Prophecy

Abstract According to Jewish tradition, the canon of the Hebrew Bible, which forms the basis of the Christian Old Testament, is divided into three parts: Law, Prophets, and Writings. The division known as ‘Prophets’ consists of the historical books Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings (also known collectively as the ‘Former Prophets’) as well as the books more commonly recognized as prophetic by Christianity: that is, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the so-called Book of the Twelve, from Hosea to Malachi. These fifteen works from Isaiah to Malachi are also known collectively as the ‘Latter Prophets’. This article focuses on the major prophets, consisting of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and the twelve minor prophets from Hosea to Malachi. It gives a brief overview of scholarly issues that pertain to the prophetic books in general and highlights issues which are particularly associated with individual books.