While there are many textbooks about the prophetic literature, most have taken either a historical or literary approach to studying the prophets. A Chorus of Prophetic Voices, by contrast, draws on both historical and literary approaches by paying careful attention to the prophets as narrative characters. It considers each unique prophetic voice in the canon, in its fully developed literary form, while also listening to what these voices say together about a particular experience in Israel's story. It presents these four scrollsaEURO"Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Book of the TwelveaEURO"as works produced in the aftermath of destruction, works that employ prophetic characters, and as the words uttered during the crises. The prophetic literature became for Israel, living in a context of dispersion and imperial domination, a portable and adaptable resource at once both challenging and comforting. This book provides the fullest picture available for introducing students to the prophetic literature by valuing the role of the original prophetic characters, the finished state of the books that bear their names, the separate historical crises in the life of Israel they address, and the aEUROoechorus of prophetic voicesaEURO one hears when reading them as part of a coherent literary corpus.

About the Author
Mark McEntire is Professor of Biblical Studies at Belmont University in Nashville. He is the author of several important books on the Hebrew Bible, including Portraits of a Mature God: Choices in Old Testament Theologyand A Chorus of Prophetic Voices: Introducing the Prophetic Literature of Ancient Israel.

Reviews
"In this ambitious and important work, Mark McEntire skillfully leads us through prophetic literature in ways that illuminate its depth and complexity. Informed by a wide range of scholarship, McEntire charts an approach that enhances our ability to understand the nature and significance of these powerful texts. Best of all, A Chorus of Prophetic Voices makes you want to read the prophets all over again, more carefully and more appreciatively. A very rich resource indeed!" --Eric A. Seibert, Professor of Old Testament, Messiah College "Congratulations to Mark McEntire! A Chorus of Prophetic Voices provides new insights into the entire prophetic corpus using several contemporary approaches. McEntire graciously bows to historical-critical work of the past but moves the discussion in other illuminating directions. He uses trauma and postcolonial theories, canonical and literary studies. He imagines individual prophetic voices and a symphony of intertextual conversation. With its charts and discussion boxes, the book will make an excellent choice for classrooms, churches, and anyone in search of updating regarding the prophets." --Kathleen M. O'Connor, William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament, Emerita, Columbia Theological Seminary



Book Information
ISBN 9780664239985
Author Mark McEntire
Format Paperback
Page Count 276
Imprint Westminster/John Knox Press,U.S.
Publisher Westminster/John Knox Press,U.S.