Old Testament Unit 4

Discussion Post: Your initial post should be at least 250 words with 2 scholarly sources.                    In Ancient Israel, there existed a special category of religious specialists called "prophets" (in Hebrew: nevi'im or "called ones"). Among their groups one finds both men and women (Judg 4:4; 2 Kgs 22:14) and people of diverse backgrounds (Isaiah was a royal official, Ezekiel was from a priestly family, Amos was a business-man). But they all shared the responsibility of employing their unique gift of supernatural vision to identify Israel's faults and to show God's people the right direction. A survey of the prophetic literature in the Old Testament reveals that this often involved pointing out not only failures of religious faithfulness (see Jeremiah 2), but also failures of moral responsibility, especially to fellow human beings (see Isaiah 5).   For discussion this week, I want you to consider what one of these prophets might look like if (s)he appeared today: * What issues in our culture would they focus on as a target for preaching? Why? * How would they be treated? * And if you are familiar with modern religious groups that have figures called prophets, do these prophets perform the same tasks as those of the Old Testament (calling people back to faithfulness to God, warning against abuses of people)?       Complete Section: Word count for whole section should be 1,200 words with 3 scholarly sources.   Due: March 2, 2018   Can you please make sure to post the References cited under each question as they get submitted seperately.   The Prophetic Literature I: An Introduction to Prophetic Literature and the Book of Isaiah   Read: Chapter 10 -The Old Testament Story (During Israel's final days God spoke to his people through men who were prepared to go to great lengths to warn Israel that its sin would bring judgment and that redemption was available to a repentant people.) Isaiah  

1. What were the three major crises in Israel that the prophetic literature responds to?

2.Do you think Isaiah's advice to Ahaz in the Syro-Ephraimitic crisis was sound? Explain your answer. 3.How did Hezekiah prepare for a possible invasion by the Assyrians during Sennacherib's reign? 4.What are the five major sections into which Isaiah 1-39 can be divided, and what is the central idea in each part? 5.What are the Servant Songs?   The Prophetic Literature II: The Scrolls of Jeremiah and Ezekiel   Read: Chapter 11 -The Old Testament Story (A weeping prophet, a valley of dry bones and a temple beyond description. ) Jeremiah & Ezekiel   6.What is unusual about Jeremiah's call to be a prophet? 7.What advice did Jeremiah give the exiles, and why did he feel it necessary to give such advice? 8.What appears to be Ezekiel's understanding of his call experience? 9.Compare Ezekiel's view of individual responsibility to that of Jeremiah. 10.What was the meaning of Ezekiel's vision in the valley of dry bones?   The Prophetic Literature III: The Book of the Twelve and the Continuation of the Prophetic Tradition   Read: Chapter 12 -The Old Testament Story (Lesser known prophets continue the message of judgement and restoration found in the "big three" (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel)) Hosea through Malachi   11.What problems are raised by God's command to Hosea to marry a prostitute? How do different biblical interpreters address this problem? 12.What do the Oracles Against the Nations (Amos 1:3-2:5) say about Amos's doctrine of God? 13.Compare Isaiah's attitude toward Jerusalem with that of Micah. 14.Why might Habakkuk be considered an early Jewish philosopher? 15.How does the Book of Twelve function as a single book made up of twelve little books?