The Spirit in Daniel and The Twelve

The Spirit moves through the books of Daniel and The Twelve (Minor Prophets). In this article, the relevant texts of these books are examined in brief and summarized with regard to the Spirit’s person and work by means of engagement with those passages making use of ‮רוח‬‎. These summaries that follow the canonical order of the Old Testament are then pointedly summarized by a brief constructive theology of the Spirit in four points: the Spirit testifies, the Spirit judges, the Spirit is life, the Spirit is gift.

Modification the Concept «The Day of the Lord» in the Minor Prophets

«День Господень» является одной из ключевых тем в пророческой письменности. Цель статьи - проследить основные этапы в понимании концепта «День Господень» в книгах малых пророков: что это выражение означало для допленных и послепленных пророков, какие исторические процессы могли повлиять на изменение провозвестия о «Дне Господнем» у каждого пророка отдельно. На основе проведённого анализа автор приходит к выводу, что разрушение Иерусалима в 586 г. до Р. Х. стало основным событием, повлиявшим на развитие понятия «День Господень» в пророческой письменности. «The Day of the Lord» is one of the main topics in prophetic literature. The purpose of the article is to identify the main milestones in the formation of the concept of the «Day of the Lord» in the Minor Prophets, what this expression meant for prophets before and post exile, what historical processes could contribute to a change in the understanding of the «Day of the Lord» among the prophets. Based on the analysis, the author concludes that the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC laid the main event that influenced the development of the concept of «Day of the Lord» in prophetic literature.

The Minor Prophets’ Relation to the Torah and Former Prophets

This essay tracks references to Israel’s past in the Minor Prophets as one avenue into exploring their connections to the Torah and Former Prophets, while also observing ways in which shared or similar traditions shape prophetic rhetoric. Key themes emerge, such as God’s character, apostasy and idolatry, covenant and judgment, and critique of power and leadership. Specific remarks, particularly in the last of the Twelve, indicate complex and innovative processes of the reinterpretation of Torah and prophecy. These derive canonical meaning when the Book of the Twelve is read in relation to the Torah and Former Prophets as authoritative collections.

Historical Economics and the Minor Prophets

This essay calls for a thorough reassessment of economics and the Minor Prophets. Since existing economic models based on both Marxism or (Neo-) liberalism are problematic as are many basic economic concepts, new theorizing based on ancient data is necessary. Taking Bourdieu’s “economic field” as a starting frame, this essay considers the material elements of production and consumption in the ancient southern Levant, their patterns and social structures, and some issues in the socioeconomic world of the Minor Prophets. These then raise new questions for sample prophetic passages (Amos, Joel, Haggai, Micah, and Zechariah). The essay points to some issues these considerations raise for analyzing the famous calls for social justice, and it closes by pointing in some potential directions for improved theoretical models in future research.

Textual History of the Minor Prophets

This essay discusses the textual history of the Minor Prophets in the Hebrew manuscripts and the Versions, excluding Qumran. The most important textual tradition for the Minor Prophets is the Hebrew Masoretic Text tradition from the medieval period (MT), which continues the earlier proto-masoretic textual tradition that is represented in the Qumran scrolls and is the basis of the translations of the Targums and Peshitta. The Septuagint (LXX) is the most important ancient Version of the Hebrew Bible, because it was the first complete translation and because its Hebrew source differed considerably from the other textual witnesses. Other important Versions of the Hebrew Bible are the Targums, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Latin Vulgate.

The Minor Prophets in Modern Culture

This essay considers the ways in which the Twelve appear in contemporary culture. These books present a challenge for the most skilled interpreters, and their obscurity proves an even greater challenge for more casual readers. It is not surprising that expressions related to the Minor Prophets in contemporary culture tend toward notable phrases or images and the sparse characters, like Hosea and Jonah, which readers find there. In many cases these elements eclipse the larger concerns in the prophetic literature and become primary themes unto themselves, such as war and peace, civil rights, or the apocalypse. The ancient Israelite prophets were odd reshapers of tradition themselves, though, so the forms in which they have found their way into modern contexts may be oddly fitting.

The Minor Prophets and the Book of the Twelve in Late Eighteenth-Century through Early Twenty-First-Century Research

This essay traces and analyzes modern-critical scholarship on the Minor Prophets or Book of the Twelve Prophets from the late eighteenth century through the early twenty-first century. It differentiates between the Christian practice from the time of Jerome and Theodore of Mopsuestia that treated the Twelve as twelve individual Minor Prophets that were collected together and the Jewish practice of reading the Twelve as the Book of the Twelve Prophets. Early treatment of the Minor Prophets focuses especially on the early work of J. G. Eichhorn (1780–1783), W. M. L. de Wette (1817), F. Hitzig (1838), H. Ewald (1840–1841), and B. Duhm (1875, 1922). More modern treatment of the Book of the Twelve Prophets focuses especially on the work of K. Budde (1922), R. E. Wolfe (1935), D. Schneider (1979), O. H. Steck (1991, 1999), James D. Nogalski (1993, 2011), Jakob Wöhrle (2006, 2008), and the author (Sweeney 2000).

The Relationship of the Minor Prophets to the Major Prophets

This essay explores the relationship between the Minor Prophets and the Major Prophets. It covers three pathways that connect these two sections of the prophetic corpus. The historical pathway traces how the two sections reflect upon a selected set of historical issues and events. The textual pathway examines the exchanges that appear between the Major and Minor Prophets. In the third section, the thematic pathway, the essay provides a look at the way the two sections treat gender and ecology. The essay demonstrates that despite the perception of smallness, the Minor Prophets make significant contributions to the understanding and shape of prophetic literature.