Was Balaam also among the Prophets?: How Balaam Sheds Light on the Latter Prophets
In spite of abundant evidence to the contrary, many researchers presume that the Bible’s prophetic literature was preserved and transmitted because the scribes believed these prophets had received divine revelation, so that the scribes treated the literature as religiously useful, perhaps even relig...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic/Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis
[2017]
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| In: |
Scandinavian journal of the Old Testament
Year: 2017, Volume: 31, Issue: 1, Pages: 44-65 |
| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament HH Archaeology |
| Further subjects: | B
Deir ‘Alla
B Scribes B Numbers 22-24 B Balaam ben Beor B Canon Formation B Latter Prophets |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | In spite of abundant evidence to the contrary, many researchers presume that the Bible’s prophetic literature was preserved and transmitted because the scribes believed these prophets had received divine revelation, so that the scribes treated the literature as religiously useful, perhaps even religiously authoritative in some manner. This article defends an alternative hypothesis: the ancient scribes did not treat Hebrew anthologies of prophecy as divinely revealed or as possessing either religious utility or authority. Rather, this literature was disseminated among scribes because scribes have an interest in literature. The best way to understand the Latter Prophets is to examine a tale about a prophet in the book of Numbers: Balaam son of Beor. This is the only prophet mentioned in the Tanakh who is also mentioned in an ancient inscription. Although Balaam is not a significant figure among the Latter Prophets (he is mentioned only once in these scrolls), the abundant data about Balaam provide an invaluable opportunity to trace the ways in which ancient scribes adopted, adapted, and transformed their source materials about prophets and prophecy. |
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| ISSN: | 0901-8328 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Scandinavian journal of the Old Testament
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/09018328.2017.1301636 |