Prophecy and the prophets in their historical relations, by Frederick Carl Eiselen

Contents

Chapter Pace

Preface 5

I. Introductory. The Old Testament a Library

Preface

The past few years have seen a revival of interest in the study of the Scriptures. The unique place occupied by the Bible as a means of grace throughout the entire history of the Christian Church has again come to be recognized, and great numbers of old and young have taken up its earnest, devout, and systematic study. This study is by no means confined to the New Testament, for Christians are learning more and more that, while they find their loftiest inspiration in the study of the life, the character, and the teaching of the Master and of his disciples, the Old Testament has not been displaced by the New. The early Christians were right in placing the Old Testament by the side of the New, because the former is of inestimable value, and the earnest student soon finds that every part of the book is full of teaching that is of practical value even in the twentieth century A. D.

In this age, when the responsibility of the individual Christian and of the Christian Church toward the practical, social, religious, and moral problems and evils is recognized more than at any previous time, the prophetic literature is worthy of the most careful study on the part of all Christians who recognize their obligations to their day and generation and are willing to meet them. The prophets of old met in the strength of God, and at the divine impulse, the problems and evils of their day and genera-

6 PREFACE

tion. They had to face the problems arising from the spirit of materialism and commercialism, the evils resulting from the accumulation of wealth, power, and resources in the hands of a few, the cruelty and arrogance of the rich proprietors, and corruption both in government and in the administration of justice. They had to grapple with a cold, heartless formalism, that threatened to destroy pure, spiritual religion. Against these and similar evils and wrongs the prophets of old raised their hands and voices. The truths proclaimed then are the truths needed to-day. Surely it is a part of our duty as Christians, as American citizens, to do our share toward a Christian solution of the social and religious problems of our age. We can hardly claim to have reached the full stature of Christian manhood and womanhood until we have acquired the knowledge and power to cope with these difficulties in the spirit of the Master and with the methods best adapted to the Christianizing of modern society. In these our efforts to lift humanity nearer to God we may learn much from the prophets of old.

The book now sent forth is intended to be an aid toward a better appreciation of the prophetic books and the prophetic teaching. Its study is in no sense to take the place of a study of the biblical books themselves; it is rather to serve as an introduction to these books and a guide to lead to the more important truths taught by the prophets. In preparing the book the author has had in mind especially adult Bible classes in the Sunday school or young people's organizations. However, it may be useful also as a basis of study in college and seminary classes studying the Old Testament in English, and to individual readers and

PREFACE 7

students who desire to acquire a knowledge of the permanent lessons taught in the prophetic books.

At the close of the book the author has added numerous Review Questions covering each chapter, which, he trusts, may be of assistance to teachers and students. At first he planned to suggest also topics for further investigation, but he desisted, thinking that it would be more profitable to concentrate the study upon the topics covered in the text and such special investigations as might naturally arise from the discussion in class.

It is not possible to discuss in one small volume all the questions, critical or otherwise, which present themselves to the student of Hebrew prophecy. Therefore, for the benefit of any, especially of the leaders of Bible classes, who may desire to pursue a more exhaustive study of the prophetic writings, the following are suggested as books adapted to the needs of students of the English Bible:

L. W. Batten, The Hebrew Prophet. The Macmillan Co.,

New York, 1905.

A. F. Kirkpatrick, The Doctrine of the Prophets. Macmillan

& Co., London, 1897.

C. F. Kent, The Kings and Prophets of Israel and Judah

(Historical Bible, III). Charles Scribner's Sons, New

York, 1909.

John Skinner, The Book of the Prophet Isaiah (Cambridge

Bible). 2 vols. The University Press, Cambridge, 1900. O. C. Whitehouse, Isaiah (New Century Bible), 2 vols. Henry

Frowde, New York, 1905.

G. A. Smith, The Book of Isaiah (Expositor's Bible). 2 vols.

A. C. Armstrong & Son, New York, 1890. S. R. Driver, The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah. Charles

Scribner's Sons, New York, 1906.

8 PREFACE

C. R. Brown, The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah. American

Baptist Publication Society, Philadelphia, 1907. A. B. Davidson, The Book of Ezekiel (Cambridge Bible). The

University Press, Cambridge, 1893.

W. F. Lofthouse, Ezekiel (New Century Bible). Henry

Frowde, New York.

S. R. Driver, The Book of Daniel (Cambridge Bible). The

University Press, Cambridge, 1900.

C. M. Cobern, Ezekiel and Daniel (Whedon Commentary).

Eaton & Mains, New York, 1901.

F. C. Eiselen, The Minor Prophets (Whedon Commentary).

Eaton & Mains, New York, 1907.

S. R. Driver and R. F. Horton, The Minor Prophets (New Century Bible). 2 vols. Henry Frowde, New York, 1906.

G. A. Smith, The Book of the Twelve Prophets (Expositor's

Bible). 2 vols. A. C. Armstrong & Son, New York, 1896-98.

Frederick Carl Eiselen.

Garrett Biblical Institute, Evanston, 111.

Chapter I. Introductory The Old Testament A Library Of Books

CONTENTS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

What is the Bible? The Bible may be described as a collection of books written during a period of more than a thousand years, in which men moved by the Divine Spirit have recorded and preserved their conceptions and interpretations of God's revelations of himself, his will and redemptive purpose for the human race. The word Bible is derived from the Greek. It is the plural of a noun biblion, which means little book. In the Latin this plural came to be regarded as a singular, biblia, meaning book. This singular noun was early adopted into the language of the Western Church, and it is used as such even now in the languages of modern Europe. But the Bible can never be rightly appreciated unless it is borne in mind that it is not so much one book as a library consisting of many books. Altogether there are sixty-six separate writings in the collection as found in the English translations with which we are most familiar. Of these, twenty-seven belong to the New Testament, the remaining thirty-nine to the Old Testament.

The Books contained in the English Old Testament. The Old Testament is that portion of the Bible which originated, in the manner suggested, among the Hebrews during the period preceding the perfect revelation of God in Jesus the Christ, and which was taken over from the Jews by the Christians. The thirty-nine books are usually grouped as follows:

I. Law: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,

Deuteronomy 5 books

II. History: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First and Second Samuel, First and Second Kings, First and Second Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther 12 books

III. Poetry: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes,

Song of Songs 5 books

IV. Prophecy: (1) The Major Prophets: Isaiah,

Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel. . . 5 books (2) The Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. ... 12 books

Total 39 books

Differences between the English and Hebrew Old Testaments. With the exception of a few portions which are in Aramaic these books were written originally in the Hebrew language, from which the modern English translations have been made. But when compared with the Hebrew Bible the English Old Testament is found to show differences in the arrangement and the total number of books. In these two points, as also in the names of the books, the English Bible follows the Latin translation of Jerome, called Vulgate, which served as the basis of the early English translations. The Vulgate, in turn, is dependent in these things upon the early Greek translation called Septuagint, made from the Hebrew during the last three pre-Christian centuries.

Contents of the Hebrew Old Testament. The He-

THE OLD TESTAMENT A LIBRARY n

brew Bible contains all the books enumerated above, but as a result of various combinations the total number is much smaller. The common editions contain twenty-four books; some ancient traditions speak of twentytwo, which is the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet; others, of twenty-seven. The twenty-four books are arranged in three divisions :

I. Law: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy (the names given here are those found in the English Bible, not those

II. Prophets: (1) The former prophets, or, the first volume of prophets: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings 4 books

(2) The latter prophets, or, the second volume of prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, The

Twelve (Minor Prophets) 4 books

III. Writings: Commonly called Hagiographa, that is, Sacred Writings: Ruth, Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Daniel, Esther, Ezra, Chronicles 11 books

Total 24 books

Growth of the Old Testament Canon. The three divisions mark, in all probability, three stages in the formation of the Old Testament canon. At first the Law was canonized, during the closing years of the fifth century B. C, then the Prophets, between about 250 and 200 B. C, and finally the Writings , before the opening of the Christian era.

DIFFERENT KINDS OF LITERATURE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

"In Divers Portions." The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews says that during the Old Testament dispensation God spake "in divers portions and in divers manners." The former expression means that the revelations recorded in the Old Testament were not given at one time, through one channel, or by one man, but at many times, through many channels, and by many men, scattered over a period of many centuries, in places hundreds of miles apart. One result of this is seen in the fact that the Old Testament contains many books written by many different authors in different periods of Hebrew history.

"In Divers Manners." The expression "in divers manners" touches upon the different kinds of literature found in the Old Testament, but it goes deeper than mere literary form. It means that, in giving revelations of himself during the Old Testament period, God used various methods and means; the different kinds of literature being simply the outgrowth of the various modes of revelation. It is a universal Christian belief that God reveals himself to-day in divers manners and modes. Every Christian believes, for example, that God reveals himself in the events of history, be it the history of individuals or of nations. Sometimes the voice may be almost inaudible, at other times it sounds like the roar of thunder. Again, to many devout persons, God speaks very distinctly through the outward acts of worship. To thousands of earnest and sincere Christians connected with churches using an elaborate ritual this ritual is not mere form, it is a means of blessing and grace through which God reveals himself to their souls. Moreover, God selects certain persons, especially well qualified to hear his voice; these he commissions as ambassadors to declare him and his will to the people. The belief in this method of re vela-

THE OLD TESTAMENT A LIBRARY 13

tion is the philosophical basis for the offices of the Christian preacher and Christian religious teacher. The difference between the two is that the former appeals primarily to the conscience, the latter to the intellect, and then by way of the intellect to the conscience. Once more, in his attempt to reach the human heart God may dispense with all external means ; he may and does reveal himself by working directly upon the mind and spirit of the individual.

God's Revelations during the Old Testament Period. These are some of the "manners" in which God reveals himself to his children to-day, and these are some of the means and manners in which God made himself known during the Old Testament dispensation. Then, as now, he revealed himself in nature, in the events of history, in the ritual, and by direct impressions; then, as now, he selected certain individuals to whom he might make himself known in all these various ways, and who could transmit the revelations to others. The Old Testament contains records and interpretations of these manifold revelations.

The Human Agents who Assisted God during the Old Testament Period. We are informed by the book itself who were the principal agents to mediate, interpret, or record the revelations granted to the chosen people or to individuals during the period preceding the fullness of time when God might grant a revelation, complete and universal, in and through his Son. In Jer. 18. 18, part of which reads, "For the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet," three of these agents are mentioned, the prophets, the priests, and the wise men. To these should be added the sweet singers, the psalmists of Israel. These four classes of agents observed the various manifestations of God, interpreted them, and recorded them in various kinds of literature.

(i) The Prophetic Literature. The most important part of Old Testament literature is due to prophetic activity. The prophets, pure in character, strong in intellect, sincere in purpose, quickened through personal communion with God, enlightened by the Divine Spirit, were able to see facts and understand truths hidden from the eyes of those who did not live in the same intimate fellowship with Jehovah. These men, possessed of divine ideals of righteousness, and eager to realize those ideals in their nation, became statesmen, social reformers, and religious and ethical teachers. They, with flaming enthusiasm, sought to impress the truths burned by a Divine Spirit upon their hearts and minds upon their less enlightened contemporaries.

With the gradual advance in culture, reading and writing became quite universal; then the prophets, anxious to appeal to a larger circle and to preserve their messages for more willing ears, put their utterances in writing, and to this new departure we owe the sublime specimens of prophetic literature in the Old Testament.

(2) The Wisdom Literature. As the prophets resemble the modern preacher, so the wise men resemble the modern religious teacher. Both classes of ancient workers consisted of men who were qualified to understand the divine will and purpose and to make it known to others. But the wise men did not appeal directly to the conscience as did the prophets, but rather to the mind through counsel and argument, though their ultimate aim was to reach the conscience and through it influence conduct and life. The prophet

THE OLD TESTAMENT A LIBRARY 15

ordinarily supported his exhortation by appeal to the divine authority. He would have said to the indolent man, "Thus saith Jehovah, Go to work, thou sluggard." Not so the wise man In a simple manner he appealed to the ordinary commor. sense, trusting that in this wise he would make an impression the effects of which would be seen in transformed conduct. The following verses (Prov. 24. 30-34) may serve as an illustration:

I went by the field of the sluggard,

And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;

And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns,

The face thereof was covered with nettles,

And the stone wall thereof was broken down.

Then I beheld, and considered well ;

I saw, and received instruction:

Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,

A little folding of the hands to sleep ;

So shall thy poverty come as a robber,

And thy want as an armed man.

Nothing escaped the observation of these men; and from beginning to end they emphasized the important truth that religion and the daily life are inseparable. From the giving of simple practical precepts they rose to speculation, and the Books of Job and Ecclesiastes bear witness to the fact that the problems they attempted to solve were no mean problems.

(3) The Devotional Literature. Of profound significance is also the devotional literature of the Old Testament, as illustrated, for example, in the Psalter, which is characterized most fittingly in the words of Johannes Arndt, "What the heart is in man, that is the Psalter in the Bible." The devotional literature embodies the expressions of devout souls, prophets, priests, wise men, kings, and peasants, who came into the very presence of God, held communion with him, and were privileged to hear the sweet sound of his voice.

(4) The Priestly Literature. The priests constitute another important class of religious workers in ancient Israel. During the earliest period their principal duty appears to have been the giving of oracle or law, but in time the care of the sanctuary with all that was involved in this passed into their hands, and during the greater part of the national life of the Hebrews their chief functions were the care of the sanctuary and the performance of the ceremonial rites ; yet during all this time they remained the custodians of the sacred law and custom. For centuries these laws and customs were probably transmitted by word of mouth, or were only partially committed to writing; but at last there came a time when convenience and existing conditions demanded that they be codified and put into writing; and naturally the priests, the guardians of sacred law and custom, were called upon to perform this task. To this class of religious workers, then, we may trace the legal and ceremonial literature. In it they sought to interpret the divine revelations given by means of precept, commandment, and the object lessons of the ritual and ceremonial.

(5) The Historical Literature Due to Prophetic Activity. The historical literature of the Old Testament furnishes an interpretation of the movements of God in history. The prophet was a preacher of righteousness to his day and generation, but his activity was not confined to the present. He was the ambassador of Jehovah to make known his will concerning the past, the present, or the future. Addressing himself

THE OLD TESTAMENT A LIBRARY 17

to the present he spoke as a preacher ; when the message concerned the future it took the form of prediction. The case might arise, however, that the people failed to understand the significance of their own past history, and thus failed to receive the proper conception of their God and his will. If the lesson was not to be lost some one must serve as an interpreter, and who would be better qualified to give the right interpretation than the prophet? Sometimes he embodied such interpretations in his discourses, but on a larger scale this demand made of him an historian, not for the purpose of merely recording events, but of interpreting them at the same time. To these prophet-historians we owe a large portion of the historical literature.

The Historical Literature Due to Priestly Activity. But not all Old Testament history comes from the prophets. As already indicated, the legal and ceremonial literature may be traced to priestly activity. Now, in connection with the recording of the laws, customs, institutions, and ceremonial requirements, the origin of these laws and institutions became a matter of interest and importance. This interest and the demand for information arising from it led the priests also to become historians ; and to these priestly writers we are indebted for not a small part of sacred history.

Chapter II The Nature And Development Of Hebrew Prophecy

Hebrew prophecy has a history. There were a period of obscure beginnings, a period of growth and lofty achievement, and a period of decline and expiration, when other agencies took the place of living prophecy.

THE BASIS OF HEBREW PROPHECY

Man a Religious Being. Prophecy is not peculiar to the Hebrews. A phenomenon to which the general term " prophecy' ' may be given existed among all nations of antiquity, and is found to-day even among very primitive peoples. The ultimate basis of prophecy is to be found in the religious nature of man, which causes him to reach out toward some kind of a divine being. Men everywhere and in all ages have given evidence of the possession of certain leligious beliefs or feelings more or less clearly defined, which would inevitably lead to the institution of some sort of prophetic order among them.

Universal Religious Beliefs Underlying the Phenomenon of Prophecy, i. Man is surrounded by mysterious divine powers. In the course of time these various powers may come to be regarded as the manifestations of one single power, which may or may not be conceived as possessing the attributes of personality. 2. This power, or these powers, determine the well-being and destiny of men. 3 . If this is true, it becomes

NATURE OF HEBREW PROPHECY i 9

a matter of vital concern that men secure the good will and f-\vor of these deities; but in order to do this men must know the divine will and purpose; this in turn makes it necessary for the deities in some way to make known their purpose and will. As a result we find everywhere a belief that the divine power, or powers, seek to communicate their will to men. 4. Alongside of this is found the_ belief that the deity does not give his communications indiscriminately ; he reveals himself to certain peculiarly qualified individuals, who might transmit the revelations to the people in general. These favorite persons occupy much the same place among other nations as do the prophets among the Hebrews. Whenever it became desirable to know the will of the deity, men would go to these specially favored persons for counsel, either to have them determine the divine will or to have them interpret the meaning of some phenomenon or happening which the inquirer had experienced, and which he thought contained a message from the deity.

Primitive Methods of Determining the Will of the Deity. The question arises here, how were these "prophets' ' thought to discover the will of their deity or deities? Generally speaking, in two ways: 1. The external method; 2. The internal method. In the external method two phases may be distinguished: (1) Passive observation of external phenomena; (2) The use of definite means to discover the divine will.

Passive Observation of External Phenomena. In this case the prophet put forth no special effort to determine the will of the deity; he simply observed passively certain phenomena, as, for example, the flight or cry of the birds, the movements of the clouds, the conjunction of the stars, the formation of the members of sacrificial animals, the convulsive movementr of the liver or entrails, the rustling of the leaves, and many more. Thousands of tablets have been unearthed in the ruins of the library of King Ashurbanapal of Assyria, which contain interpretations of this kind. As an illustration of their character, a few lines may be quoted :

If a woman gives birth to a child with the right ear missing,

the days of the ruler will be long; If a woman gives birth to a child with the left ear missing,

distress will enter the land and weaken it.

This method is also reflected in 2 Sam. 5. 24: "And it shall be, when thou hearest the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself; for then is Jehovah gone out before thee to smite the host of the Philistines." The rustling of the mulberry leaves was thought to indicate the will of Jehovah.

Various Efforts to Determine the Will of the Deity. There were cases, however, when passive observation was thought insufficient; when it was considered necessary to put forth definite efforts for the purpose of determining the will of the deity. The Old Testament contains serveral references to this method of procedure. The cup of divination (Gen. 44. 5, 15) must have been used in this connection. The most common method, however, seems to have been the casting of the lot, ordinarily in the form of headless arrows or rods. The question was put in a form which made possible the simple answer "yes" or "no," "this" or "that." The casting of the lot in the case of Jonah is an illustration of this method, as also in the case of the election of a successor to Judas. Ezek. 21.21,22 describes the use of the same method: ''For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he shook the arrows to and fro, he consulted the teraphim, he looked in the liver. In his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to set battering-rams, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to set battering-rams against the gates, to cast up mounds, to build forts." It is seen that in some passages the Old Testament favors the use of these primitive methods ; on the other hand, there are passages which condemn their use very emphatically, for example, Lev. 19. 26; Num. 23. 23; 24. 1.

The Internal Method of Revelation. By the side of these external methods of divine revelation there was known and practiced the internal method. The deity was thought in some way to possess the individual, to inspire him, to speak through him. The most illustrious example of this in antiquity is the oracle of Apollo at Delphi. Here the mediary between Apollo and the people was a woman, called Pythia. The procedure was as follows: "Having prepared herself by washing and purification, the Pythia entered the sanctuary, with gold ornaments in her hair, and flowing robes upon her; she drank of the water of the fountain Cassotis, which flowed into the shrine, tasted the fruit of the old bay tree standing in the chamber, and took her seat. No one was present but a priest, called the propheWs, who explained the words she uttered in her ecstasy, and put them into metrical form, generally hexameters." It should be noted that in this connection the term " prophet" was applied not to the one who was thought to receive the message from the deity, but to the man who delivered it to the people.

Differences between Hebrew Prophecy and Prophecy Outside of Israel. In this belief that the deity possessed and spoke through an individual we find the connecting link between "prophecy" outside of Israel and prophecy among the Hebrews. But, while there is agreement in form, neither can be estimated properly if we fail to note the marked differences between the two. The chief of these are: i. The nature and character of the deity in whose name the oracle was given. If the God of the Hebrews is the one true God, surely a message delivered in his name is not in the same class with one given in the name of a deity that has no real existence. 2. Another distinguishing mark is the character of the truth or truths proclaimed. The utterances of the Hebrew prophets are permeated by a spirit absent from the oracles of other nations and religions. 3. Another important fact which must not be overlooked is the more complete loss of self-consciousness on the part of the non-Israelitish prophets; indeed, during the golden age of Hebrew prophecy, references to a state of ecstasy are hardly ever found; there was full recognition of conscious, personal intercourse between Jehovah and his prophets.

THE NATURE OF HEBREW PROPHECY

Meaning of the Term "Prophet." Etymology does not aid us in determining the conception implied in the Hebrew noun translated prophet; for the root meaning of the word is doubtful. However, it is not improbable that it is connected with a verb found in Arabic in the sense of bring forward or announce. Whether it is or not, one thing is certain, that in itself it does not imply the idea of prediction. While the study of etymology may fail to lead to certain results, a consideration of usage may prove more satisfactory. Exod. 7. 1, reads, "And Jehovah said unto Moses, See, I have made thee as God to Pharaoh ; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet"; and Exod. 4. 16, "And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people ; and it shall come to pass, that he shall be to thee a mouth, and thou shalt be to him as God." These two verses suggest that the prophet was looked upon as a man who spoke for or in the name of some one, especially in the name of the deity. In other words, the Hebrew prophet was an ambassador sent to make known the will and purpose of Jehovah to the chosen people (Amos 3.7,8). As such he spoke for God, and was, therefore, more a forthteller than a foreteller. And yet prediction is not excluded ; for God might desire to make known his will with reference to the past, the present, or the future; in the last case the utterance of the prophet must take the form of prediction.

Names Given to the Prophets in the Old Testament. That the contemporaries of the prophets believed them to sustain a peculiarly close relation to God is shown by the names which they gave to them. The name the man of God (1 Sam. 9. 6; 1 Kings 12. 22; Jer. 35. 4) occurs quite frequently; another common title is the servant of God or of Jehovah (2 Kings 9.751 Kings 14. 18 ; 18. 36), which implies that the prophets were commissioned to carry out the divine purpose. Once, at least, is found the title the interpreter (Isa. 43. 27). As suggested in another connection, God speaks in the events of history, and one duty of the prophets is to interpret the significance of these events to their contemporaries.