else, while Song of Songs is joyful
love poetry, replete with erotic
imagery and descriptions of
physical intimacy. Ecclesiastes, on
the other hand, asks philosophical
questions about the meaning of
life. The author wonders at the
purpose of labor and education
when, ultimately, everyone dies.
Nevertheless, it ends with a thread
that gathers the poetical and
wisdom literature together:
regardless of existential realities,
one must always obey God.Major and Minor Prophets
In the Prophetic Books, the Bible
returns to the theme of suffering,
which is viewed as retributive
punishment for Israel and Judah’s
sins. The prophets warn the people
that if they do not follow God’s
laws, enemies will destroy them,all of which happened when Assyria
and Babylon came to power. Yet,
during the exile, the possibility of
return became real, and themes
of hope and restoration begin
to infiltrate the prophetic texts.
The Major Prophets (Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel)
and Lamentations contain an
expectation that God will dwell
among the people, love them
forever, and bring them home to a
new Jerusalem in the future. Daniel
exemplifies what it means to act
faithfully as a Jew despite constant
foreign opposition.
The same themes of doom and
hope are explored in the Minor
Prophets, while also emphasizing
commitment to God. Jonah relays
the message that God accepts all
those who repent and do justice,
even if they are not Israelites. Yetnot all Gentiles are portrayed
positively. God’s threat to evil
foreign powers is prominent in
apocalyptic literature, and its
emphasis on “the Day of the Lord,”
a terrifying end of the world when
God will judge the wicked and
reward the righteous, appears
in books such as Joel, Micah,
Zephaniah, and Malachi.
The idea of the Day of the Lord
was later paired with a Messianic
expectation that the earth will one
day be ruled by God, and Israel will
once again be a united kingdom
in harmony with its neighbors and
the divine. Many scholars believe
Christians reordered the canon so
that the prophets would be placed
immediately before the New
Testament Gospels, which used
prophetic texts to support the claim
that Jesus was the Messiah. ■WISDOM AND PROPHETS
LAMENTATIONS
1–5EZEKIEL
37:10JONAH
1:17–2:9ZEPHANIAH
1–3:5DANIEL
6:22MICAH
3:1–12The Prophet Ezekiel
has a vision in which
a vast army arises
from the Valley of
Dried Bones.God sends a fish to swallow
the Prophet Jonah, who
has disobeyed His
command to preach to
the Ninevites.The Prophet
Zephaniah calls on the
Israelites to repent and
warns of the coming
“Day of the Lord.”The fall of Jerusalem
to the Babylonians is
mourned in five poems,
expressing anger
toward God.God shuts the
mouths of the lions
when the Prophet
Daniel is thrown
into a lions’ den.The Prophet Micah
fulminates against the
sinful behavior of
the citizens of Judah.137
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