Themes in Haggai-Zechariah-Malachi

Abstract

A survey of a number of themes common to the Book of the Twelve shows that an intertextual approach to Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, and the whole Book of the Twelve offers perspectives on issues in the texts not available to studies that isolate the individual collections. H aggai and Zech 1-8 predict the restitution of Judah and Israel and the reestablishment of the pre-exilic institutions of the temple in Jerusalem and the monarchy in Judah. Zechariah 9-14 and Malachi explain the failure of the religio-political leaders in Judah during the Persian period. Their failure precluded the arrival of the new day envisioned by prophets both inside and outside the Twelve. This article will undertake a survey of a number of themes common to the Twelve, showing that an intertextual approach to Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, and the whole Book of the Twelve offers perspectives on issues in the texts not available to studies that isolate the individual collections. OT scholars have long recognized that redactors played a role in the development of the prophetic corpus. As late as the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, however, the significance ofthat role was downplayed as scholars sought the ipsissima verba ("very words") of the prophets and ignored the "contradictor/' work of the editors. With the rise of redaction criticism, however, that inclination changed, and the theology of the redactors themselves became of interest. Next, some modern scholars even wondered out loud if the scribal redactors were not numbered among the prophets, too. Under the impetus of movements like canonical criticism, scholars began to value what the worshipping community valued: the canonical shape of the books. 1 With regard to the Minor Prophets, a serious issue eventually arose concerning what constitutes a "book" among the Minor Prophets. The typical answer was "the sayings attributed 1 Cf. Brevard S. Childs, Introduction to the Old Testament as Scripture (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1979). APRIL 2007Interpretation 185 to the individual prophets like Hosea, Joel, and Amos." However, the trouble is that some ancient writers and rabbis considered the entire collection of the "Twelve" one book.2 In the 1990s, a group of scholars following the lead of James Nogalski 3 in this country and Aaron Schart 4 in Germany began to inquire into the possibility of reading all twelve collections as one "book," a process that has borne considerable fruit. The essays gathered in this issue of Interpretation are designed to look at the fruits of those efforts. 5This essay will contribute to that effort by examining the final three collections 6 in the Twelve: Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi (hereafter Η-M). 7 The first task will be to show the redactional means by which the redactors combined 1) Haggai and Zech 1-8; 2) Malachi; and 3) Zech 9-14. Then the paper will move on to discuss the themes of those collections. REDACTIONAL DEVICES WITHIN HAGGAI, ZECHARIAH, AND MALACHISince many scholars do not accept the idea that redactors knit together the Twelve as a ...

Yahweh, the Bad Shepherd? Defamiliarization and Pastoral Symbolism in Zechariah 11:7-17

“…As Redditt states, "What the leaders of the community had sown, the people would reap." 54 Finally, reading verse 17, which is supposedly Yahweh's imprecation against bad shepherds, should bring some comfort to the suffering sheep, but in reality it does not. Yahweh seems furious at "the shepherd who deserts his flock," but after doing harm to his right arm and right eye, symbolizing his capacity to lead the flock, 55 what will happen to the flock now?…”

Salvação Em Zc 8,1-8: Leitura Exegética a Partir Do Cenário De Zc 7,4-14

“…Muitos habitantes teriam morrido no cerco, muitos foram levados para o cativeiro em Babilônia, outros grupos teriam fugido para o Egito e seus arredores. 312 O sentido da raiz ‫ישע‬ é salvar e, em geral, refere-se àqueles que se encontram em dificuldades e tribulações. 313 Esta raiz é usada, quase sempre, tendo YHWH como sujeito e o povo como objeto.…”

“…a) -a prática do falso jejum: v. 6abc O discurso de YHWH que continua no v. 6abc, mantém a intenção indagativa, mas se afasta do tema do jejum e da lamentação e passa ao tema de comer e beber. 531 Para alguns, a expressão ‫תּו‬ ‫שְ‬ ‫תִּ‬ ‫י‬ ‫כִּ‬ ‫וְ‬ ‫לּו‬ ‫ֹאכְ‬ ‫ת‬ ‫י‬ ‫כִּ‬ ‫וְ‬ refere-se somente à atividades festivas, 532 enquanto, para outros esta expressão implica em uma atividade que satisfaz as próprias necessidades diárias. 533 A combinação de comer ‫ַׁל(‬ ‫כ‬ ‫)אָׁ‬ e beber ‫ה(‬ ‫תָׁ‬ ‫,)שָׁ‬ por um lado, é empregada para se referir à atividade regular de consumo diário de alimento (Is 36,12.16;Jr 22,15;Ez 4,16).…”

“…693 Quando a cólera divina veio sobre a geração dos antepassados, eles clamaram ao seu Deus por ajuda, mas ele agiu do mesmo modo que eles, e se recusou a ouvir o seu clamor e a agir em seu favor. 694 A raiz verbal ‫קרא‬ tem uso frequente no livro de Zacarias. Ela é utilizada para descrever a palavra de YHWH através dos discursos dos antigos profetas (Zc (Hab 3,14;Dn 11,40 ); tornar-se preocupado (2Rs 6,11); espalhar ou dispersar (Zc 7,14); enfurecer-se, ser tempestuoso como passivum divinum (Sl 50,3).…”