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The Prophets and the Promise: Being for Substance; The Lectures for 1902-1903
Libro usado en buenas condiciones, por su antiguedad podria contener señales normales de uso
- GenresTheology
450 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1975
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August 16, 2017
This turn of the 20th century study of Old Testament prophecy, The Prophets and the Promise/i> is both interesting and dated. Its methodology is almost pre-critical in that the author, Willis J. Beecher (possibly related to the 19th century Beecher family of Protestant ministers?) attempts to walk a tightrope between the documentary theory (where strands of literature tied to a Yahwist or presumably southern tradition, Elohist or presumably northern tradition, Deuteronomist or as he understands it a prophetic tradition, and a Priestly and presumably late tradition of which Beecher seems unaware) and taking the text at face-value in spite of what seem to be problems, inconsistencies, and contradictions. Beecher opts to try to find a synchronic approach where texts are created equal regardless of their setting in life, writing style, or possible editing and reworking (even though he admits the latter is possible).
From the perspective of the 21st century, such an approach is both refreshing and frustrating.
Beecher goes to such lengths to show his lack of bias toward the so-called Modern View (historical-critical approach) that it becomes clear that he regards all of us who hold such views to be second-class believers. Some examples of overstated arguments include, among others: 1) the assumption that accounts with dreams or theophanies always represent prophetic accounts (p. 48) before admitting that not all marks associated with prophets indicate a prophet (p. 104); 2) claims that the few mentions of the ”sons of the prophets” represent the equivalent of the early YMCA and not prophetic schools (p. 80); 3) dismissing the late dating of Daniel while ignoring the use of Persian loan words as part of the argument (p. 89); 4) dismissal of dates as important to understanding the text so that he minimizes the impact of the Sitz im Leben (setting in life) on interpretation (p. 90); 5) ignoring the significance of ecstasy in early prophetic experience (in spite of quoting phrases like Hosea 9:7 where the man of the Spirit is made mad – p. 112); and 6) the idea that there is no qualitative difference between translating the promise to Abraham with “be blessed” rather than “bless themselves” (though the reflexive translation reflects human free will to choose salvation and identification with God’s people better than the former—see p. 200, as well as the notes on Jeremiah 4:1-2 and Psalm 72:17 on p. 245). As Beecher himself admits: “From a different point of view, the unfolding and the progress would look differently, and there would be modifications in many of the details.” (p. 261)
Of course, there are positive insights in the book, as well. I appreciated Beecher’s distinction between the idea of a double-fulfillment of prophecy (not merely the idea of two meanings, but the idea that the initial meaning was as ambiguous as the Oracle of Delphia—p. 127) in favor of an understanding of progressive prophecy. “An event is foretold which is to be brought about through previous events that in some particulars resemble it. The prediction is to be thought of as fulfilled, though inadequately, in the first event of the series, and as more or less adequately fulfilled in each succeeding event, but as completely fulfilled only in the final event in the series.” (pp. 130-131, 205, 250) Progressive prophecy suggests the prophets were always looking forward because God’s complete action was “…not yet fulfilled, though it had been fulfilling for ages.” (p. 242)
Beecher also appropriately observed nine (9) different ways the term “Israel” is used in the Christian church when interpreting Old Testament prophecies: 1) Israelite race, 2) ancient Israel as political entity, 3) the country of Israel [but not in the present day], 4) all spiritually minded Israelites, 5) religious or social forces employed by modern church, 6) the Christian church, 7) some dedicated church within the church, 8) spiritual forces of Christianity, and 9) the local congregation of believers (p. 258). This is an excellent corrective to fanatic proponents of modern eschatology who obsess on the modern political entity and ignore the portion of the promise with a spiritual responsibility to bring God’s promises to the entire world (p. 259). Beecher goes on to cite 36 uses of the word “nation” in the 27 chapters regularly assigned to Deutero- and Trito-Isaiah (p. 268)
With regard to the use of the word “servant” in these 27 chapters of Isaiah, Beecher observes that the term is used 20 times in the first 14 chapters of this second section of Isaiah—always in the singular. It is used 11 times in the last 13 chapters—always in the plural (p. 270) The former he assigns to a description of spiritual Israel as a corporate personality and the latter he assigns to individual Israelites as God’s servants. “Having aroused the thought and the imagination of his audience by his picturing of the lofty character and mission of Israel as the Servant, the poet treats each Israelite as himself a servant and presses home upon him his failings and his obligations.” (p. 279)
A lot of people wonder about the Davidic covenant during those periods when Israel was “dark” as a political entity. Beecher is quite right to suggest: “When for generation after generation Judah was no longer a monarchy, the prophets still taught that the kingdom and the line of David were eternal, but the emphasis fell more and more on the idea of the kingdom as a cosmopolitan influence which the God of Israel has established in the world.” (p. 298)
Beecher also considers the use of the noun, “Messiah,” in the sense of God’s anointed. He notes that the noun is used 39 times in the Old Testament. The first 30 times it is applied to priests in Leviticus, to the reigning king of Israel (particularly in I and II Samuel), to Cyrus the ruler of Persia (Isaiah 45:1), and to the patriarchs (and in parallel, the prophets) as “God’s Anointed.” (pp. 299-300) Only nine (9) times might it be applied to a coming (ie. future) personage (I Samuel 2:10, 2:35; Psalm 2:2, 20:6, 28:8, 84:9; Habbakkuk 3:13; and the two times in Daniel 9:25-26) in the sense of a deliverer of humankind (pp. 300-301).
Toward the end of the volume, Beecher makes clear something that I wish more people understood. He notes that the body of literature associated with the prophets include many different documents of different authorship and dates. “No writer of either the Old or the New Testament is properly a writer of history. Their historical narratives are uniformly selections from history made for the purpose of teaching religious lessons.” (p. 408)
From the perspective of the 21st century, such an approach is both refreshing and frustrating.
Beecher goes to such lengths to show his lack of bias toward the so-called Modern View (historical-critical approach) that it becomes clear that he regards all of us who hold such views to be second-class believers. Some examples of overstated arguments include, among others: 1) the assumption that accounts with dreams or theophanies always represent prophetic accounts (p. 48) before admitting that not all marks associated with prophets indicate a prophet (p. 104); 2) claims that the few mentions of the ”sons of the prophets” represent the equivalent of the early YMCA and not prophetic schools (p. 80); 3) dismissing the late dating of Daniel while ignoring the use of Persian loan words as part of the argument (p. 89); 4) dismissal of dates as important to understanding the text so that he minimizes the impact of the Sitz im Leben (setting in life) on interpretation (p. 90); 5) ignoring the significance of ecstasy in early prophetic experience (in spite of quoting phrases like Hosea 9:7 where the man of the Spirit is made mad – p. 112); and 6) the idea that there is no qualitative difference between translating the promise to Abraham with “be blessed” rather than “bless themselves” (though the reflexive translation reflects human free will to choose salvation and identification with God’s people better than the former—see p. 200, as well as the notes on Jeremiah 4:1-2 and Psalm 72:17 on p. 245). As Beecher himself admits: “From a different point of view, the unfolding and the progress would look differently, and there would be modifications in many of the details.” (p. 261)
Of course, there are positive insights in the book, as well. I appreciated Beecher’s distinction between the idea of a double-fulfillment of prophecy (not merely the idea of two meanings, but the idea that the initial meaning was as ambiguous as the Oracle of Delphia—p. 127) in favor of an understanding of progressive prophecy. “An event is foretold which is to be brought about through previous events that in some particulars resemble it. The prediction is to be thought of as fulfilled, though inadequately, in the first event of the series, and as more or less adequately fulfilled in each succeeding event, but as completely fulfilled only in the final event in the series.” (pp. 130-131, 205, 250) Progressive prophecy suggests the prophets were always looking forward because God’s complete action was “…not yet fulfilled, though it had been fulfilling for ages.” (p. 242)
Beecher also appropriately observed nine (9) different ways the term “Israel” is used in the Christian church when interpreting Old Testament prophecies: 1) Israelite race, 2) ancient Israel as political entity, 3) the country of Israel [but not in the present day], 4) all spiritually minded Israelites, 5) religious or social forces employed by modern church, 6) the Christian church, 7) some dedicated church within the church, 8) spiritual forces of Christianity, and 9) the local congregation of believers (p. 258). This is an excellent corrective to fanatic proponents of modern eschatology who obsess on the modern political entity and ignore the portion of the promise with a spiritual responsibility to bring God’s promises to the entire world (p. 259). Beecher goes on to cite 36 uses of the word “nation” in the 27 chapters regularly assigned to Deutero- and Trito-Isaiah (p. 268)
With regard to the use of the word “servant” in these 27 chapters of Isaiah, Beecher observes that the term is used 20 times in the first 14 chapters of this second section of Isaiah—always in the singular. It is used 11 times in the last 13 chapters—always in the plural (p. 270) The former he assigns to a description of spiritual Israel as a corporate personality and the latter he assigns to individual Israelites as God’s servants. “Having aroused the thought and the imagination of his audience by his picturing of the lofty character and mission of Israel as the Servant, the poet treats each Israelite as himself a servant and presses home upon him his failings and his obligations.” (p. 279)
A lot of people wonder about the Davidic covenant during those periods when Israel was “dark” as a political entity. Beecher is quite right to suggest: “When for generation after generation Judah was no longer a monarchy, the prophets still taught that the kingdom and the line of David were eternal, but the emphasis fell more and more on the idea of the kingdom as a cosmopolitan influence which the God of Israel has established in the world.” (p. 298)
Beecher also considers the use of the noun, “Messiah,” in the sense of God’s anointed. He notes that the noun is used 39 times in the Old Testament. The first 30 times it is applied to priests in Leviticus, to the reigning king of Israel (particularly in I and II Samuel), to Cyrus the ruler of Persia (Isaiah 45:1), and to the patriarchs (and in parallel, the prophets) as “God’s Anointed.” (pp. 299-300) Only nine (9) times might it be applied to a coming (ie. future) personage (I Samuel 2:10, 2:35; Psalm 2:2, 20:6, 28:8, 84:9; Habbakkuk 3:13; and the two times in Daniel 9:25-26) in the sense of a deliverer of humankind (pp. 300-301).
Toward the end of the volume, Beecher makes clear something that I wish more people understood. He notes that the body of literature associated with the prophets include many different documents of different authorship and dates. “No writer of either the Old or the New Testament is properly a writer of history. Their historical narratives are uniformly selections from history made for the purpose of teaching religious lessons.” (p. 408)
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