Meditate on it

These are notes from the introduction of C. Hassell Bullock's book on OT prophets. Bullock asserts he will take a chronological/timeline approach to studying the prophets to better reveal the "cultural, theological, and historical interrelationships." I'm a fan of this method--it's what I tend to do when teaching literature in general. The prophets were not "silos" but viewed themselves as part of a larger prophetic community.  Some drew on each other more than others, although they do not reference each other directly. The prophets emerged in times of crisis in clusters.  Three main clusters: Neo-Assyrian Era before the fall of the Northern Kingdom in 722 BC Amos, Hosea, Micah, and Isaiah Jonah peripherally connected---reluctantly witnessed God's mercy. Neo-Babylonian Era Fall of Southern Kingdom in 586 BC Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Nahum, Ezekiel, Obadiah  The prophets of the Northern Kingdom were viewed to be the main source of reform as opp

 I'm trying to find the correct chronological path into the prophets this week, just having finished a long season in Kings and Chronicles.  Somehow I was expecting more chronological clarity that I'm finding.  On the internet, you'll find a host of different dates and orders. I'm weary of this type of fine print after sifting all the kings of Israel and Judah---so many J's, Jeroboams and name changes to keep up with.  Desiring to move forward before I despair too much, I'm starting with Joel. The Morningstar Christian Chapel Archives has no messages directly connected to the book of Joel, nor does this blog. At three chapters, it's a wisp of a prophecy, and I'll do my best to lay out some guidance and understanding here--to keep me straight primarily. Joel: What I learned from Intro to "The Book of Joel" Christopher Scott Historical context: 5 major prophets, 12 minor 722 BC Northern Kingdom of Israel conquered by Assyria Three waves of Babylo