Let Us Go to the Seer! - Prophecy, Scribal Culture, and the Invention of Hebrew Scripture

Prophecy in the Hebrew Bible ("Old Testament") has long been regarded as fundamentally different from the divinatory methods of ancient pagans: while the pagans sought out and solicited messages from the gods, the Hebrew prophets received revelation spontaneously, at the initiative of Israel's deity. The trouble with this dichotomy between solicited and spontaneous revelation is that it overlooks or misreads a number of ancient sources, and it obscures the similarities between Hebrew and other societies of the ancient Middle East. In this book, Ryan D. Schroeder re-examines the evidence for prophecy both in the Hebrew Bible and in documents excavated in Israel/Palestine, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq since the late nineteenth century. He shows that prophecies were regularly solicited across ancient West Asia. Moreover, the spontaneity of Israelite revelation is largely a mirage produced by ancient Hebrew scribes and reinforced by modern scholars intent on establishing the uniqueness and superiority of "biblical" religion.

About the author

Ryan D. Schroeder, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

Product details

• Authors: Ryan D Schroeder, Ryan D. Schroeder
• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 14.12.2024
• EAN: 9783111525686
• ISBN: 978-3-11-152568-6
• No. of pages: 290
• Weight: 561 g
• Illustrations: 2 b/w ill., 2 b/w tbl.
• Series: Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Christianity; Prophezeiung, Weissagung, Religion & beliefs, Jewish Studies, Judaism, Ancient religions & mythologies, Biblical Studies & Exegesis, Old Testaments, REL000000 RELIGION / General, REL040000 RELIGION / Judaism / General, REL072000 RELIGION / Antiquities & Archaeology, REL006410 RELIGION / Biblical Reference / Language Study, REL040030 RELIGION / Judaism / History, power and religion., Prophecy and divination, Hebrew Bible and Assyriology, Handschriftenkultur, scribal culture, Hebräische Bibel und Assyriologie, Religion und Macht