using sapiential form

Some use dirge song covenant law suit
borrowed from ancient covenant ritual
(Mic 6:18) modeled after Temple liturgy

Prophetic sermon ascribed either in prose

or prophecy

Symbolic actions (were signs) of prophets

Ezekiel, Hosea, Isaiah and Jermiahs
celibacy and the purchase of Hanameels
field (Jer 16:1-4; 32:6ff)
 FORMATION OF PROPHETIC
BOOKS
Disciples of prophets gathered the prophetic
oracles, poetry, sermons, and paraphrased

Added biographical collections

Editorial work later put the texts into order

Editor supplemented the prophetic literature with

other prophetic passages from elsewhere (Is 13:1-
14:23; Amos 9:8-15; Hosea 1:7; 3:3b; Mal 3:24b

Some editorial supplement provide historical

material that was made available (Isaiah 36-39; 2
Kgs 18:13-20:19; Jer 52: cf 2 Kgs 24:18-25:30)
Prophetic word
Measured in the word of God

Its ancient but the living word of God

Prophets gave their lives to the Word of

God
 summary
Prophecy in Israel was a charismatic
phenomenon
Its institutions consisted of:
Law and priesthood
The monarchy
Prophetic literature consists of:
Poetry,
prose,
oracles,
visions,
paraphrase,
prophecy and apocalyptic