The prophets and their times
by J. M. Powis Smith
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The purpose of this book is not to preach the message of the prophets to the men of today. It is rather to show as clearly as possible what the prophets were trying to do and say in their own generation. To this end, a knowledge of the historical background of their work is necessary.Tags
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Sometimes the path you take really is more important than the destination.
This book, written in the 1920s and revised in the 1940s, at times has the air of a work in progress. The 1940s edition all but throws up its hands at the problems of Ezekiel, and has some trouble with other books such as Third Isaiah and Joel. These are problems of literary criticism. Similarly, we have discovered much about the history of the ancient Near East since it was written, and this has led to some loose ends.
And yet, for all that it is dated, and limited, and full of holes, it strikes me as a very solid book. The idea is simple: Take the various prophetic writings (primarily the writing prophets; relatively little attention is paid to figures such as show more Samuel and Elijah and Elisha) in the order they wrote, and put their work in historical context. Not just the Biblical context, but also the context of Israelite and Assyrian and Egyptian and Babylonian and Persian and Macedonian history.
The relative brevity of this book means that this cannot be done fully. The immense wealth of detail in the Book of Daniel and the Maccabean period is passed over quite quickly, for instance. But there is always something to connect the writing with the facts of its time.
It should be noted that this is not at all a literalist reading. For instance, Smith and Irwin consider Isaiah to have been written by four major sources (responsible for most of chapters 1-39, 40-55, 56-66, and 24-27), plus additions. Zechariah has two authors. Micah wrote only three chapters of his book. And so forth. If you believe in inerrancy and providential preservation, this book will probably drive you nuts. But if you want to see the prophets in their full and majestic glory -- or, indeed, if you are a non-Christian who wants to see what all the fuss is about and are willing to learn some ancient history -- this is a fine place to start. There is a lot more to learn. But, even after three-quarters of a century, much of what is written here stands up. show less
This book, written in the 1920s and revised in the 1940s, at times has the air of a work in progress. The 1940s edition all but throws up its hands at the problems of Ezekiel, and has some trouble with other books such as Third Isaiah and Joel. These are problems of literary criticism. Similarly, we have discovered much about the history of the ancient Near East since it was written, and this has led to some loose ends.
And yet, for all that it is dated, and limited, and full of holes, it strikes me as a very solid book. The idea is simple: Take the various prophetic writings (primarily the writing prophets; relatively little attention is paid to figures such as show more Samuel and Elijah and Elisha) in the order they wrote, and put their work in historical context. Not just the Biblical context, but also the context of Israelite and Assyrian and Egyptian and Babylonian and Persian and Macedonian history.
The relative brevity of this book means that this cannot be done fully. The immense wealth of detail in the Book of Daniel and the Maccabean period is passed over quite quickly, for instance. But there is always something to connect the writing with the facts of its time.
It should be noted that this is not at all a literalist reading. For instance, Smith and Irwin consider Isaiah to have been written by four major sources (responsible for most of chapters 1-39, 40-55, 56-66, and 24-27), plus additions. Zechariah has two authors. Micah wrote only three chapters of his book. And so forth. If you believe in inerrancy and providential preservation, this book will probably drive you nuts. But if you want to see the prophets in their full and majestic glory -- or, indeed, if you are a non-Christian who wants to see what all the fuss is about and are willing to learn some ancient history -- this is a fine place to start. There is a lot more to learn. But, even after three-quarters of a century, much of what is written here stands up. show less
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Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1925; 1941 (revised by William A. Irwin) (revised by William A. Irwin)
- People/Characters
- Ezekiel, the Prophet; Isaiah, the Prophet; Jeremiah, the prophet; Nebuchadnezzar II; Second Isaiah; Tiglath-Pileser III (show all 8); Zechariah, the prophet; Zerubabbel
- Important places
- Assyria; Ptolemaic Egypt
- First words
- PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
THE prophets are perennially interesting. They represent the religion of Israel at its best.
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
IT IS with grave misgivings that one lays violent hands on the work of a great scholar.
CHAPTER I
THE SONS OF THE PROPHETS
THE term "sons of the prophets" is one easily misunderstood. - Quotations
- CHAPTER III
PROPHECY AND THE SYRIAN WARS
The newly born kingdom of Saul grew to manhood under King David, expanded to its full development under Solomon, and suffered disintegration under Rehoboam.
CHAPTER X
THE FATHER OF JUDAISM?
The prophet Ezekiel is one of the enigmas of Old Testament history and interpretation. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)When we seriously consider and thoroughly appreciate what the prophets did for Israel and through Israel for humanity; we inevitably share the sentiment breathed forth by an ancient student of prophecy:
Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets!
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- Reviews
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- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 2
- ASINs
- 8
