Joel Obadiah Haggai Zechariah Malachi

These books, from what are often called the twelve prophets, continue to recount the story of the return from Babylonian exile. They speak with immediacy and power to the generation that was responsible for writing down and organizing the Hebrew Scriptures and founding Judaism as a religion, not just an ethnic identity. Haggai demonstrates how not to be a prophet, as his wildly optimistic and date-specific predictions don't come true. Zechariah then tries to restore the reputation of the prophets after Jeremiah denounces them as liars. A central issue is the rebuilding of the temple-how can it replace the celebrated temple of Solomon? Should it be built before the people even have the resources to build their own houses? When did God leave the temple, and what will convince God to return? These postexilic prophets affirm the many traditions of the people of Judah and Israel, who are still reeling from exile, offering them hope and direction. They promise that God's justice will include punishment of their enemies and a full restoration of God's people. John J. Collins is Holmes Professor of Old Testament at Yale Divinity School. A native of Ireland, he has a doctorate from Harvard University, and earlier taught at the University of Chicago, and the University of Notre Dame. He has published widely on the subjects of apocalypticism, wisdom, Hellenistic Judaism, and the Dead Sea Scrolls and served as president of both the Catholic Biblical Association and the Society of Biblical Literature.

The Complete text of each biblical book is given, with the commentary on the same or facing page. Review aids and discussion topics make the series practical and useful for individual or group Bible study.

The NIV Application Commentary helps you communicate and apply biblical text effectively in today's context. To bring the ancient messages of the Bible into today's world, each passage is treated in three sections: Original Meaning. Concise exegesis to help readers understand the original meaning of the biblical text in its historical, literary, and cultural context. Bridging Contexts. A bridge between the world of the Bible and the world of today, built by discerning what is timeless in the timely pages of the Bible. Contemporary Significance. This section identifies comparable situations to those faced in the Bible and explores relevant application of the biblical messages. The author alerts the readers of problems they may encounter when seeking to apply the passage and helps them think through the issues involved. This unique, award-winning commentary is the ideal resource for today's preachers, teachers, and serious students of the Bible, giving them the tools, ideas, and insights they need to communicate God's Word with the same powerful impact it had when it was first written.

In the language of the Bible, "prophecy" has quite a broad meaning, but refers, primarily, to the idea of "speaking in the name of God". The entire Old Testament could be said to be prophetic, but some books carry the names of twelve "minor" prophets - a distinction based on their length. Not all of them easy to date, the authors and editors of these books in the "roll of the twelve prophets" lived at times between the eighth century and second century BC.