Introduction to the Books of the Former Prophets and/or Historical Books: The History of Israel’s Nationhood and the Beginnings of Israelite Prophecy

The lecture at first attempts to offer an overview of the histories. This is followed by the dilation of the topic concerned with the role of history in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, the histories in their ancient Near Eastern context, the histories as literary texts, as historical documents and as part of a larger story. The relationship between the histories, theology and ethics is also touched upon. The second part of the lecture focuses upon introducing the beginnings of Israelite prophecy and the way in which it is intertwined with history. It is evident that the so-called books of the Former Prophets, as they are called in the Jewish canon, and/or historical ones, as they are known in the Christian canon, present the early history of prophecy and write the national history in light of theological and prophetic preoccupation.

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