How prophecy works : a study of the semantic field of nābîʼ and a close reading of Jeremiah 1:4-19, 23:9-40 and 27:1-28:17 / William L. Kelly.

Format:

Book

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Kelly, William L., 1984- author.

Series:

Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und Neuen Testaments ; Band 272.

Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und Neuen Testaments, 2198-1183 ; Band 272.

Language:

English

Hebrew

Subjects (All):

Bible. Jeremiah.

Prophecy.

Navi (The Hebrew word).

Bible. Jeremiah--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bible.

Jeremiah (Biblical prophet).

Jeremiah.

Genre:

Academic theses.

Physical Description:

332 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Göttingen : Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, [2020]

Summary:

"There is a longstanding scholarly debate on the nature of prophecy in ancient Israel. Until now, no study has based itself on the semantics of the Hebrew lexeme nābîʼ ("prophet"). This investigation by William L. Kelly discusses the nature and function of prophecy in the corpus of the Hebrew book of Jeremiah. It analyses all occurrences of nābîʼ in Jeremiah and performs a close reading of three primary texts, Jeremiah 1.4-19, 23.9-40 and 27.1-28.17. The result is a detailed explanation of how prophecy works, and what it meant to call someone a nābîʼ in ancient Israel. Combining the results of the semantic analysis and close readings, the study reaches conclusions for six main areas of study: (1) the function and nature of prophecy; (2) dreams and visions; (3) being sent; (4) prophets, priests and cult; (5) salvation and doom; and (6) legitimacy and authority. These conclusions explain the conceptual categories related to nābîʼ in the corpus. I then situate these findings in two current debates, one on the definition of nābîʼ and one on cultic prophecy. This study contributes to critical scholarship on prophecy in the ancient world, on the book of Jeremiah, and on prophets in ancient Israel. It is the first major study to analyse nābîʼ based on its semantic associations. It adds to a growing consensus which understands prophecy as a form of divination. Contrary to some trends in Jeremiah scholarship, this work demonstrates the importance of a close reading of the Masoretic (Hebrew) text. This study uses a method of a general nature which can be applied to other texts. Thus there are significant implications for further research on prophecy and prophetic literature." -- Publisher's information.

Contents:

Introduction

Part I. Semantics

Semantic analysis of nābî in Jeremiah

Part II. Close reading

Prophets and authority: Jeremiah 1:4-19

Prophets and polemics: Jeremiah 23:9-40

Prophets and nations: Jeremiah 27:1-28:17

Conlusion.

Notes:

Final version of the author's thesis (doctoral) -- School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh, 2016/17.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 265-298) and indices.

ISBN:

9783525540732

3525540736

OCLC:

1015812261