Prophecy and the United Monarchy: The Origins of Exegesis in Prophetic Imitation

James E. Patrick

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Chapter 2 Prophecy and the United Monarchy: The Origins of Exegesis in Prophetic Imitation

In: The Exegetical and the Ethical

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James E. Patrick

James E. Patrick
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 28–46

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004505490_004

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Abstract

John Barton’s 1986 book Oracles of God demonstrated how Second Temple Jewish views of prophecy as inspired interpretation of Scripture were anachronistic back-projections from postexilic Judaism onto the true preexilic Israelite phenomenon. However, if this is the case, biblical scholars ever since the Renaissance who have modelled themselves on the preexilic prophets are searching in the wrong place for their exegetical pedigree. Responsible or ethical exegesis is determined in part by the example of earlier inspired exegetes, and foremost among these would be the biblical prophets according to traditional interpretations. In an effort to assess the actual historical phenomenon of prophecy in preexilic times, this essay first proposes a likely date for the composition of the book of 1–2 Samuel, being the main textual source for historical details about the united monarchy. Various phenomena associated with early Israelite prophecy can then be surveyed, including terminology for the profession, ecstatic versus oracular prophecy, groups versus individuals, and the rise of writing prophets. One striking feature of prophecy in 1–2 Samuel, however, is the earlier authoritative tradition that seems to lie behind the actions and depictions of prophets, particularly specific predictive prophecy from even earlier times. Significantly, these earlier prophecies are now found consistently in archaic poems widely considered the oldest texts in the Pentateuch, suggesting that prophecy in its earliest identifiable form was already perceived as in some sense exegetical.

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The Exegetical and the Ethical

The Bible and the Academy in the Public Square. Essays for the Occasion of Professor John Barton’s 70th Birthday

Series: Biblical Interpretation Series, Volume: 197

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004505490

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 10 Mar 2022

Subjects
- Biblical Studies
- Philosophy
  - Ethics & Moral Philosophy

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Part 1 Establishing the Exegetical and the Ethical

Part 2 Enabling the Exegetical and the Ethical

Part 3 Enacting the Exegetical and the Ethical

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Chapter 2 Prophecy and the United Monarchy: The Origins of Exegesis in Prophetic Imitation

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The Exegetical and the Ethical

The Bible and the Academy in the Public Square. Essays for the Occasion of Professor John Barton’s 70th Birthday

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