This unique introduction to the Prophetic books provides a comprehensive examination of one of the most important, and misunderstood genres of the Hebrew Bible. It examines the nature and purpose of prophetic literature, as well as providing an in-depth account of the origins and development of each individual book.
The book begins by placing the prophets in their historical context and introducing the idea of a prophetic book. A series of chronological chapters focus on each prophetic book examining its literary structure, authorship, and the editorial processes that produced each book. Readers are also introduced to the most recent scholarly research into the formation of prophetic books and the ongoing task of the scribes in updating previous works to meet new situations.
The Prophetic Literature offers rich and rewarding insights into a series of prophetic works whose profound influences and inspirational wisdom have endured to the present day.
About the author
Carolyn J. Sharp is Professor of Homiletics at Yale Divinity School. Her research explores the poetics and theology of biblical texts as resources for homiletical theory and practice. She is interested in ways in which contemporary preaching can draw artfully on biblical studies, feminist perspectives on power, and emancipatory pedagogy. Her books include Irony and Meaning in the Hebrew Bible (2009) and Wrestling the Word: The Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Believer (2010). Professor Sharp has edited or co-edited six volumes, including The Oxford Handbook of the Prophets (2016) and Feminist Frameworks and the Bible: Power, Ambiguity, and Intersectionality (with Juliana Claassens; 2017). A member of the Academy of Homiletics, the Society of Biblical Literature, and the Society of Biblical Theologians, Professor Sharp serves on the editorial board of the journal Horizons in Biblical Theology. An Episcopal priest, she preaches regularly at