How should Christians read prophetic literature? Questions abound both in the academy and the church as to how to engage the prophets, particularly in light of the New Testament. The Gospel writers and the church fathers all read and appealed to the Old Testament, but are we as modern-day readers supposed to take the same approach? The Prophets and the Apostolic Witness is a dialogue among scholars that identifies the interpretive methods used throughout history while also charting a constructive way forward for our own approach to reading the Major Prophets. This comprehensive volume brings together experts on Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel to illuminate the following topics: How the Apostles Read the Major Prophets as Christian Scripture Limits on Reading the Major Prophets as Christian Scripture Reading the Major Prophets in the Footsteps of the Apostles The History of Interpretation of the Major Prophets as Christian Scripture Preaching the Major Prophets as Christian Scripture This collaborative endeavor offers fresh and helpful insights to scholars, students, and pastors alike as they engage with the text of the Major Prophets.

The Old Testament prophets did not hesitate to use the rhetorical conventions accessible to them when delivering their sermons of salvation and judgment. One source of comparison used frequently in the prophets and widely throughout the ancient Near East is the image of a tree. In Trees and Kings, William Osborne evaluates the cultural and cognitive setting that potentially gave rise to this figurative tree imagery, drawing on both comparative study with ancient Near Eastern tree imagery and the cognitive-linguistic approach to metaphor theory. Osborne examines tree metaphors that appear in the texts of Israel's writing prophets, specifically Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. He takes this material as largely reflective of the Israelite prophetic tradition from the 8th–6th centuries BC. Tree imagery in the Old Testament is certainly not limited to these prophetic books, and this study takes many of these texts into consideration in seeking to understand tree imagery in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel better. The question is rarely asked, why do the prophets often defer to the metaphorical use of the tree? The goal of this study is to answer this important question by comparing and contrasting tree metaphors in much of the prophetic literature of the Old Testament with tree imagery and metaphors encountered from the ancient Near East.

A comprehensive examination of the links between wisdom literature and prophecy. The book is divided into four sections. The first addresses methodological concerns such as identifying "wisdom," identifying potential sociological spheres for wisdom and prophecy in the ancient Near East, and recognizing potential textual relationships. The second examines the role of wisdom in the prophetic corpus more broadly in a book-by-book analysis of biblical texts, first examining the role of wisdom in the prophetic corpus of the Hebrew Bible. The third section looks at elements of prophecy within the traditional wisdom books such as Job, Proverbs and Qoheleth. Finally, the book continues the conversation by providing two concluding chapters that evaluate, critique, engage, and raise new questions that Hebrew Bible scholars will need to wrestle with as the search for the relationship between wisdom and prophecy moves forward.

In this book, William R. Osborne uses a clear and warm style to provide a distinct connection between the gospel and God’s goodness, holiness, and mercy as seen in the “You Are” statements found in the Psalms.

A comprehensive examination of the links between wisdom literature and prophecy. The book is divided into four sections. The first addresses methodological concerns such as identifying "wisdom," identifying potential sociological spheres for wisdom and prophecy in the ancient Near East, and recognizing potential textual relationships. The second examines the role of wisdom in the prophetic corpus more broadly in a book-by-book analysis of biblical texts, first examining the role of wisdom in the prophetic corpus of the Hebrew Bible. The third section looks at elements of prophecy within the traditional wisdom books such as Job, Proverbs and Qoheleth. Finally, the book continues the conversation by providing two concluding chapters that evaluate, critique, engage, and raise new questions that Hebrew Bible scholars will need to wrestle with as the search for the relationship between wisdom and prophecy moves forward.