Prophetic Responses to the Struggles of the People of God

Course Code: BBO16 & BBO17

Prophetic Responses to the Struggles of the People of God

English/Regional Language – BBO16 / Hebrew – BBO17

Exegetical Study of Selected Texts

BD III, Semester II, 4 Credit Hours, Senate Paper

Course Objectives

1. To initiate the students into the world of Hebrew prophets and prophecy and equip them to listen to the wide and different varieties of prophetic discourses.
2. To help the students to look into the origin and development of OT prophecy and help them to understand its emergence in the wider and larger socio-cultural environment of the Ancient West Asia. Furthermore, to enable the students to look into the peculiar characteristics of OT prophetic role and responses vis-à-vis Ancient West Asian prophetic roles.
3. To guide the students to understand the prophetic discourses, roles and responses within their socio-historical horizons.
4. To bring out important Theological themes and issues in the teachings of the prophets.
5. To challenge the students to see the relevance of the prophetic ministry of the church in the contemporary contexts of people’s struggles for rights and freedom.

Course Requirements

• Class attendance
• Assignments are mandatory
• Teachers are encouraged to give readings, assignments, etc. as part of the requirements
• Final examination 100%

Course Outline

1. Introduction: Prophets and ProphecyPopular understanding of prophets and prophecy: the intention is to initiate students into the study and discussion of prophets and prophecy.
2. Growth and development of the study of Hebrew prophets and prophecy
   1. Definition of the terms: ecstasy and ecstatic prophets, prophets and cult, a man of God, etc.
   2. Origin and development of prophecy in Ancient Israel
   3. Forms of Prophetic speech and the debate on the formation of the prophetic books.
   4. Prophecy in Ancient West Asia
3. Prophet: Person and practice
   1. Prophet call, identity formations;
   2. The power of prophetic imagination as counter imagination-inducing alternative visions, imaginations and values contrary to the dominant value system;
   3. Prophetic praxis as critical intervention for the people and radical empowerment of the people Prophetic empowering as the total empowerment of the people, in particular, the marginalized;
   4. Prophetic Ethics, spirituality and eschatology
      1. Practicing Justice: keeping covenantal obligations and sustaining the interrelatedness;
      2. Envisioning “Shalom” as harmony and wholeness in the whole created order;
   5. Titles and role of the prophets: Moses within the Egyptian imperial context; women in the prophetic ministry (e.g. Deborah);
   6. Prophetic bands in ancient Israel;
4. Role and mission of the prophets during the 10th and 9th centuries in Ancient Israel
   1. The Deutronomistic history and Deutronomistic understanding of the prophetic role- Samuel, Nathan, Gad and Ahijah.
   2. Role, discourse and mission of the prophet Elijah and Elisha
5. Identity, discourse and response of the prophets during the 8th century (Pre-exilic Israel and Judah)
   1. Socio-historic horizon and the prophetic response of
      1. Amos
      2. Hosea
      3. Isaiah
      4. Micah
6. Role and Response of the prophets during the 7th and early part of the 6th century (Pre-exilic Judah)
   1. Identity, role and response of the prophets Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Nahum and Habakkuk
7. Prophetic response during the exilic and the post-exilic context
   1. Babylonian Exile: dis-place-ment and dis-em(bodiment) and the consequent loss of their identity markers like king, land, temple etc. by the Babylonian empire
   2. Prophetic ministry and response to the prophets Ezekiel, Deutro Isaiah: ministry as the ministry of resistance and protest (that means, challenging Babylonian politics and religion) and also the ministry of empowerment of the exilic community, preparing them for their homecoming and reconstituting their identity and subjectivity as responsible persons
   3. Post exilic context as the period of the Persians and the succeeding empires: Judah moved to new forms of colonization: inviting and encouraging the people to reconstruct land, temple and reorganize the community again as a restored covenantal community.
8. Study of major themes in the prophetic books: Prophetic understanding of
   1. God,
   2. Word of God,
   3. History,
   4. Election & Covenant,
   5. Salvation & Liberation,
   6. Justice & Righteousness,
   7. Sin & punishment,
   8. The day of Yahweh,
   9. Eschatology,
   10. Ecology (land, nature),
   11. Prophetic ministry to gender issues-examples from Hosea 1-3, Ezekiel 16 & 23, Jeremiah 3:6-11, Nahum 3:506, Isaiah 54:1-6 etc.
9. Prophetic Ministry of the Church in the Indian Context: Prophecy and contextual reading

1. English: Isaiah 40:1-8, 43:1-7, 45:1-7, 52:12-53:3, 53:7-12

Amos 3:1-8, 5:18-24, 7:10-17, 8:1-6, 9:11-15

OR

2. Hebrew: Ezekiel 12:1-7, 13:1-9, 14:1-7, 33:1-9, 34:11-16

Hosea 3:1-5, 4:1-6, 4:12-19, 6:1-6, 10:1-6

Recommended Books

Bibliography

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• Andersen, Francis I, et al. Hosea. AB24, Garden City: Doubleday, 1980.
• Babu, P. Rajendra. Exile and Theology of Creation: A Socio-Historical Study of creation motif in Isaiah 40-55. Delhi, ISPCK, 2010.
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