Prophetic books

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The prophetic books are a division of the Christian Bible, grouping 18 books (Catholic and Orthodox canon) or 17 books (Protestant canon, excluding Baruch) in the Old Testament. [1] In terms of the Tanakh, it includes the Latter Prophets from the Nevi'im, with the addition of Lamentations (which in the Tanakh is one of the Five Megillot) and Daniel, both of which are included among the books of the Hebrew Ketuvim. [2]

Contents

The prophetic books are named as such because prophets are traditionally attributed as authors. [3] However, modern scholars think that the books as they have been handed down to the present time are the work of successive generations of writers who took their inspiration the messages of these prophets. [4] These authors were active between 750 BC and 450 BC. [5] The first six of the books are known as the major prophets, while the last 12 are known as the minor prophets. These names do not imply that the major prophets are more important than the minor prophets, but refer to the major prophetic books being much longer than the minor ones. [3] The books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel have 66, 52 and 48 chapters, respectively, while the minor prophets merely have 1 to 14 chapters per book. [6]

Incidentally, outside of the prophetic books, prophets also feature as characters in other books of the Hebrew Bible.

List

The major prophets in Christianity are:

In Judaism, only Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel are counted amongst the 'major prophets'. Baruch, a Septuagintal book, is considered canonical only in Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Oriental Orthodox churches but apocryphal in Protestant Christianity and in Judaism. [1]

The minor prophets are the same in Christianity as in Judaism (however, in Jewish Bibles they are grouped as one single book, titled "The Twelve"): [1]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bible</span> Collection of religious texts

The Bible is a collection of religious texts or scriptures, some, all, or a variant of which are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, Islam, the Baha'i Faith, and other Abrahamic religions. The Bible is an anthology originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek. These texts include instructions, stories, poetry, and prophecies, among other genres. The collection of materials that are accepted as part of the Bible by a particular religious tradition or community is called a biblical canon. Believers in the Bible generally consider it to be a product of divine inspiration, but the way they understand what that means and interpret the text varies.

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<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.

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The Letter of Jeremiah, also known as the Epistle of Jeremiah, is a deuterocanonical book of the Old Testament; this letter is attributed to Jeremiah and addressed to the Jews who were about to be carried away as captives to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. It is included in Roman Catholic Bibles as the final chapter of the Book of Baruch. It is also included in Orthodox Bibles as a separate book, as well as in the Apocrypha of the Authorized Version.

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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 all 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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orthodox Tewahedo biblical canon</span> Biblical canon used by Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Churches

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremiah 47</span> Book of Jeremiah, chapter 47

Jeremiah 47 is the forty-seventh chapter of the Book of Jeremiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains prophecies attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. This chapter is part of a series of "oracles against foreign nations", consisting of chapters 46 to 51. In particular, chapters 46-49 focus on Judah's neighbors. This chapter contains the poetic oracles against the Philistines.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Coogan, Michael D., ed. (2007). The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 455, 969. ISBN   9780195288803 . Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  2. Sweeney, M.A. (2014). Reading Prophetic Books: Form, Intertextuality, and Reception in Prophetic and Post-Biblical Literature. Forschungen zum Alten Testament. Mohr Siebeck. p. 21. ISBN   978-3-16-152374-8 . Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  3. 1 2 Major and Minor Prophetic Books of the Bible
  4. "profetenboeken". debijbel.nl (in Dutch). Netherlands Bible Society . Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  5. Books Resources [ permanent dead link ]
  6. "Bible Navigation Menu". Biblehub.com. Retrieved 28 December 2021.