Tradition For The Crisis A Study In Hosea

What does that verse mean? What is the significance of this word or phrase in Hebrew? How do Bible-time customs help me understand this passage? Written and edited by Dallas Seminary faculty members, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament answers these questions and more through a verse-by-verse analysis of the Bible. This comprehensive but brief and reliable commentary, based on the New International Version of the Holy Bible, is designed for pastors, laypersons, Bible teachers, and serious Bible students and serves as a useful companion to personal Bible Study. - Back cover.

“This festschrift honors one of the most important Old Testament scholars in the modern Mennonite tradition, and the essays produced by colleagues and former students reflect Janzen's influence and productivity as both a scholar and a teacher.” —Daniel L. Smith-Christopher, Loyola Marymount University

Centering on the "knowledge of God" and the ultimate painful, paradoxical triumph of God's grace, the book of Hosea is one of ambivalence and redemption. The redemptive message of Hosea is underscored by H. D. Beeby's canonical and Christological interpretation. Beeby stresses that the true context of the book is much wider than the eighth century B.C.; Hosea must continually be heard against the background of and in response to the reader's own time. This commentary makes Hosea's message available today to all who struggle with questions of gospel and culture, contextualization, idolatry, church and state, and interfaith dialogue.

A wanton and adulterous woman repeatedly spurns the love of her youth. Her betrayed and grieving husband offers forgiveness and seeks to restore the intimacy of their first love. Bold imagery indeed for telling the story of God and his people. Bolder still when God calls a prophet to enflesh this divine suffering and redeeming forgiveness in his own marriage. Yet this remarkable story sets the stage for Hosea's message of God's enduring love, his righteous judgement and his persistent offer of reconciliation. This commentary explores the historical, cultural, literary and theological dimensions of the book of Hosea. Distilled from a career of biblical scholarship, theological reflection and masterful teaching, David Hubbard has been studying, teaching and thinking about Hosea for a long time. He frankly admits he can't imagine himself "as a human being, let alone as a believing person, without the deposit of Hosea's political, moral and spiritual insights." Find out why. The original, unrevised text of this volume has been completely retypeset and printed in a larger, more attractive format with the new cover design for the series.

Although many scholars recognize literary similarities between Hosea, Amos, Micah, and Zephaniah, defining the compositional relationship between these texts remains a matter of debate. Following the scholarly trajectory of exploring the compositional relationship between the Twelve prophets, several scholars argue that these four prophetic texts formed a precursory collection to the Book of the Twelve. Yet even among advocates for this ‘Book of the Four’ there remain differences in defining the form and function of the collection. By reexamining the literary parallels between these texts, Werse shows how different methodological convictions have led to the diverse composition models in the field today. Through careful consideration of emerging insights in the study of deuteronomism and scribalism, Werse provides an innovative composition model explaining how these four texts came to function as a collection in the wake of the traumatic destruction of Jerusalem. This volume explores a historic function of these prophetic voices by examining the editorial process that drew them together.

In this study it is argued that the book of Jeremiah was influenced by the books of Amos and Hosea. All three books show a similar pattern of development. There is a correspondence between the reactions of those addressed and the prophetic message, which changes from the preaching of repentance to a message of irreversible judgment. Finally, these prophets testified that only God could bring about a new future. This study, which originally took the form of a dissertation, examines several topics common to Hosea, Amos and Jeremiah. Dr. Lalleman demonstrates important correspondences which point to a prophetic tradition received and developed by Jeremiah in his own way. The research concentrates on the themes of repentance and hope, covenant, and the role of the prophet in intercession, as well as his personal involvement in his message. The differences between these prophetic books, however, show that the individual characteristics of each prophet must not be neglected. The assumption of one monolithic Deuteronomistic redaction responsible for the editing of all the books is therefore unlikely. The prophets are best interpreted in their own historical contexts, although they are connected by a common spiritual heritage, a prophetic tradition.