Eighth Century Prophetic Voices (BA9392B)

Postgraduate, 24.0 points

Content

This unit explores the nature of prophecy in Israel and Judah during the eighth century BCE. The theology of selected prophets will be considered, including motifs such as covenant, eschatology, law and cult, social justice, election, remnant and foreignness. Focusing on selected passages from Isaiah, Micah, Amos and Hosea, we will seek to discern how these voices contribute to our engagement with contemporary concerns.

Unit code: BA9392B

Unit status: Approved (Minor revision)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: Old Testament

Delivery Mode: Online

Proposing College: Eva Burrows College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Assess how a comprehension of the overall historical, political, and social framework of the Ancient Near East and the Eighth Century prophets contribute to interpretation.
2.

Describe and analyse the major theological themes arising within the relevant prophetic materials.
3.

Exegete and interpret selected texts, referencing methodological considerations.

4.

Compare and contrast selected prophets’ responses to the religious and socio-cultural contexts of 8th century Israel and Judah.
5.

Critically evaluate the contemporary mandate to social action with respect to the message of the Eighth Century Prophets.

Unit sequence

24 points post-graduate foundational in Biblical Studies, or equivalent

Pedagogy

Lectures, seminars, group work, online forums, videos

Indicative Bibliography

  • Blenkinsopp, Joseph. A History of Prophecy in Israel. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2009.
  • Brueggemann, Walter. The Prophetic Imagination. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2001.
  • Dempsey, Carol. The Prophets: A Liberation-Critical Reading. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2000.
  • Dijkstra, Meindert, and Bob Becking. On Reading Prophetic Texts: Gender-Specific and Related Studies in Memory of Fokkelien Van Dijk-Hemmes. Biblical Interpretation, 18. Leiden: Brill, 1996
  • Hays, J. Daniel The Message of the Prophets: A Survey of the Prophetic and Apocalyptic Books of the Old Testament Grand Rapids: Zondervann, 2010
  • Kent, Grenville, J.R. et al (eds). He Began with Moses: Preaching the Old Testament Today. England: IVP, 2010.
  • Leclerc, Thomas, L. Introduction to the Prophets: Their Stories, Saying, and Scrolls. Mahwah, N.J.: Paulist, 2008.
  • Lundbom, Jack. The Hebrew Prophets: an introduction. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2010.
  • Nogalski, James. Introduction to the Hebrew Prophets. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2018.
  • Redditt, Paul L. Introduction to the Prophets. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)

Variant 1

Audio recording or Podcast

8-10 minute presentation

Note: One set from two assessment variants will be nominated at the time of scheduling by the lecturer/unit coordinator prior to the start of the unit and published in the unit outline. Students may have topical choices within a given assessment variant, but are not able to make choices outside that set of assessments.

 1000 20.0
Peer Evaluation

three 300 word evaluations of selected student podcasts.

 900 10.0
Exegetical Essay 2500 30.0
Case Study 3000 40.0

Variant 2

Seminar or Tutorial

15-20 min presentation upon selected topic with accompanying paper.

Note: One set from two assessment variants will be nominated at the time of scheduling by the lecturer/unit coordinator prior to the start of the unit and published in the unit outline. Students may have topical choices within a given assessment variant, but are not able to make choices outside that set of assessments.

 1600 20.0
Exegetical Essay 2200 30.0
Portfolio 3500 50.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Maggie Kappelhoff on 10 Sep, 2021

Unit record last updated: 2021-09-10 11:56:06 +1000