Goodly Fellowship of the Prophets, The: The Achievement of Association in Canon Formation

Acadia Studies in Bible and Theology

by Christopher R. Seitz

Just below the surface of any Christian view of the Bible is the knotty issue of the biblical canon. How and when was it decided which books would make up the Bible? What makes a book canonical? In this volume, respected Old Testament scholar Christopher Seitz helps readers understand how the Old Testament fits into the canon's development. Brief and readable yet substantive, this volume challenges current understandings of the formation of the Christian canon, utilizing the latest research on the biblical prophets. Seitz reveals canonical connections woven into the fabric of the Prophetic Books and argues that the Law and the Prophets cohere and give shape to the subsequent Christian canon.

Genres: Theology, Old Testament, Biblical Studies

144 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2009

About the author

Christopher R. Seitz (PhD, Yale University) is senior research professor of biblical interpretation at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, in Toronto, Ontario. He previously taught at the University of St. Andrews and Yale University. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including The Character of Christian Scripture, Prophecy and Hermeneutics, The Goodly Fellowship of the Prophets, and commentaries on Isaiah 1-39 and 40-66. Seitz is also an ordained Episcopal priest.

Reviews

[Emmanuel Boston]

Excellent contribution poorly developed when a wider audience is concerned.

[Ray Clendenen]

This is an excellent though short book on the OT canon. It makes some really important points that I found persuasive and helpful. Mainly, he presents a process of collection, recognition, and authority much more satisfying than the reigning historical view of liberal theology. He also deals with the issue of whether the threefold canon of the Jews is just one way of ordering the books, and how the fourfold canon came to be. He looks especially at the "Writings" or Kethuvim, and why books at one time were in that third section and later in the second section, the Prophets or Neviim. Very stimulating.

[Brett Johnson]

A helpful book on canon, and specifically what we are to do with the prophets and the writings. Seitz claims the writings were not a part of the prophets, but that they were their own distinct collection from the start, with slightly different rules when it came to importance or orders and closure.

[Zachary]

Excellent little book offering a contrasting understanding of canon and the development thereof, specifically within the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament). The book is written for the more scholarly inclined, though, so be forewarned - you end up wading through some deeper stuff. He makes some very interesting points and connections about the associations (specifically) about books within the Twelve (the Minor Prophets) as well as the Writings - the book actually focuses on those two divisions of the Old Testament.

So, not too shabby if you're interested in digging a little deeper into the canon (and development thereof) of the Old Testament.