The Word of God in Transition: From Prophet to Exegete in the Second Temple Period
William M. Schniedewind
Continuum International Publishing Group, 1995 - 275 pages
The
Chronicler distinguishes between "traditional prophets" and "inspired
messengers," and thereby highlights a radical transition in the meaning
of the "word of God" which takes place in the post-exilic period. The
Chronicler summarizes his perspective in 2 Chron. 36.16, saying that
Israel rejected "his prophets," "the messengers of God," and "his word"
(i.e. Torah). This distinction is reflected in the forms and functions
of prophetic speech in the books of Chronicles. Thus, the prophets speak
to the king, and the inspired messengers (e.g. priests, levites) speak
to the people. The prophets interpret narrative events for the king;
they explain how God acts. The inspired messengers exhort the people,
admonishing them how they should act. The prophets' speeches usually do
not use any kind of inspiration formula, but the inspired messengers'
speeches are prefaced with possession formulas. These possession
formulas are not typical of classical prophecy and mark the rise of a
new kind of prophecy, namely, the inspired interpretation of texts.
These inspired messengers are thus forerunners of the inspired
interpreters of scripture in Qumran, early Christianity and Judaism.
No comments:
Post a Comment