Missiology
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 49, No. 2 – Spring 2007
Managing Editor: Malcolm B. Yarnell III
By Rodney R. Hutton. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2004. 114 pages. Softcover, $16.00.
This small work marks Hutton’s entry into the nature and scope of Israel’s prophets. The author earned his PhD from the Claremont Graduate School. His topic of “Declaratory Formulae” among Israel’s writing prophets was heavily influenced by Gerhard Von Rad. Hutton’s clear desire is for this work to be used as an introduction that will spark “the reader to (examine) the critical issues that concern Israel’s prophetic texts in their broad scope” (viii). In the introduction the author asks five preliminary
questions, which he notes, surprisingly, are “fundamentally insoluble” (4). Possibly his guiding question is his first, which seeks to ascertain the extent to which the prophetic books provide a witness of the real phenomena of prophecy in Israel. The author is interested in adducing the social location of the prophets as well as their legal and historical relationship to the prophetic corpus. Hutton ends the first chapter with a cursory overview of how the prophetic corpus is viewed by the traditions of Judaism (“Prophets as Guardians of the Torah”), Christianity (“Prophets as the Foretellers of Christ”), and Liberal Protestantism (“Prophets as Bearer’s of Israel’s Truth”). He ends this chapter with a cautionary caveat regarding the anti- Semitic complicity of the academy in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The second chapter inaugurates Hutton’s search for the elusive ori- gins of Israelite prophecy. This chapter is simultaneously refreshing and disconcerting for the reader. While Hutton diligently seeks the source of Israelite prophecy, he unfortunately turns to Mari for the genesis of this institution. It would have been more fruitful to examine the origins of Israelite prophecy within the corpus of the biblical text itself. Abruptly, Hutton turns from his quest for origins to the topic of Amos of Tekoa. A cursory glance at Amos research in the last decade will show that the works produced on this prophet and the book that bears his name are legion. It is unfortunate that in a book on the origins of Israelite prophecy Amos gets only four pages. Hutton also curiously discusses the social and critical is- sues of the book. Helpfully, the author does find hope in the preaching of Amos in regards to the “fallen tent of David” (Amos 9:11–15).
The remainder of the book is exclusively reserved for the other preexilic prophets. Hosea is given a full eight pages of material divided up by four general topics. Standard elements such as “historical context,” “social aspects of Israel’s offense,” “priests and the lack of knowledge,” and “Hosea’s visions of restoration,” are dealt with in very terse fashion.
Not surprisingly, Hutton divides the investigation of Isaiah up into two similar chapters. In chapter four he undertakes the investigation of what he calls “Isaiah of Jerusalem.” The fifth chapter is a vignette of Isa- iah and the Assyrian crisis which befell Judah. Refreshingly, the author does not do scholastic surgery on this grand and majestic major prophet. Throughout both chapters four and five Hutton consistently understands Isaiah to be the author of the book that bears his name.
The sixth chapter is devoted to Micah of Moresheth. In elucidating the themes of Micah the author once again helpfully turns to the theme of “restoration.” Chapter seven is given over to what the author entitles “Prophets in the Interim.” Quickly Hutton gives the historical background to Zephaniah, Nahum, and Habakkuk followed by the very briefest exploration of theology within each book.
In chapters eight through twelve the author focuses solely on the book of Jeremiah. Hutton minutely examines Jeremiah and the reforms of Josiah and in so doing rightly argues for an early date for the book. The ninth chapter provides the reader with a structural overview of Jeremiah. Diverse elements such as the role of Jeremiah, Baruch, and the scroll of 605 B.C. are examined for their relevance in compositional understanding. The final chapter is given over to ascertaining the “portrait” of Jeremiah. Hutton here breaks with a majority of the guild and finds that Jeremiah should be identified as a prophet of Judah.
In reading this book there are four criticisms that must be made. First, there are few references to the exilic and postexilic prophets. It could be that Hutton could not do the exilic and postexilic prophets justice in the page constraints of his book. However, if this were the case then the author should have perhaps renamed the work to reflect only the preexilic prophets. Second, in an introductory text such as this, one expects either footnotes or endnotes to guide the reader. Unfortunately neither footnotes nor endnotes are given and the reader is left to the short bibliography to ascertain further reading on diverse subjects in the book. Third, a perusal of Hutton’s bibliography shows that while it contains a good many works, there are some major items that were omitted. Fourth, while the book strives to be an introduction to the (writing) prophets of Israel, the majority of its research is on Jeremiah (five out of twelve chapters). This book should not be recommended to seminary students nor pastors. However, it might serve as an ancillary to a more thorough introduction to the prophets.
