Prophecy and Hermeneutics

"It is rare when reviewing a book to recognize that a profound paradigm shift is being proposed that deeply affects how the Old Testament prophets are to be understood. Building on over two decades of probing, critical exegesis, Christopher Seitz now offers a magisterial overview of the entire field and outlines a new and brilliant hermeneutical synthesis of biblical prophecy that restores the centrality of the canonical Scriptures to the church."--Brevard S. Childs, Yale University Divinity School"Building on the long history of prophetic introduction and interpretation, Seitz offers a new way of viewing the prophets. He takes the realities of time and history with utmost seriousness but also attends to the hermeneutical implications of the present form of the prophetic books. The future of theological interpretation of Scripture depends on such breakthroughs as Seitz offers in these pages. We will have to read the prophets differently henceforth."--Patrick D. Miller, Princeton Theological Seminary"Chris Seitz is one of the most insightful and creative biblical theologians working in the field today. In this book he shows us how traditional historical-critical readings have brought us to an impasse and then marks out a bold new path with his own proposal to take the canonical form of prophetic literature seriously. No one will look at the prophetic corpus in the same way after being tutored by Seitz."--Gary Anderson, University of Notre Dame"Seitz has offered a fresh and bold proposal for understanding the formation and theological significance of prophetic literature. In rich dialogue with Gerhard von Rad and building on recent scholarly research devoted to the Book of the Twelve, Seitz discerns a process of 'figural integration' in prophetic literature. Prophetic words were, in his judgment, fulfilled, not in some simplistic fashion, but over the course of time and, ultimately, in the New Testament. All those interested in prophetic literature and the character of Scripture will find this volume both challenging and useful."--David L. Petersen, Emory University"This is a highly interesting book. Christopher Seitz shows in detail how historical questions about the different books within the Twelve are useful and even necessary but that they must finally move into an understanding of the text in its final form. It can be expected that this book will cause a vivid methodological discussion."--Rolf Rendtorff, Heidelberg University