DESCRIPTION: This is a survey course of the Former Prophets (Joshua-Kings) and Latter Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea-Malachi). Emphasis will be given to the message, form, and background of the texts as well as their role in critical scholarship and the Church's ongoing theological reflection.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: In the history of the Israelite religion, the prophets saw themselves as God's mouthpiece. They read, engaged, and confronted the contemporary society with pertinent messages. This course will promote questions and discussions exploring the relevance and implications of the "prophetic voice" to the challenges of society and church today.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students successfully completing the course will have demonstrated

1. familiarity with the Biblical texts under study;

2. acquisition of critical tools for the interpretation of the prophetic corpus in the Old Testament;

3. ability to identify the most salient themes throughout the literary corpus;

4. familiarity with the historical, socio-political, and religious background of the books;

5. ability to extrapolate the theological message of the text.

NRSV, TNIV, or CEB Bible.

Matthews, Victor. Social World of the Hebrew Prophets. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2001. ISBN: 9780801047039. $24.99.

Newsome, James D. The Hebrew Prophets. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1986. ISBN: 9780804201131. $26.96.

Wolff, Hans Walter. Confrontations with Prophets. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1983. ISBN: 9780800617028. $9.78.

Reading material posted on Moodle. See the following sampling:

Auld, Graeme. "The Deuteronomists and the Former Prophets, Or What Makes the Former Prophets Deuteronomistic?" In Those Elusive Deuteronomists: The Phenomenon of Pan-Deuteronomism, ed. Linda Schearing and Steven L. McKenzie, 116-26. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1999.

Chaney, M. L. "Bitter Bounty: The Dynamics of Political Economy Critiqued by the Eighth-Century Prophets." In The Bible and Liberation, ed. N. K. Gottwald and R. A. Horsley, 250-63. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1993.

Childs, B. S. "The Canonical Shape of the Prophetic Literature." In Interpreting the Prophets, ed. J. L. Mays and P. J. Achtemeier, 41-49. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1987.

Clines, D. J. A. "Metacommentating Amos." In Interested Parties: The Ideology of Writers and Readers of the Hebrew Bible, 76-93. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1995.

Gottwald, N. K. "Social Class and Ideology in Isaiah 40-55: An Eageltonian Reading." In The Bible and Liberation, ed. N. K. Gottwald and R. A. Horsley, 329-42. Maryknoll: Orbis, 1993.

"Paradise Lost: Reading the Former Prophets by the Rivers of Babylon." Calvin Theological Journal 37, no.1 (2002): 9-27.

Steinmetz, D. C. "John Calvin on Isaiah 6: A Problem in the History of Exegesis." In Interpreting the Prophets, ed. J. L. Mays and P. J. Achtemeier, 86-99. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1987.

Weems, Renita. "Gomer: Victim of Violence or Victim of Metaphor?" Semeia 47 (1989): 87-104.

Wilson, Robert. "Early Israelite Prophecy." In Interpreting the Prophets, ed. J. L. Mays and P. J. Achtemeier, 1-13. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1987.

Witvliet, John D. "The Former Prophets and the Practice of Christian Worship." Calvin Theological Journal 37, no.1 (2002): 82-94.

1. Attendance and participation (20%)

2. Midterm exam (20%)

3. Exegesis paper (10 pages; 30%)

4. Final examination (30%)