January 29

Pre-literary Prophets in Ancient Israel:

King Makers and Deal Breakers

This series explores the phenomenon of Prophecy as a response to five distinct crises in the history of ancient Israel.

The division of Prophets into two groups: Literary and Pre-literary will be explained.

April 2

Prophets and Society, Foreign and Domestic:

Undoing Ungodliness

As the end of the Israelite monarchy drew near, and a complex admixture of political and religious issues presented itself, new horizons loomed for the prophets.

Isaiah (c. 740-c.700 B.C.E.), Jeremiah (c. 627-c.585), and Ezekiel (593-571) confronted new political realities. Together they brought to culmination the literary development of prophecy.

These three great prophets composed poetry and prose that rank among the most beautiful achievements of Hebrew literature. The profundity, beauty, and lengths of the prophecies attributed to them rendered these men major figures in the eyes of later tradition.

Lecturer is Professor Carl S. Ehrlich from York University.