Description
In this course, students will be exposed to the key literary and historical issues involved in the study of the prophetic literature of the Old Testament. This course will explore the key tenants of Old Testament eschatological hopes – hopes for a Messiah, a new Creation, a new Exodus, a new Kingdom and a new Temple.
Reading the prophetic literature within its historical context is crucial for the proper interpretation of the text. To achieve this, you will learn about the historical situations facing the kingdoms of Judah and Israel in the eighth through to the sixth centuries B.C. You will discover the significance of the Covenant to the Israelite people and how obedience or disobedience to the covenant affects the course of history. Through the eyes of the prophets, this course will look at historical events such as the Assyrian invasion of Israel in 722 B.C., and the destruction of the Temple and the Babylonian Exile in 586 B.C. Some of the high-points of the prophetic literature studied in this course are: Hosea’s use of nuptial imagery to describe God’s relationship with his people (Hos 2); Jeremiah’s promise of the new covenant (Jer 31); Isaiah’s Servant Songs (Isa 42, 49, 50, 52-3); Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezek 37); the New Exodus imagery of Isaiah (Isa 40); and the apocalyptic visions of the writing on the wall and the Son of Man in Daniel (Dan 7).
Finally, you will come to see how the advent of Christ, his proclamation of the Kingdom of God, his Passion, Death, and Resurrection, and his sending of the Holy Spirit fulfill the eschatological hopes of the Old Testament Prophets.
