Minor Prophets

Abstract

Minor Prophets Eric F. Mason, Richard A. Taylor, Rhiannon Graybill, Christopher T. Begg, and Joseph E. Jensen 1460. [Hosea; Jeremiah] Pauline A. Viviano, "Do the Books of Hosea and Jeremiah Know of a Sinai/Horeb Golden Calf Story?" Golden Calf Traditions, 36-48 [see #1561]. V. seeks to determine whether the Books of Hosea and Jeremiah know the Sinai/ Horeb golden calf story of the Books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. The evidence adduced by her draws from an analysis of the vocabulary of the latter two of these books relating to the Sinai/Horeb golden calf story to see if the Books of Hosea and Jeremiah betray a knowledge of the golden calf story as related in them. The vocabulary in question focuses on three areas: terms related to the golden calf, those denoting idols, and words describing the behavior of the people before the golden calf. V. concludes that whereas the Books of Hosea and Jeremiah show no awareness of the Sinai/Horeb golden calf story, the golden calves of Jeroboam (1 Kings 12) are alluded to in the Book of Hosea. [Adapted from online abstract.] 1461. [Hosea] John T. Willis, "Hosea's Unique Figures of Yahweh," ResQ 61 (2019) 167-80. Hosea uses various similes, metaphors, and figures of speech to convey his message. Among these are some strange figures that are applied to Yhwh that have not received adequate attention hitherto. Some of these unique figures are negative in nature; others [End Page 498] are more positive. On the negative side, Hosea declares that Yhwh is like pus or maggots and rottenness, emphasizing the impending destruction of this corrupt nation; he is like a bird catcher who ensnares and disciplines his wayward people; he is like a harvester who gathers the sheaves, declaring that Yhwh will prevent North Israel's authorities from continuing to make foreign alliances to rescue the nation; he is like a lion, leopard, or bear to destroy the hardhearted. Positively, Hosea assures the genuinely penitent that Yhwh will cause his people to grow and flourish as the dew brings life to plants in dry regions; Yhwh will give his people nourishment and protection as a cypress tree provides refuge to those resting under its leaves; Yhwh will reestablish his relationship to his penitent people as a lion or lioness roars to summon his/her cubs into the lair. [Adapted from author's summary] 1462. [Hos 1:2; The Prophets Wife] Emily O. Gravett, "The Risk of Retelling: Gomer-bat-Diblaim, Biblical Retrieval, and the Male Gaze in The Prophet's Wife" BibInt 27 (2019) 413-35. G. focuses on the retelling of Gomer, Hosea's "wife of whoredom" (Hos 12), in Milton Steinberg's (1903–1950) unfinished novel The Prophet's Wife (published in 2010). The novel attempts to retrieve the character of Gomer and flesh out her biblical representation. However, in doing so, Steinberg highlights Gomer's beauty and physical appearance, thus subjecting her character to the male gaze. G. thus highlights the risk of retrieval as an interpretive strategy, even for feminist ends. 1463. [Joel] Yair Zakovitch, "Joel Reads the Prophets," Profeti Maggiori e Minori, 181-97 [see #1625]. The Book of Joel stands out within the prophetic corpus for its numerous allusions to other biblical books, both to those of other prophets and, e.g., to the Torah and the Psalms. Z. illustrates the point with an intra-and intertextual study of the two final units of the book, i.e. 4:9-17 and 4:18-21, where he finds an especially dense concentration of allusions to a great range of other texts, including Joel's own previous words in Joel 1–2. Awareness of these allusions and Joel's creative re-use—often involving an "inversion" of their original sense—helps us to better understand the message Joel seeks to convey in the above two units, where, in contrast to many of the source-texts alluded to by him, the emphasis is on the overthrow of the oppressor nations on the one hand and the establishment of lasting peace and prosperity for Zion thanks to Yhwh's definitive presence there...