Recent Trends in the Study of the Prophetic Literature

Recent Trends in the Study of the Prophetic Literature

Ka-leung WONG

It is the objective of this article to discuss briefly some recent trends in the study of the prophetic literature. The first major section deals with some recent methods in handling the prophetic literature including social-scientific approach, feminist approach, rhetorical approach and canonical approach. The second major section points out some areas of research which have not been given due attention in the past but is now gaining scholarly interest. They include the Book of Ezekiel, the Book of the Twelve as a single corpus and the Septuagint. These recent trends show that although the historical paradigm predominates no more in the study of the prophetic literature, it is not to be dismissed totally. What we need is a healthy cross-pollination of various methods so that the prophetic literature can truly function as Scripture for us.