Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 55-60).

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The shepherd metaphor is used in the Hebrew Bible to refer to kings or leaders of the Israelite community. It belongs to the larger group of pastoral metaphors which are used to convey ideas about governance and politics. This is especially apparent in how the Hebrew prophets have utilized pastoral imagery in their rhetoric about politics. Specifically, the imagery occurs in Micah 2:12-13; 5:1- 5; 7:14-20; Isaiah 40:9-11; 44:24-45:7; 56:9-12; 63:7-14; Jeremiah 3:15-20; 10:19- 21; 22:18-23; 23:1-8; 25:30-38; 31:10-14; Ezekiel 34 and Zechariah chs. 10, 11, 13. This study is an analysis of these passages. It investigates the political processes depicted in the text and describes the political ideas that they express. In order to show that pastoral metaphors are powerful rhetorical devices for revealing political ideas, Chapter 1 provides a survey of metaphorical theories that are relevant to the exegesis of the shepherd texts. Particularly useful is Janet Soskice’ notion of ‘metaphorical modeling’ which leads to the overarching metaphorical assumption in the use of pastoral metaphors, that ‘Political governance is shepherding.’ New meanings are created by mapping out the structures of shepherding onto the domain of governance. Secondly, the chapter also examines the sociological background of pastoral metaphors in their wider Mesopotamian context to show that the shepherd metaphor is a political metaphor. Lastly, it explores ideas in political theology that might enhance the exegesis of the text from the perspective of politics. Particularly, the study draws upon the conceptions in political theology proposed by Oliver O’Donovan, Walter Brueggeman and Dale Launderville, who all base their theories on the notion of the ‘authority’ of God. O’Donovan suggests four organizing concepts for doing political theology, namely, salvation, judgment, possession, and praise. On the other hand, Brueggeman intimates a reading that uses the ‘politics of Yahweh vs. politics of Pharaoh’ as a paradigm. As for Launderville, he explores the idea of authority through the notion of legitimation by the gods and by the people. Each of the subsequent chapters (2-6) will offer a detailed exegetical analysis of the prophetic books containing shepherd texts. These close readings result in variety of political implications based on the interactions of three main players, Yahweh who is the owner of the flock and sometimes also portrayed as the Great Shepherd, the human shepherd, and the flock. The web of relationship and interaction of these three players affirms the centrality of the ‘authority of God’ in the politics of the shepherd texts. Moreover, five aspects of politics arise and consistently thread their way across the five chapters. Primary among these is [1] the different manifestations of the dynamics of relations of power between different entities such as: Yahweh, the Great Shepherd and the supreme king of the flock, the human shepherd-rulers who are considered as vicegerents and are under the jurisdiction of the Great Shepherd, and the flock who are subordinate to both the Great Shepherd and the human shepherd-rulers. Consequent to this notion are the following ideas: [2] the need for the human-shepherd to be attentive to divine sanction; [3] the human-shepherd as the chief redistributor of material and symbolic goods in the community; [4] the shepherd-leader, whether referring to Yahweh or to the human shepherds, as the centralizing symbol in the community; and [5] justice as a central aspect of governance within the shepherding-governance framework.

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Thesis advisor: David S. Vanderhooft / This study defines and explores the theme of decreation, or the unmaking of all creation by Yahweh or one of his agents in response to human wrongdoing, as it appears in examples of Israel's prophetic literature. In the books of Amos, Hosea, Zephaniah, and Jeremiah--which when taken together represent prophetic traditions in both the northern and southern kingdoms and range from the eighth to the sixth centuries B.C.E.--decreation is described as a reversal of creation through desiccation, flood, desolation, darkening, quaking, melting, and an annulment of the cult. The specific events that comprise decreation differ from prophet to prophet, although between texts there appears an overlap in the language and imagery used to depict the effects of Yahweh's unmaking. The reasons given for the phenomenon also vary from prophet to prophet, as the theme is recast to convey specific indictments against Israel and Judah. Some prophets identify particular crimes as the direct cause of decreation, including broken covenant provisions and the worship of foreign deities, while others speak more generally of Israel's guilt. These texts share the idea that the entire cosmos can be unmade as a result of human wrongdoing. Israel can act in ways so contrary to Yahweh's intentions for creation, in other words, that the entire system of created order is put in jeopardy and the assurances given at the moment of creation are threatened. In some instances in the prophetic literature decreation has already begun, though in others it remains a looming threat. In all cases, the examined prophets warn, decreation is a complete dismantling of created order. Given this, it is not a surprise that many prophetic depictions of decreation reflect traditions that also appear in biblical creation accounts. In particular, the descriptions of precreation found in the Priestly writer's and the Yahwist's creation narratives resonate in many prophetic portrayals of a return to the state of things before Yahweh fashioned the heavens and the earth. This and other correlations between prophetic decreation texts and the Priestly and Yahwist creation accounts raise questions in the study regarding the dating of the Pentateuchal sources. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / The purpose of this dissertation is to determine the attitudes of the pre-exilic, canonical prophets toward their contemporary cultus. The approach in the early chapters is historical, describing the origin and development of Israelite prophecy and the Israelite cultus and the role played by each during the eighth and seventh centuries B.C. In the remaining chapters of the dissertation, each of the pre-exilic, canonical prophets is studied against the background of his specific remarks concerning the cultus and his vocational, geographical, political and religious position. This approach is primarily problematic, evaluating the approaches of various scholars, including those of the Scandinavian traditio-historical school. Any attempt to generalize about the "prophetic mind" must be tempered by a realization that the men called prophets did not form a homogeneous group, but belonged to quite different segments of the Israelite social and economic strata. Further, they do not fit into any simple vocational pattern. The commonly used appellative, "prophet," is not helpful because there were many prophetic roles, professional and non-professional. The tenor of their messages excludes the possibility of their belonging to any traditional, professional, prophetic order. Based on the evidence presented in this dissertation, the following conclusions are stated regarding the individual prophets: Amos was not a professional prophet; he was "a shepherd and a dresser of sycamore trees." There is not sufficient evidence to suggest Hosea's vocation, although he may have been a priest. Isaiah's vocation is uncertain, but there is strong evidence that he was a scribe in the royal palace. Micah's vocation is likewise uncertain; the best evidence indicates that he was a peasant artisan or farmer. Jeremiah was a priest until his prophetic call and his priestly vocation may have continued during his prophetic career. [TRUNCATED]

姜宗強 = The relationship between the prophet and the people : an interpretation of the Old Testament prophetic word in the Chinese cultural context / Jiang Zongqiang. / "2004年6月". / 論文(哲學碩士)--香港中文大學, 2004. / 參考文獻 (leaves 121-140). / 附中英文摘要. / "2004 nian 6 yue". / Jiang Zongqiang = The relationship between the prophet and the people : an interpretation of the Old Testament prophetic word in the Chinese cultural context / Jiang Zongqiang. / Lun wen (zhe xue shuo shi)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue, 2004. / Can kao wen xian (leaves 121-140). / Fu Zhong Ying wen zhai yao. / 目錄 / 摘要 / 致謝 / Chapter 上篇： --- 以前學者硏究成果的追溯 / Chapter 第一章、 --- 問題的提出：中國文化傳統中有無先知因素？ --- p.1 / Chapter 一、 --- 韋伯對先知與先知之言性質的界定 --- p.1 / Chapter 二、 --- 羅理的硏究：溝通古代以色列與中國文化傳統中先知因素的嘗試 --- p.7 / Chapter 三、 --- 對羅理溝通古代以色列與中國文化傳統中先知因素硏究的評價 --- p.13 / Chapter 第二章、 --- 狄百瑞對中國儒家式先知的界定 --- p.19 / Chapter 一、 --- 韋伯的命題面臨挑戰 --- p.19 / Chapter 二、 --- 先知之有無？ --- p.20 / Chapter 三、 --- 何種類型的先知？ --- p.24 / Chapter 四、 --- 對狄百瑞理論硏究的評價 --- p.32 / Chapter 五、 --- 本篇論文硏究的問題、範圍、方法論、目的 --- p.37 / Chapter 下篇： --- 先知與民的關係 / Chapter 第三章 --- 跨文本閱讀的根據與方法 --- p.39 / Chapter 一、 --- 跨文本閱讀的可能性 --- p.39 / Chapter 二、 --- 跨文本閱讀的方法 --- p.43 / Chapter 三、 --- 對古代以色列先知之言性質的理解 --- p.47 / Chapter 第四章、 --- 《阿摩司書》與杜甫詩篇中“受苦者´ح主題的閱讀 --- p.67 / Chapter 一、 --- 引論 --- p.67 / Chapter 二、 --- 戰爭中的受苦者 --- p.76 / Chapter 三、 --- 政治、經濟壓迫下的受苦者 --- p.91 / Chapter 四、 --- 杜甫代表的爲底層受苦者呼籲公義的中國式的先知傳統 一一詩歌文學中的民本思想 --- p.106 / 結語、先知與民的關係 --- p.116 / 參考書目 --- p.121

Thesis (Th. M.)--Grace Theological Seminary, 1981. / Abstract. Bibliography: leaves 78-84.