The Prophets
Subtitle: Who They Were, What They Are
Publisher: Free Press
Published: October 29, 2002
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 400
ISBN-13: 9780743219273
Subjects: Biblical studies, criticism & exegesis; Christian theology; Old Testament; Prophecy; Criticism, interpretation, etc; Bible - Prophecies; Prophets (Nevi®im); Religion - Commentaries / Reference; O.T.; Religion; O.T; Jewish; Biblical Commentary - Old Testament; Biblical Criticism & Interpretation - Old Testament; Religion / Judaism / General; Bible - Criticism  Interpretation - Old Testament; Prophets (Neviim); Biblical Studies - Prophecy; Bible; Bible.; Criticism; Judaism
First sentence: IN SPEAKING OF CLASSICAL PROPHECY as a mysterious phenomenon at both ends of its three-hundred-year course, I also suggested that Amos and those who followed in his footsteps neither materialized out of nowhere nor eventually vanished into thin air.
Description: "Long before Norman Podhoretz became one of the intellectual leaders of American neoconservatism, he was a student of Hebrew literature and a passionate reader of the prophets of the Old Testament. Returning to them after fifty years, he has produced something remarkable: an entirely new perspective on some of the world's best-known works.".

"Or, rather, three new perspectives. The first is a fascinating account of the golden age of biblical prophecy, from the eighth to the fifth century B.C.E., and its roots in earlier ages of the ancient Israelite saga.

Thus, like large parts of the Bible itself, The Prophets is a history of the Near East from the point of view of a single nation, covering not only what is known about the prophets themselves - including Elijah, Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel - but also the stories of King David, King Saul, and how the ancient Israelites were affected by the great Near Eastern empires that surrounded them. Layered into this work of history is a piece of extraordinary literary criticism.

Podhoretz's very close reading of the verse and imagery used by the biblical prophets restores them to the top reaches of the poetic pantheon, for these books contain, unequivocally, some of the greatest poetry ever written.".

"The historical chronicle and the literary criticism will transport readers to a time that is both exotic and familiar and, like any fine work of history or literature, will evoke a distinct and original world. But the third perspective of The Prophets is that of moral philosophy, and it serves to bring the prophet's message into the twenty-first century.

For to Norman Podhoretz, the real relevance of the prophets today is more than the excitement of their history or the beauty of their poetry: it is their message. Podhoretz sees, in the words of the biblical prophets, a war being waged, a war against the sin of revering anything made by the hands of man - in short, idolatry.

In their relentless battle against idolatry, Podhoretz finds the prophets' most meaningful and enduring message: a stern warning against the all-consuming worship of self that is at least as relevant in the twenty-first century as it was three thousand years ago."--BOOK JACKET.