Minor Prophets

Abstract

Minor Prophets Christopher T. Begg, Fred W. Guyette, William J. Urbrock, Martin Kessler, Christopher T. Begg, and OSST J. Edward Owens 1063. [Book of the Twelve; Pentateuch] Jakob Wöhrle, "Jacob, Moses, Levi: Pentateuchal Figures in the Book of the Twelve," Formation of the Pentateuch, 997-1014 [see #1181]. W.'s article treats some comprehensive references to pentateuchal traditions within the Book of the Twelve, i.e., the adaptation of the Jacob account in Hosea 12, the statements about Moses and the exodus in Micah 6; and the presentation of a covenant with Levi in Malachi 2. All of these texts, W. concludes, are late, post-Deuteronomistic, post-P, and even postpentateuchal. They presuppose, at the least, a nearly completed form of the Pentateuch and show how after the Pentateuch's completion the traditions preserved in it were taken up and integrated into prophetic writings. Thus … the references to pentateuchal traditions documented in the Book of the Twelve cannot bear the burden of proof for an early date of the pentateuchal traditions. … To be sure, findings within the Book of the Twelve certainly cannot definitively exclude the possibility of an early date for the formation of the pentateuchal traditions. However, it is and remains remarkable that within the Book of the Twelve, with its long-term and multilayered history of formation, the reception of pentateuchal traditions does not begin prior to the later postexilic period, but then begins simultaneously at several junctures within this comprehensive collection of prophetic books. This seems to be an important indication that the crucial formative phase of the Pentateuch occurred essentially later than has been presumed in traditional models of the Pentateuch's formation. [Adapted from author's introduction and conclusion, pp. 997-98, 1013-14—C.T.B.] 1064. [Book of the Twelve] Ehud Ben Zvi, "Remembering Twelve Prophetic Characters from the Past," Book of the Twelve, 6-36 [see #1273]. B.Z. begins by stating that for a number of years now, he has been invited to conferences because of his specific approach to prophetic literature, which is epitomized by the expressions he uses, such as "Prophetic Books Collection," "The Twelve Prophetic Books," and, more recently, "The Twelve Prophetic Characters of Memory." He then proceeds to explain what his approach involves. Although he considers what he calls "The Hypothesis of the Book of the Twelve" a thought-provoking one, he also believes that is more likely wrong than right. In his view, within the repertoire of the literati of the early Second Temple period, twelve independent prophetic books were organized as (a) collection(s) or rather (a) sub-collection(s). The literati read each of them as well as the book's (sub)-collection(s) in a way that was informed by the general discourse of the period, in particular by the Jerusalem-centered world to which they belonged. In his contribution, B.Z. expands on the above points and argues for the necessity of additional, and to a large extent, complementary research paths involving methodological approaches that differ from the currently dominant ones. He also underlines the need to acknowledge the shortcomings of the existing [End Page 332] methodological approaches as well as the potential of other approaches to illuminate the matters under study. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] 1065. [Book of the Twelve] Christophe L. Nihan, "Remarques sur la question de l'unité des XII," Book of the Twelve, 145-65 [see #1273]. N.'s contribution examines the numerous intertextual links that characterize the Twelve and raises questions about its interpretation and highlights the main methodological issues at stake in the current debate concerning the Twelve. Via a comparison of a few selected textual test cases with recent studies concerning these, N. shows that the Twelve's intertextuality contradicts the claim that the complex as a whole is constituted by a simple juxtaposition of the component books; on the other hand, its intertextuality is also not adequately explained by today's dominant hypothesis of linear redactions within the collection. Accordingly, N. argues for a new approach that would take into account all aspects of the question, including the meaning of the terms used...