Hebrew Prophets and Hebrew History

Judaism and Christianity are historical religions.  The Hebrew God acts in history and is known by historical events.  A familiarity with the following outline is essential to all of us as we read various Hebrew texts. The prophets are also figures in this historical record. Amos, Hosea, Isaiah (I, II, and III), Jeremiah and Daniel span the 8th to the 2nd century BCE. They react to dated historical periods and known events as recorded in Kings and Chronicles. Note that Moses, though he is the traditional prophet of the Pentateuch, is not among the prophets grouped together in the Hebrew Bible. Genesis and Exodus are books of Hebrew pre-history.

Seminar Preparation:

1. Memorize Hebrew chronology below so that you are able to associate each prophet with his precise historical moment.

2. Read the prophets with an eye to the prophets' individual identities. Look for biographical detail and inference. We will read Amos and Hosea for Wednesday; Isaiah for Friday; Jeremiah for Monday and Daniel for Wednesday. The final essay for the semester will treat Hebrew prophecy.

3. Be able to contrast the Hebrew prophets with prophecy in the Greek context (from Cassandra to the oracle and Delphi and Tiresias).

			Approximate development of canonical Biblical text (JEDP progression)
2000-1290	patriarchs	Greek parallel events
1290	succession of Ramses II, building projects in Nile Delta; forced labor of various groups including "Apiru" (Habiru; Hebrews?) "New king over Egypt who did not know Joseph," Exodus 1.8.
1250	Exodus period	Troy
1225	Hebrew tribes under Joshua destroy Canaanite cities Period of Judges		Yahwist story-tellers from late Judges to early united kingdom (J)
United Kingdom (1020-930)
1020	SAUL unites Israelite tribes as first king
1009/8	Death of Saul. DAVID chosen as king of Judah.
1002/1	David anointed king of Israel; captures Jerusalem making it his capital; prophet NATHAN (II Samuel 9-20)
970-69	death of DAVID; anointing of SOLOMON
Ephraim/Israel/Samaria and Judah; Divided Kingdoms (930-723)		Homer	Elohist materials collecting in Ephraim/Israel independently (E)
931/30	REHOBOAM succeeds Solomon, but Northern tribes secede and choose JEROBOAM as king of Israel
874/873	AHAB begins rule in Israel to 851 (I Kings 17-II Kings 10)
865	ELIJAH sparks revival of worship of Hebrew God in Israel (against Jezebel and AHAB)
850	ELISHA succeeds ELIJAH as prophet in Israel (Northern Kingdonm)
755	AMOS banished from Bethel; HOSEA begins to prophesy
723/22	Fall of Samaria to Assyria; end of northern kingdom
Southern Kingdom Alone (723-586); Judah Alone			Elohist materials brought south JE compiled by a redactor
740/39	ISAIAH called to prophesy
640-609	King JOSIAH of Judah
621	reform associated with "recovery" of DEUTERONOMY		JE and D compiled = JED DH (Deuteronomic Histories)
628/7	JEREMIAH called to Prophesy		Rembrandt, Jeremiah Lamenting the Fall of Jerusalem
603/602	Jeremiah dictates to Baruch in Dec./Jan.
593	EZEKIAL called to prophesy
Exile and Persian Rule (586-334)			Priestly redaction of all = JEDP
588	Nebuchadrezzar begins siege of Jerusalem on Jan. 15
550	Cyrus gains control of Persia; "Medes" of Isaiah 13.17.
538	(after fall of Babylon in 539) Cyrus orders return of peoples; II Isaiah (40-55)
525-520	rebuilding of the Temple at Jerusalem; enabled by Persian rule.	Persian Wars of 490 and 480
ca. 400		Classical Athens; tragedy; philosophy	Pentateuch becomes "canonical"
Hellenistic and Roman Rule
3rd to late 2nd century	Ptolemaic rule from Alexandria		Era of the Septuagint : Greek-speaking Hebrew community of region of Alexandria produced a translation (likely in the koine "common" Greek of the Hellenistic period. Referred to by the legendary number of scholars engaged in this miraculous work (72 scholars in 72 days), LXX or Septuagint eventually came to include the Pentateuch along with wisdom literature, histories and prophets. This Greek text is the basis for the Old Testament of the Greek Orthodox Church. It is an important book in the history of Christianity and in the furhter evolution of both Latin and Greek languages.
167	Antiochus IV Epiphanos installs Temple to Zeus in Jerusalem (Hellenistic syncretism)		BOOK OF DANIEL written. Daniel closes text of Hebrew Bible. Books of Maccabees in the Apocrypha date from this period.
66-73 C.E.	Jewish Revolt and Roman destruction of the temple		70 BCE Jamnia assembly of Pharisees, replacing Sanhedrin after destruction of the temple; beginnings of Rabbinical Judaism