Major prophet

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The major prophets is a grouping of books in the Christian Old Testament that does not occur in the Hebrew Bible. All of these books are traditionally regarded as authored by the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. The term major prophets refers to the length of the books and not the achievement or importance of the prophets. In comparison to the books of the Twelve Minor Prophets, whose books are short and grouped together into one single book in the Hebrew Bible, the books of the major prophets are much longer. [1]

Contents

Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Isaiah fresco in Church of the Gesu Daniel Ezekiel Jeremiah Isaiah Gesu Rome.jpg
Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Isaiah fresco in Church of the Gesu

The order of the books

Hebrew Bible

The Tanakh, often called the Hebrew Bible, is separated into three sections: the Torah, the Nevi'im (Prophets), and the Ketuvim (Writings). The Book of Jeremiah, Book of Isaiah, and the Book of Ezekiel are included among the Nevi'im. The Book of Lamentations and the Book of Daniel are included among the Ketuvim. The Hebrew Bible does not include the Book of Baruch. [2]

Catholic Bible

Along with the books in the Hebrew Bible, the Catholic Bible includes the Letter of Jeremiah which is found in Chapter 6 of the Book of Baruch. This was written by Baruch ben Neriah, a scribe of Jeremiah. [1]

Protestant Bible

Most Protestant Bibles include only the Book of Isaiah, the Book of Jeremiah, the Book of Lamentations, the Book of Ezekiel, and the Book of Daniel. [1]

Period of Prophecy

All the books of the major prophets took place during the "Period of Prophecy", which covers the time from the entrance of the Israelites into the Land of Israel until the Babylonian captivity of Judah. It is understood from all versions of the books that during this time, the four major prophets were chosen by God to be spoken to and speak the divine word to the people. [3]

Isaiah

The Book of Isaiah tells primarily of prophecies of the judgments awaiting nations that are persecuting Judah.

Jeremiah

The Book of Jeremiah was written as a message to the Jews in exile in Babylon, explaining the disaster of exile as God's response to Israel's pagan worship.

Lamentations

The Book of Lamentations tells of the mourning the desertion of the city by God, its destruction, and the ultimate return of the divinity.

Ezekiel

The Book of Ezekiel tells of the judgements on Israel and the nation and also the future blessings of Israel.

Daniel

The Book of Daniel tell of God's plans to save all Israel in their present oppression, just as he saved Daniel from his enemies.

See also

Related Research Articles

The Book of Jeremiah is the second of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, and the second of the Prophets in the Christian Old Testament. The superscription at chapter Jeremiah 1:1–3 identifies the book as "the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah". Of all the prophets, Jeremiah comes through most clearly as a person, ruminating to his scribe Baruch about his role as a servant of God with little good news for his audience.

The Book of Obadiah is a book of the Bible whose authorship is attributed to Obadiah. Obadiah is one of the Twelve Minor Prophets in the final section of Nevi'im, the second main division of the Hebrew Bible. The text consists of a single chapter, divided into 21 verses with 440 Hebrew words, making it the shortest book in the Tanakh, though there are three shorter New Testament epistles in Greek. The Book of Obadiah is a prophecy concerning the divine judgment of Edom and the restoration of Israel.

The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Israelites. The second division of Christian Bibles is the New Testament, written in Koine Greek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prophet</span> Intermediary between humanity and the divine

In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the supernatural source to other people. The message that the prophet conveys is called a prophecy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hebrew Bible</span> Core group of ancient Hebrew scriptures

The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, also known in Hebrew as Miqra, is the canonical collection of Hebrew scriptures, comprising the Torah, the Nevi'im, and the Ketuvim. Different branches of Judaism and Samaritanism have maintained different versions of the canon, including the 3rd-century BCE Septuagint text used in Second Temple Judaism, the Syriac Peshitta, the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and most recently the 10th-century medieval Masoretic Text compiled by the Masoretes, currently used in Rabbinic Judaism. The terms "Hebrew Bible" or "Hebrew Canon" are frequently confused with the Masoretic Text; however, this is a medieval version and one of several texts considered authoritative by different types of Judaism throughout history. The current edition of the Masoretic Text is mostly in Biblical Hebrew, with a few passages in Biblical Aramaic.

The Nevi'im is the second major division of the Hebrew Bible, lying between the Torah and Ketuvim. The Nevi'im are divided into two groups. The Former Prophets consists of the narrative books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings; while the Latter Prophets include the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve Minor Prophets.

The Ketuvim is the third and final section of the Hebrew Bible, after the Torah ("instruction") and the Nevi'im "Prophets". In English translations of the Hebrew Bible, this section is usually titled "Writings" or "Hagiographa".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apocalyptic literature</span> Genre of prophetical writing

Apocalyptic literature is a genre of prophetical writing that developed in post-Exilic Jewish culture and was popular among millennialist early Christians. Apocalypse is a Greek word meaning "revelation", "an unveiling or unfolding of things not previously known and which could not be known apart from the unveiling".

The prophetic books are a division of the Christian Bible, grouping 18 books or 17 books in the Old Testament. In terms of the Tanakh, it includes the Latter Prophets from the Nevi'im, with the addition of Lamentations and Daniel, both of which are included among the books of the Hebrew Ketuvim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Literary prophets</span> Certain prophets of the Hebrew Bible

The literary prophets is a name given to the Biblical figures who wrote down their prophecies and personal histories, rather than histories of the Israelites. By extension, the term is also sometimes used to refer to their writings, which mostly appear in the form of biblical poetry. In Judaism, the equivalent term Latter Prophets is often used.

There is much disagreement within biblical scholarship today over the authorship of the Bible. The majority of scholars believe that most of the books of the Bible are the work of multiple authors and that most have been edited to produce the works known today. The following article outlines the conclusions of the majority of contemporary scholars, along with the traditional views, both Jewish and Christian.

The Old Testament is the first section of the two-part Christian biblical canon; the second section is the New Testament. The Old Testament includes the books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) or protocanon, and in various Christian denominations also includes deuterocanonical books. Orthodox Christians, Catholics and Protestants use different canons, which differ with respect to the texts that are included in the Old Testament.

There is no scholarly consensus as to when the canon of the Hebrew Bible was fixed. Rabbinic Judaism recognizes the twenty-four books of the Masoretic Text as the authoritative version of the Tanakh. Of these books, the Book of Daniel of Ketuvim has the most recent final date of composition. The canon was therefore fixed at some time after this date. Some scholars argue that it was fixed during the Hasmonean dynasty, while others argue it was not fixed until the second century CE or even later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prophets in Judaism</span> Prophets according to Biblical and rabbinical tradition

According to the Talmud, there were 48 prophets and 7 prophetesses of Judaism. The last Jewish prophet is believed to have been Malachi. In Jewish tradition it is believed that the period of prophecy, called Nevuah, ended with Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi at which time the "Shechinah departed from Israel".

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Bible:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ezekiel 17</span> Book of Ezekiel, chapter 17

Ezekiel 17 is the seventeenth chapter of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet/priest Ezekiel, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. This chapter tells, and then interprets, the riddle of the great eagle. The original text of this chapter is written in the Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 24 verses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ezekiel 25</span> Book of Ezekiel, chapter 25

Ezekiel 25 is the twenty-fifth chapter of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet/priest Ezekiel, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. This chapter contains the oracles against four nations: Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia. The prophecies of God's vengeance against these and other foreign nations are recorded in other books of the prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Amos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ezekiel 28</span> Book of Ezekiel, chapter 28

Ezekiel 28 is the twenty-eighth chapter of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet/priest Ezekiel, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. This chapter contains a prophecy against the king of Tyre and a prophecy against neighbouring Sidon, concluding with a promise that Israel will be "delivered from the nations".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ezekiel 35</span> Book of Ezekiel, chapter 35

Ezekiel 35 is the thirty-fifth chapter of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet/priest Ezekiel, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. This chapter contains a prophecy against Mount Seir in Edom, to the south of Judah. Biblical commentator Susan Galambush pairs it with an oracle promising "restoration to the mountains of Israel" in the following chapter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremiah 30</span> Book of Jeremiah, chapter 30

Jeremiah 30 is the thirtieth chapter of the Book of Jeremiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. It is numbered as Jeremiah 37 in the Septuagint. This book contains prophecies attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. The Jerusalem Bible refers to chapters 30 and 31 as "the Book of Consolation", and Lutheran theologian Ernst Hengstenberg calls these two chapters "the triumphal hymn of Israel’s salvation". For Annesley William Streane, chapters 30-33 form a unit whose "whole tone" speaks of hope, contrasting with earlier passages marked with melanchony and prophecies of punishment. This chapter contains the promises to restoration.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Begg, Christopher T.; Graybill, Rhiannon; Urbrock, William J. (2020). "Major Prophets". Old Testament Abstracts. 43 (2): 483–498. doi:10.1353/ota.2020.0043. S2CID   258606851.
  2. Johnson, Adam J. (2017). T&T Clark Companion to Atonement. Bloomsbury T&T Clark. doi:10.5040/9780567677273.ch-070. ISBN   978-0-567-56553-2.
  3. Gunda, Masiiwa Ragies. "Prediction and Power: Prophets and Prophecy in the Old Testament and Zimbabwean Christianity." Exchange (Leiden, Netherlands) 41.4 (2012): 335-51. Web.