Cult and Temple in the Minor Prophets

Abstract

This essay explores topics in the Twelve related to the cult from several different angles. In the first part, the books within this anthology are treated separately. The analysis aims at assessing each writing’s perspective on temples and priests, as well as on various forms of cultic practice, with a particular emphasis on sacrificial worship. It is shown that some books attest to a temple-centered worldview, whereas others evince little or no interest in cultic matters. The concluding part discusses patterns and tendencies within the Twelve as a whole, based on the preceding analysis of individual books. New approaches to the study of cult-related passages in the prophetic literature are outlined. It is argued that the traditional (pro-) cultic//anti-cultic dichotomy needs to be replaced by other types of categorizations.