Theology of the Prophetic Books: The Death and Resurrection of Israel

by Donald E. Gowan

Donald Gowan offers a unified reading of the prophetic books, showing that each has a distinctive contribution to make to a central theme. These books--Isaiah through Malachi--respond to three key moments in Israel's the end of the Northern Kingdom in 722 BCE, the end of the Southern Kingdom in 587 BCE, and the beginning of the restoration from the Babylonian exile in 538 BCE. Gowan traces the theme of death and resurrection throughout these accounts, finding a symbolic message of particular significance to Christian interpreters of the Bible.

Genres: Theology, Old Testament, Reference, Nonfiction, Christian, School

264 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1998

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great!

[Justin Dewell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gowan presents almost a mini-commentary on the Prophetic books in the Old Testament. Chapter 5 is the value of reading this book. What he presents isn't difficult to pick up based on the title and issues he raises in his introduction.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gowan's work expands upon the seminal work of Abraham Heschel in describing Israel of the 8th - 6th century BC in the reading of the major and minor prophets of the Hebrew Bible, and theologically explores the death of Israel - warned about by the early prophets, described by Isaiah and Jeremiah, as well as its purification and resurrection as found in Isaiah 40-66, Joel, Malachi, and Zechariah, among others. This book is a wonderful counterpart to reading Brueggeman's 2 volume set on Isaiah (Westminster Bible Companion).

[Parker Loesch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great commentary over the prophetic books. I really liked how it pulls you into the story of the prophets rather than looking at the prophets outside of time.

[Christopher Broadwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gowan's method is peculiar, reading the Hebrew Bible through the eyes of the Christian Scriptures. I think the method is fairly problematic.