Title: Introduction to the Book of the Twelve
1Introduction to the Book of the Twelve
21. Name
- "In our editions of the Hebrew Bible, the book of
Ezekiel is followed by the book of the Twelve
Prophets (tw/n dw,deka profhtw/n, Sir. 49.10
called rf"" ynEv. by the Rabbins . . . who have
been called from time immemorial the smaller
prophets (qetannim, minores) on account of the
smaller bulk of such of their prophecies as have
come down to us in a written from, when
contrasted with the writings of Isaiah, Jeremiah,
and Ezekiel." Keil Delitzsch
34. Name
- "In his "Praise of the Fathers" Jesus ben Sira,
after naming Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Job,
mentions in 19.10, the Twelve Prophets (rf ynv
yaybnh), and expresses the wish that their bones
may revive again out of their place (grave).
There is clearly presupposed here the gathering
together of the small books Hosea to Malachi into
one book, just as in the Jewish canon these books
are actually counted as one book." Eissfeldt
44. Name
- "The term "minor prophet" has been applied (the
first recorded instance being Augustine City of
God, 18.29) to the series of shorter books from
Hosea to Malachi, of which the book of Zechariah
once again comprises more than one writing."
Sellin Fohrer
52. Manuscripts
- (1) Hebrew and Greek manuscript evidence for the
Minor Prophets exits dating from the second
century BCE to the end of the first century CE. - (2) This evidence includes seven Hebrew
manuscripts from Qumran, Cave 4, all of which
predate the turn of the era. - (3) The manuscript evidence allows us to trace
variations in the Hebrew and Greek texts of the
Minor Prophets as well as the order of the
material in the collection and the division into
sense units. - (4) The order of the compositions or books, with
one exception, conforms to the order later found
in the Masoretes tradition. The one exception,
4QXIIa (ca. 150 BCE) may preserve the unusual
order Malachi-Jonah.
62. Manuscripts
- (5) The manuscript evidence seems to indicate
that (a) The system of division of material used
in the Masoretic tradition is closely paralleled
as early as the first half of the first century
BCE (R). (b) The Hebrew manuscripts from Qumran
show variation from the system used in the
Masoretic tradition. Although the evidence is
fragmentary, in general, fewer divisions are
indicated. (c) Mur 88 from the second half of the
first century CE conforms closely to the
Masoretic system. This may indicate
standardization of the consonantal text and its
'shape.'" Fuller, Russell, "The Form and
Formation of the Book of the Twelve The Evidence
from the Judean Desert," 95-96
73. The Ordering of the Twelve
- "An orthodox understanding of canonization holds
that the content of the biblical canon are a
matter of divine inspiration but that the
specific order of the contents may have been left
in large measure to human agency. From the human
point of view, five factors - authorship, date
of composition, size, style, and subject matter
(including both vocabulary and themes) - are
factors that may have influenced canonical order
in the Old Testament." Stuart
8(No Transcript)
9(No Transcript)
103. The Ordering of the Twelve
- "In MT the chronological criterion has clearly
been determinative firstly those books which
actually or supposedly belonged to the period of
the supremacy of the Assyrian power, the second
half of the eighth century - Hosea, Joel, Amos,
Obadiah, Jonah and Micah - of which Joel, Obadiah
and, so far as the composition of the book is
concerned, Jonah are not really of that period
secondly, those which belong to the time of the
downfall of Assyrian world-power, the last third
of the seventh century - Nahum, Habakkuk and
Zephaniah finally those which may be traced to
the beginning of the Persian period, the end of
the sixth and the first half of the fifth century
- Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi." Eissfeldt
113. The Ordering of the Twelve
- In the Talmud, the arrangement of the books
within this collection is explicitly said to be
chronological, in that Hos 1.2 is understood to
mean that God spoke first to Hosea. The sequence
is orientated on the dates at the beginning of
the books of Hosea, Amos, Micah, Zephaniah,
Haggai and Zechariah, and in the case of Jonah on
the mention of him in 2 Kgs 14.25. The order of
the other books show how they were understood at
the time when the Book of the Twelve Prophets was
formed. This gives a chronological grouping the
first six prophets are assigned to the eighth
century, the next three to the seventh century
and the last three to the post-exilic period.
Rendtorff
123. The Ordering of the Twelve
- "The plan adopted in arranging the earliest of
the minor prophets seems rather to have been the
following Hosea was placed at the head of the
collection, as being the most comprehensive, just
as, in the collection of Pauline epistles, that
to the Romans is put first on account of its
wider scope. Then followed the prophecies which
had no date given in the heading and these were
arranged, that a prophet of the kingdom of Israel
was always paired with one of the kingdom of
Judah, viz. Joel with Hosea, Obadiah with Amos,
Jonah with Micah, and Nahum the Galilean with
Habakkuk the Levite. Other considerations also
operated in individual cases. Thus Joel was
paired with Hosea, on account
133. The Ordering of the Twelve
- of its greater scope Obadiah with Amos, as
being the smaller, or rather smallest book and
Joel was placed before Amos, because the latter
commences his book with a quotation from Joel
3.16.... Another circumstance may also have led
to the pairing of Obadiah with Amos, viz. that
Obadiah's prophecy might be regarded as an
expansion of Amos 9.12.... Obadiah was followed
by Jonah before Micah, not only because Jonah had
lived in he reign of Jeroboam II, the
contemporary of Amaziah and Uzziah, whereas Micah
did not appear till the reign of Jotham, but
possibly also because Obadiah begins with the
words, "We have heard tidings from Judah, and a
messenger is sent among the nations" and
144.3 The Ordering of the Twelve
- Jonah was such a messenger. In the case of the
prophets of the second and third periods, the
chronological order was well known to the
collectors, and consequently this alone
determined the arrangement. it is true that, in
the headings to Nahum and Habakkuk, the date of
composition is not mentioned but it was evident
from the nature of their prophecies, that Nahum,
who predicted the destruction of Nineveh, the
capital of the Assyrian empire, must have lived,
or at any rate have labored, before Habakkuk, who
prophesied concerning the Chaldean invasion...."
Keil Delitzsch, ibid., 3-4
153. The Ordering of the Twelve
163. The Ordering of the Twelve
- "The alternative LXX ordering for the first six
suggests strongly that they circulated
independently as a collection prior to being
grouped with the rest of the Twelve." Stuart,
ibid., xliv - Length of book. "It appears that this order has
been determined for the first five - Hosea, Amos,
Micah, Joel and Obadiah - by their length, while
the place of Jonah at the end of this group of
six, in spite of its exceeding the book of
Obadiah in length, is probably designed to take
account of the view that this book does not, like
the others, provide the words of God and of the
prophet, but only a narrative concerning a
prophet." Eissfeldt, ibid., 383
174. Redactional Theology of the Twelve
- A. First Edition
- 1. Hosea, Amos, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah and
Obadiah. - 2. "The cultural setting for such a production
would have been the preaching and liturgical
prayers as developed in the assemblies of the
Jews in exile. The mood in such gatherings varied
from resigned acceptance and regret in the early
years to hope and determination, even optimism,
as time went by." Collins, The Mantle of Elijah
The Redaction Criticism of the Prophetical Books,
62 - 3. Dated between 587-538 BCE
184. Redactional Theology of the Twelve
- B. Second Edition
- 1. Haggai, Zechariah (1-8) Zephaniah expansion
(3.9-20), Jonah and possibly Joel - 2. "It was especially aimed at maintaining
enthusiasm for the great undertaking, which was
apparently in danger of being bogged down in
frustration and apathy. The setting for these
developments was presumably that of the prayers
and reflections associated with religious
gatherings, but by this time these were located
firmly around the temple construction in
Jerusalem." Collins, 63 - 3. Dated Between 520-515 BCE
194. Redactional Theology of the Twelve
- C. Third Edition
- 1. Joel (if not already included), Habakkuk
(which had its own redactional history), Malachi
and some "eschatological additions to other
sections especially Zephaniah. - 2. "Reading between the lines of the various
biblical texts relevant to this period
(especially Malachi), we get the impression that
enthusiasm for the religious aspects of the
restored national life had become the faith of a
minority who increasingly thought of themselves
as a beleaguered band of the righteous in the
midst of a nation of unfaithful sinners. Hope in
204. Redactional Theology of the Twelve
- the future became combined with pessimism about
the present and produced a king of
"eschatological" thinking, which affected The
Twelve.... The result was further revision of the
book that was more agonizingly introspective in
its questions, more wildly optimistic in it
visions of the future and more bitterly resentful
of the enemy within and without." Collins, 64 - 3. Dated middle of the fifth century BCE
214. Redactional Theology of the Twelve
- D. Final Edition
- Zechariah 9-14 and the appendices to Malachi
(Mal. 4.4-6).
225. Theology of the Redacted Twelve
- "The principal themes of the whole book are those
of covenant-election, fidelity and infidelity,
fertility and infertility, turning and returning,
the justice of God and the mercy of God, the
kingship of God, the place of his dwelling
(Temple / Mt. Zion), the nations as enemies, the
nations as allies. For the post-exilic audience
the message of The Twelve was primarily
theological. At the same time the book also
embodies a strongly political and ideological
element in its vision of the future the ideal
Israel is to be the restored Judah, a
religious-political state in which all citizens
will recognize the authority of the Lord, live
according to his Law and give priority to the
right and acceptable
235. Theology of the Redacted Twelve
- worship of the Lord in his temple in the holy
city free from all defilement. The book is
ambiguous in its international views, especially
as to whether or not the nations will ever attain
sufficient freedom from defilement to permit them
to participate in this religious-political
system, but any role envisioned for the nations
in The Twelve is definitely subordinate." - Terence Collins. The Scroll of the Twelve,
The Mantel of Elijah The Redaction Criticism of
the Prophetical Books, Sheffield Academic Press,
1993, 65
245. Theology of the Redacted Twelve
- It appears that the books are ordered as they
are so that the main points of the prophetic
message will be highlighted. In fact, the Twelve
are structured in a way that demonstrates that
the sin of Israel and the nations, the punishment
of the sin, and the restoration of both from that
sin. These three emphases represent the heart of
the content of the prophetic genre. The Twelves
external structure therefore reflects its
literary type. -
- Paul R. House. The Unity of The Twelve, 68
256. Principles of Organization Hosea
- A. Hos 1-3
- 1. Chapters 1-3 were fashioned into a unit,
possibly at an early stage in the transmission of
the poetry, and were positioned as an opening to
the Hosea collection. In this way they function
as an introduction to Hosea and provided a
guideline for its interpretation. However, the
placing of Hosea at the beginning of a larger
book gave these chapters a new role. They now
function as an introduction to The Twelve, which
presents a great panoramic survey of Old
Testament prophecy up to its official finishing
line shortly before the time of Ezra. Collins,
66
266. Principles of Organization Hosea
- 2. "The story in Hos 1-3 is one of election,
infidelity and rejection but also of restoration
after punishment. As such it is a summary of the
message of The Twelve, not just the Hosean part
of it." Collins, 66 - 3. Collins argues that the Hosea marriage story
was intended to symbolize the northern kingdom,
but via 1.7 and 1.10-11 it included both Judah
and Israel. The paralleling of marital
relationships and religious covenant
relationships envelopes the Twelve The
interesting thing is that we find an echo of this
same imagery at the end of the book in Mal
2.13-16, which calls for faithfulness to the
covenant between you and the wife of your
youth. Collins, 66
276. Principles of Organization Hosea
- B. Hos 4-14
- 1. Hos 9.10-14.8 are about turning and returning,
a theme that was first developed in Hos 2.15-3.5.
Sinful Israel called to repentance and offered
forgiveness and healing by a loving and merciful
God (Hos 11.8-9 2.14-15). Collins,67 - 2. Promise of restoration with rich vegetation
14.5 after destruction of vegetation in 2.9-13. - 3. Hos 14.1-3 uses liturgical language
286. Principles of Organization Joel
- B. Joel
- 1. Joel continues the promise of blessing in
vegetation terms. Locust, etc. destroy it (Joel
1.8, 13 2.15-16) and this is lamented
liturgically in 2.17. This destruction of
vegetation of the reversal of the end of Hosea
and a return to Hos 2 4.1-3. Note the words
grain, the wine and the oil (Joel 1.10, Hos
2.22). - 2. Animals are dismayed in both Hos 4.3 and Joel
1.18.
296. Principles of Organization Joel
- 3. The juxtaposition produces some interesting
effects, not the least of which is the way the
older, pre-exilic material of Hosea is redirected
towards a post-exilic setting through its
association with the later material of Joel. In
this new setting considerable emphasis is placed
on the Jerusalem temple as the location for
liturgical repentance and penance, so that the
poetry of Hosea is effectively absorbed into the
cultic activity of the restored temple.
Collins, 68
306. Principles of Organization Joel
- 4. Liturgical thrust of Joel the prayers, Joel
2.17 the answer, Joel 2.18-19ff. (note Hos
2.21-23). - 4.1 Happy ending of Joel is like Hosea barren
becomes fruitful, Joel 3.18, but the Temple is
the source of the blessing!! (1.13-16 2.15-17
2.23 2.32 3.16-21) - 4.2 The temple is the place where the Lord
dwells, the center of his reassuring presence
among his people, the holy mountain from which
life-giving waters flow. Collins, 68
316. Principles of Organization Joel
- 4.3 The connection of Joel 3.16 with Amos 1.2 is
based on the Zion / Jerusalem roaring of the
LORD. Also Joel 3.18a and Amos 9.13c the
mountains shall drip sweet honey.
326. Principles of Organization Amos
- A. Connections with Joel
- 1. . . . the dire threats against Israel which
dominate Amos are softened when read in the light
of the more optimistic ending of Joel. This,
however, is a feature which is peculiar to the
version of The Twelve as found in the Hebrew
Bible. The idea that it is the result of
deliberate choice on somebodys part is supported
by the fact that Greek version does not follow
the same order but instead places Joel after
Micah. Collins, 68
336. Principles of Organization Amos
- 2. The theme of Israel and the other nations is a
connection to Joel 3.1-3. However note The
significant difference between the two passages
lies in the fact that, for Amos, the judgment on
the nations is a prelude to the condemnation of
Judah and Israel, 2.4ff, whereas in Joel 3 the
condemnation of the nations is to be a prelude to
the restoration of the fortunes of Judah and
Israel. The condemnation of Israel in Amos has
once again been pre-empted by the more hopeful
vision of Joel, so that in literary terms the
force of the blow is softened. Everything is seen
from a post-exilic viewpoint, and the broader
context of The Twelve envisages the state of
affairs after the punishments predicted in Amos
have been inflicted on Israel and Judah.
Collins, 69
346. Principles of Organization Amos
- B. Covenant Election The theme of Israel among
the nations is inevitably linked with the idea of
covenant election. In Amos this idea is given a
dark interpretation as something that will count
to Israels disadvantage when it is judged
alongside the rest (Amos 3.1 3.9-10 6.2 9.7).
However, the rejection of Israel which is the
main burden in Amos is counteracted by the
forgiveness and restoration which precedes it in
Joel and even before that in Hosea (esp. Hos
11.1-4). Collins, 69 - C. Amos happy ending, 9.8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-15.
356. Principles of Organization Obadiah
- A. Connection with Amos Obadiah focuses on Edom
which is already mentioned in Amos 1.11-12, and
especially in the closing 9.12 (note Joel 3.19).
Edoms guilt is put in the context of strangers
and foreigners (Oba 11, 15). - B. Day of Lord The theme of the day of the Lord
begins, as far as The Twelve is concerned, in
Joel 2.1-2, and it is continued in Amos 5.18
where it is used to convey the idea of a day of
judgment for Israel. The threat against Israel in
Amos is counteracted in Obadiah 15ff. which
anticipates
366. Principles of Organization Obadiah
- Gods judgment of the nations and the exaltation
of Jerusalem to a position of domination not only
over Edom but also over Philistia, Samaria,
Gilead, Phoenicia and the Negeb. The conclusion
of Obadiah thus parallels that of Joel. In
particular, we can point to the way in which the
hope of Jerusalem expressed in Oba 21, saviors
shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau and
the kingdom shall be the Lords matches that of
Joel 3.20-21.... Collins, 70
376. Principles of Organization Jonah
- A. Connections
- 1. Jonah continues to develop the theme of
Israel and the nations Collins, 70-71 Amos 9.7
and Jon 4.11 argues for the other nations being
recipients of Gods care and mercy. - 2. Its contribution comes both from the ideas it
embodies and from its position after Obadiah to
which it acts as a counterfoil in its attitude to
the nations. Collins, 72
386. Principles of Organization Jonah
- B. The Jonah story emphasizes the themes of
repentance and forgiveness. It is intended to
illustrate, among other things, the theological
view that the Lord is a gracious God and
merciful, slow to anger and abounding in
steadfast love who repents of evil (Jon 4.2 cf.
Exod 34.6 Num 14.18), and that consequently the
exile could not be attributed to any
unjustifiable impatience on Gods part. Thus the
Jonah story makes an important contribution to
the theodicy which is a major element in The
Twelve. Collins, 71
396. Principles of Organization Jonah
- C. The prayer in Jon 2 influences the message of
The Twelve. Also that the power of God is not
limited geographically. This universalism is a
major element in the overall message of The
Twelve. Collins,71 - 1. Fasting and prayer in Jon 3.5 gt Joel 1.13-14
2.15-16 even animals (Jon 3.7-8 Joel 1.20). - 2. Turn from evil Jon 3.10 Hos 11.8-9 Jon 4.11.
406. Principles of Organization Micah
- A. In Micah the pendulum swings back to a
preoccupation with the sins of Israel, but now
the condemnations are specifically directed
against Jerusalem and the sins of its
inhabitants, especially the corrupt and
oppressive rulers. Thus Micah marks a sharpening
of the focus in the progression of The Twelve
towards the explicit concern with Jerusalem and
its temple which is one of the main features of
the book. Collins, 72
416. Principles of Organization Micah
- 1. Mic 3.12 a prediction of the destruction of
the Temple - 2. Mic 4.1-4 (Isa 2.2-4) a prediction of its
restoration. - 3. Mic 1.2 . . . from his holy Temple.
426. Principles of Organization Micah
- B. Divine Theophany Mic 1.3ff. first in Amos
4.13 5.8-9 9.5. Micahs move from threatening
presence to consolation in Mic 7.14-20 with the
nations seeing and being ashamed (Mic 7.15-16). - C. Mic 7.18-20 ends positively like Jon 4.11 with
echoes of Gods compassion.
436. Principles of Organization Nahum
- A. Connection . . . Nahum . . . returns to the
menacing aspect of the expected theophany and a
stress on the Lords jealousy, anger and
vengeance (Nah 1.2-5). Collins, 73 - B. Theophany
- 1. Becomes apocalyptic in terms of dealing with
the destruction of evil itself and therefore
brings a happy future for Judah and its temple.
(Nah 1.15) - 2. The triumphalism of Nahum, i.e., the
destruction of the wicked and the triumph of good
over evil is brought into question in Habakkuk.
446. Principles of Organization Nahum
- C. Nahum deals primarily with the theme of
Israel and the nations epitomized in Nineveh,
which is pictured in a way very different from
the presentation of the repentant and pardoned
Nineveh seen in Jonah.... The name Nineveh has
been turned into a symbol of all that is opposed
to God, the Lords enemies who in their arrogance
have raised themselves up against the Lord and
his chosen ones. This is made explicit in the
opening lines, The Lord takes vengeance on his
adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies (Nah
1.2). Thus Nahum (along with Obadiah, Jonah,
Zephaniah 1.17-2.15, Joel 2.30-3.21, Amos
1.3-2.3) functions in the same way as the Oracles
on the Foreign Nations in Isaiah and the other
prophetical books. Collins, 73
456. Principles of Organization Habakkuk
- A. Connections
- 1. Hab 1.2-4, 12-13 contrasts with the
triumphalism of Nahum. - 2. It is the thematic relationships as much as
any historical considerations that have
determined the positioning of Habakkuk in between
Nahum and Zephaniah. At this point theodicy comes
to the fore as a major concern in The Twelve, and
in the question How long? a common chord is
struck with some of the psalms of complaint (for
example, Ps 13.1-2), and with the problem of
Gods silence in Job. Collins, 74
466. Principles of Organization Habakkuk
- B. Theodicy
- 1. The question of the delay in the fulfillment
of predictions is a central theological problem
for biblical prophecy.... The answer which
Habakkuk supplies to the question of the delay in
fulfillment is that the righteous must persevere
in patience, sure in the faith that the vision of
the triumph of good over evil will be realized in
Gods own time... (Hab 2.3). Collins, 74-75
i.e., faith in God is the answer.
476. Principles of Organization Habakkuk
- 2. N.B. the use of the Theophany in Hab 3.3-16
Nah 1.3ff. - 3. The new element lies in the insistence that
faith can and should be maintained even in the
face of a complete lack of any fulfillment of the
material prosperity (the grain, the wine, the
oil) traditionally associated with the promises
about future salvation. Collins, 75 N.B. Hab
3.17. - 4. In the arrangement of The Twelve the patience
advocated in Habakkuk is given its reward in the
eschatological judgment scenes of the following
Zephaniah collection. Collins, 76
486. Principles of Organization Zephaniah
- A. Connection
- 1. Zephaniah tales the judgment of Judahs sins
and gives it a universalistic spin. Therefore
judgment is a cosmic judgment like Gen 6.5-8
(Zeph 1.4-13). - 2. Zeph 2-3, an Oracles against the Foreign
Nations will surprisingly include Jerusalem as
the oppressing city (see Mic 4.11-12 Joel
3.11-14). - B. Happy ending Zeph 3.9-13 looks forward to
signs of a new life and the song of rejoicing
(Zeph 3.14-20) tops it off.
496. Principles of Organization Zephaniah
- C. Temple They Zeph 3.9-20 give the fullest
expression to a theme that has been regularly
present throughout preceding sections, namely,
the central role of the temple in the vision of
the future. The importance of Jerusalem lies in
the fact that it is the location of the temple,
the house in which the Lord has chosen to dwell
(see also Joel 1.9 1.14 2.27 3.16-17 3.21
Amos 1.2 Oba 21 Mic 4.2 4.7 Hab 2.20 Zeph
3.5). The glorious future predicted for Mount
Zion as the center of life for all nations is
only possible because it can be said of
Jerusalem, The Lord, your God, is in your midst
(Zeph 3.17). The central importance of the temple
is
506. Principles of Organization Zephaniah
- thus further established as a keynote in the
composition of The Twelve, and the ground is
prepared for the three closing sections (Haggai,
Zechariah, Malachi), which are primarily
concerned with the rebuilding of the temple and
the proper conduct of those chosen to act as its
custodians. Collins, 77
516. Principles of Organization Haggai
- Temple
- 1. The main thrust of the Haggai collection lies
in the assertion that the key to the future of
Jerusalem is to be found in it status as the
location of the Temple.... In a nutshell no
temple, no people, no future. Thus the starting
points for Haggai are the twin facts that the
material blessings of the grain, the wine and the
oil are lacking (Hag 1.11) and that the temple
has not yet been restored. Collins, 77
526. Principles of Organization Haggai
- 2. When the temple is rebuilt then... (Hag
2.6-7). Only after the Temples rebuilding will
the issue of the establishment of a Zerubbabel as
messiah come into play (Hag 2.20-23).
536. Principles of Organization Zechariah
- A. Temple
- 1. Rebuilding Zech 1.16 2.11 4.9
- 2. The point of view adopted in Zechariah
maintains that the exile will not be truly over
until the temple has been rebuilt. Collins, 80 - 3. Zech 8 gives the same message in sermon style.
546. Principles of Organization Zechariah
- B. Starting to Summarize and Conclude The Twelve
- 1. Zech 1.2-6 history of prophecy.... The
composite picture presents the prophets as
servants of God (Amos 3.7), sent by him (Hos
12.10 Amos 2.11) with a mission to prophesy
(Amos 5.15), to rebuke (Hos 6.5 Jon 1.2 Mic
3.8), to predict disaster (Jon 3.4), and to guide
and preserve the people (Hos 12.13). Like Moses
they are filled with the power of Gods spirit
(Mic 3.8), but must face mockery and hatred (Hos
9.7-8) and peoples attempts to silence them
(Amos 2.12 7.13 Mic 2.6). When they are well
556. Principles of Organization Zechariah
- received and obeyed as Gods messengers (Hag
1.12) the result will be prosperity and all kinds
of blessings in a new world in which all will be
filled with the power to prophesy (Joel 2.28).
This composite picture has much in common with
the Deuteronomist understanding of prophets and
their role in the history of Israel. Collins,
78
566. Principles of Organization Zechariah
- 1. Zech 1.7-17 gives a cosmic view of Gods
governance of the world. Zech 6 has the four
chariots patrolling the earth.... Zech 7 then
turns to a historical survey.... (former
prophets Zech 7.7-12). - C. Zech 9-14 This new ending gives both Zech and
The Twelve a more futuristic outlook than they
would otherwise possess.
576. Principles of Organization Malachi
- A. The Malachi collection also comes as an
appendix to Zech 1-8. It was probably attached to
Zech 8 long before 9-14 were composed, and it
became separated when that section was
inserted.... Throughout Malachi there is a strong
sense of Israels election as Gods people, bound
to his service in a covenant relationship. The
tone is set by Mal 1.2, I have loved you, and
it is continued in 2.5ff. 3.1 and elsewhere in
language very reminiscent of Deuteronomy....
Collins, 81
586. Principles of Organization Malachi
- B. The main point of Malachi is an idea that has
been developed throughout The Twelve, namely,
that Jerusalem is a holy city, destined to be the
world center of a universal worship of the Lord
by all the nations. According to Malachi, the
fulfillment of this ideal is still impeded by the
unworthy behavior of the priests in the temple,
the very place where Gods name should be honored
most. Collins, 81
596. Principles of Organization Malachi
- C. ...Malachi also brings us back to the themes
and languages which were dominant at the very
start of The Twelve. This is evident in the use
of the father-son relationship as an image of the
relationship between God and Israel (Mal 1.6-7
and Hos 11.1-1), and in the fact that both appeal
to the need for covenant faithfulness in
marriage, though in slightly different ways (Mal
2.13-16 and Hos 2.14-19). Collins, 81
606. Principles of Organization Malachi
- D. Mal 4.2-3 The effect of giving the book such
an ending was that the whole weight of the
assembled twelve prophets were harnessed and
redirected towards sustaining the faith and
religious fervor of the God-fearing minority in
Judah during the decades before the arrival of
Nehemiah and Ezra. Indeed the book of The Twelve
can be said to have played its part in preparing
the ground for the success of Ezras reforms in
so far as it provided a source of inspiration to
those who spoke with one another and put their
names to the religious pact which seems to be
referred to in Mal 3.16. Collins, 83
616. Principles of Organization Malachi
- E. The End One of the implicit purposes behind
the production of The Twelve was to use the
prophets in support of the call to stricter
observance of the Law. This is made explicitly in
the closing verses of Malachi, which probably
date from the time of Ezra, Remember the law of
my servant Moses, the statutes and ordinances
that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel
(Mal 4.4). Collins, 84