Just below the surface of any Christian view of the Bible is the knotty issue of the biblical canon. How and when was it decided which books would make up the Bible? What makes a book canonical? In this volume, respected Old Testament scholar Christopher Seitz helps readers understand how the Old Testament fits into the canon's development. Brief and readable yet substantive, this volume challenges current understandings of the formation of the Christian canon, utilizing the latest research on the biblical prophets. Seitz reveals canonical connections woven into the fabric of the Prophetic Books and argues that the Law and the Prophets cohere and give shape to the subsequent Christian canon.

Challenges current understandings of formation of the Christian canon, utilizing the latest research on the biblical prophets.

The diversity of prophetic voices in the Bible provides a message that is rich and variegated. But the variety of the testimony can be lost by limiting one's interpretations or application of the prophetic word. Interpreting the Prophetic Word helps readers understand the harmony of the voices that reveal God's purposes in redemptive history. Dr. Willem VanGemeren explains clearly and fully the background of the prophetic tradition. He then interprets the message of the major and minor prophets, using historical context and literary form and structure as tools in his analysis. He concludes with an explanation of the relevance of the prophetic word today. Dr. VanGemeren's extensive research and scholarship is presented in a readable way to unlock the door of prophecy for readers. He helps them to interpret prophecy and invites them to listen to the prophets and to lives the prophetic word.

What is prophecy? - Social criticism? Divination? Political rhetoric? Whimsy? A literary genre? Some or all of the above, or something else entirely? How does it function in the biblical text? How did it function in Israelite society? How does it relate to phenomena found in other Ancient Near Eastern cultures? How does true prophecy differ from false? The various facets and enigmas of Hebrew prophecy have occupied many biblical scholars over recent decades, and the progress of the investigation is documented by this collection of quality articles that have appeared in Vetus Testamentum. Readers will find the individual studies, from a variety of approaches, frequently eye-opening, always instructive and stimulating. The collection as a whole offers a useful resource for all students of biblical prophecy.