The writings of the prophets make up over a quarter of the Old Testament. However, perhaps no other portion of the Old Testament is more misunderstood by readers today.
The Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets is the only reference book of its kind. Not only does it focus exclusively on the prophetic books; it also plumbs their imagery of mountains and wilderness, flora and fauna, temple and Zion. It maps and guides us through topics such as covenant and law, exile and deliverance, forgiveness and repentance, and the Day of the Lord.
Here the nature of prophecy is searched out in its social, historical, literary and psychological dimensions as well as its synchronic spread of textual links and associations. The formation of the prophetic books into their canonical collection, including the Book of the Twelve, is also explored and weighed for its significance. Then too, contemporary approaches such as canonical criticism, conversation analysis, editorial/redaction criticism, feminist interpretation, literary approaches and rhetorical criticism are summed up and assayed.
Dictionary of the Old Testament Prophets is in the following collections: