Search results for ""Author J. Todd Hibbard""

This volume introduces readers to the prophets of ancient Israel by focusing on the variety of roles they played in ancient Israelite society. Starting from the basic definition of prophets as mediators between God and the community, the author explores the activities and messages of prophets in their various social, historical, political, economic, and religious contexts. The basic question always before us is: What did prophets do in ancient Israel? To answer this, Hibbard offers a close, critical analysis of the biblical literature by and about prophets. The result is an analysis of prophets as royal advisors, political pundits, religious specialists, social critics, miracle workers, poets, and scribes. J. Todd Hibbard, who holds a PhD from the University of Notre Dame, is associate professor of religious studies and chair of the Department of Religious Studies,at University of Detroit Mercy.†

Read more less

The book of Isaiah is a product of history. The nature of that history and what it means that Isaiah is a product of it are hardly matters of consensus in the field. Nonetheless, Isaianic scholarship has put its collective finger on the crux of the methodological problem. At the heart of an historical understanding of this prophetic book lies a consideration of the word "history" in two distinct but related applications. First, what historical processes led to the book's final form? How did Isaiah become a book? And second, what kind of historical representation does the book offer to the reader? How does Isaiah present the past? For most scholars, answering either question involves asking the other. To understand better the history of Isaiah, this volume of essays devotes itself to these two lines of inquiry and their relationship.

Read more less

J. Todd Hibbard examines the way in which Isaiah 24-27 reuses earlier texts and traditions as part of its literary strategy. He analyzes those literary connections under the rubric of intertextuality, an idea taken over from modern literary studies. Intertextuality is normally recognized as describing an orientation to one or more texts, but does not define a particular methodology. Moreover, because intertextuality is a term that is used in biblical studies in a variety of ways, the first part of this work seeks to define a methodology based on an intertextual approach that is useful for studying prophetic texts. This methodology attempts to understand the ways in which an ancient author may have appropriated an earlier text in a new composition. It requires that texts share common vocabulary and themes, be chronologically possible, and exegetically meaningful to be a true intertextual connection. In terms of literary technique, the author recognizes that intertextual connections may be forged through citations, allusions, and echoes. Finally, he considers several possible purposes for such intertextual connections. The major exegetical categories for understanding the intertextual connections noted in Isaiah 24-27 include texts which universalize earlier judgment passages, texts which universalize earlier restoration and salvation passages, and texts which respond to earlier prophetic texts that are considered unfulfilled.

Read more less