Does (and Should) Hosea Matter Still?

Abstract

A perusal of research on the book of Hosea indicates that questions concerning authorship, authorial intention, dating of texts, and translation and textual problems continue to interest scholars. Of equal interest is an appreciation for the book’s rhetoric, literary dimensions, and rich poetics. New biblical hermeneutical approaches, especially cultural studies, have produced a shift away from what the text meant in its originating context to readers, grounded in their social locations, as creators of meanings. This essay highlights why the book of Hosea has been important to scholars, questions if the book should still matter, highlights salient reasons why it needs to matter still, and presents new avenues for scholars to explore in an effort to attract a twenty-first-century readership grappling with myriad forms of oppression and injustice.