1 ISAIAH - MALACHI (4OT516) Reformed Theological Seminary, Atlanta Spring Semester 2012, Feb. 2nd – May 8th Instructor: John J. Yeo, Ph.D. Thursdays, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. E-mail: [email protected] I. COURSE DESCRIPTION An expository study of the message and times of the prophets, emphasizing the themes of the Day of the LORD, judgment, restoration, promise and fulfillment, Messiah, kingdom, and the new people of God. A Reformed biblical-theological approach (i.e., redemptive-historical method) will be used in order to unfold the meaning of the (Latter) Prophetical corpus in relation to its covenant Old Testament context. Its relation and significance to the New Testament will also be discussed. II. COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon successful completion of this course: 1) The student will be familiar with a couple of key interpretive approaches: a) the grammatico-historical method and b) the biblical-theological/redemptive-historical method. 2) The student will be able to identify the message, historical context, and literary structure of each prophetic book. In addition, the student will be familiar with certain key passages found within the Prophetic corpus that will have been examined and exposited in class (e.g., Isaiah 53; Daniel 9; etc.). 3) The student will be familiar with the office and function of the Prophets (i.e., prophetism) and their significance in both Old and New Testaments. 4) The student will be acquainted with the main interpretive issues concerning the interpretation of prophecy (e.g., conservative vs. liberal views of authorship/dating; genre considerations (e.g., literal or figurative/symbolic); literary structure (e.g., the use of recapitulation); etc. 5) The student will see the remarkable development of the Messianic promise found earlier in the Old Testament, e.g., Genesis 3:15, 49:10-12; Num. 24:15-19; 2 Samuel 7:14-16; etc., during the prophetic period. III. TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER MATERIALS Required: 1) Tremper Longman III & Raymond B. Dillard, Introduction to the Old Testament, Second Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006). 2) O. Palmer Robertson, The Christ of the Prophets (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2006). This is the HARDCOVER, UNABRIDGED edition. Please refer to the following link for the hardcover, unabridged edition: http://www.amazon.com/Christ-Prophets-O-Palmer-Robertson/dp/0875525644/ref=reader_auth_dp 3) John J. Yeo, Plundering the Egyptians: The Old Testament and Historical Criticism at Westminster Theological Seminary (1929-1998) (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2009).2 4) **Supplementary Readings: i. “Historical Contingencies and Biblical Predictions,” by Richard L. Pratt, Jr. in The Way of Wisdom, edited by J.I. Packer & S.K. Sonderlund (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000), pp. 180-203. ii. “How Many Isaiahs Were There and What Does It Matter? Prophetic Inspiration in Recent Evangelical Scholarship” by Richard L. Schultz in Evangelicals & Scripture: Tradition, Authority and Hermeneutics, edited by V. Bacote, L.C. Miguélez, & D.L. Okholm (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2004), pp.150-170. Suggested Resources: 1) Bullock, C. Hassell. An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books. Chicago: Moody Press, 1986. 2) Chisholm, Robert B. Handbook on the Prophets. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002. 3) Dorsey, David A. The Literary Structure of the Old Testament Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999. 4) *Kline, Meredith G. Images of the Spirit. South Hamilton, MA: Meredith G. Kline, 1986. In print, this book has been subsequently reissued by Wipf & Stock. 5) Meier, Samuel A. Themes and Transformations in Old Testament Prophecy. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2009. 6) McConville, J. Gordon. A Guide to the Prophets. Exploring the Old Testament, Vol. Four. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2002. 7) *Vos, Geerhardus. Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments. Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, reprint 1992. 8) *Williams, Michael J. The Prophet and His Message: Reading Old Testament Prophecy Today. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2003. 9) Wood, Leon J. The Prophets of Israel. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979. 10) *Young, Edward J. My Servants the Prophets. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1952. IV. ASSIGNMENTS 1) Assigned Readings: i. Primary Literature: Each student is required to read the entire (Latter) Prophetic corpus. ii. Secondary Literature: Each student is required to read the select portions in Longman and Dillard (see syllabus), the entire text by Robertson, selected texts in Yeo as well as the supplementary readings (see below). iii. Supplementary Readings (see above, III.4) 2) Midterm and Final Examinations (50% of Course Grade): Study guides will be provided for each. The date of each exam is given below.3 Please note that there will be a question on the final examination regarding the percentage of the readings you have completed. 3) Theological Paper (50% of Course Grade): Requirements for this paper will be outlined in class. The theological paper is due on May 11, 2012. V. COURSE SCHEDULE (N.B. The reading assignments are due the following week.) February 02: Prolegomena Introduction to the Course and Syllabus Overview Lecture 1: Introduction to the Prophets (In preparation for this lecture, it is recommended that students read beforehand chapters 1-7 in Robertson’s The Christ of the Prophets.) Reading Assignment: o Introduction to the OT, pp. 409-419; 435-442. o The Christ of the Prophets, pp. 201-254. February 09 Lecture 2: Ninth/Eighth-Century Prophets: Obadiah & Joel Reading Assignment: o Introduction to the OT, pp. 397-408; 420-434; 443-448. February 16 Lecture 3: Eighth-Century Prophets: Hosea, Amos, & Jonah Reading Assignment: o Introduction to the OT, pp. 449-455; 301-320. o Plundering the Egyptians, pp. 135-152; 232-252; 279-289 (You are also assigned the endnotes.) o **“How Many Isaiahs Were There and What Does It Matter?: Prophetic Inspiration in Recent Evangelical Scholarship” by Richard L. Schultz in Evangelicals & Scripture: Tradition, Authority and Hermeneutics, edited by V. Bacote, L.C. Miguélez & D.L. Okholm (Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP, 2004), pp.150-170. February 23 Lecture 4: Eighth-Century Prophets: Micah & Isaiah March 01 Lecture 5: Eighth-Century Prophet: Isaiah (continued) Reading Assignment: o Introduction to the OT, pp. 456-476 o The Christ of the Prophets, pp. 255-282.4 March 08 Lecture 6: Seventh-Century Prophets: