Reconsidering the Date and Provenance of the Book of Hosea: The Case for Persian-Period Yehud

Description

This study argues that the book of Hosea ought to be understood and read as a text that was composed in Persian-period Yehud rather than in eight-century Israel. The author challenges the traditional scholarship and emphasizes that there is the evidence to suggest that the book should be viewed as a Judahite text - a book that was composed in the late sixth or early fifth century B.C.E. Bos provides an overview of the state of prophetic research, as well as a discussion of genre and the generation of prophetic books, linguistic dating and provenance; and a survey of Hosea research. Bos discusses various aspects of the book of Hosea that aim to prove his argument the book was composed in Persian-period Yehud - the anti-monarchical ideology of the book, the dual theme of 'Exile' and 'Return' which is consistent with the discourse found in other Judahite books dating to the sixth century; and the historiographical traditions. CONTENTS......Page 6 Preface......Page 10 Abbreviations......Page 12 Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION......Page 14 1. The Implications of Literacy in Israel and Judah for Understanding the Production of the Prophetic Books......Page 21 2. Evidence for the Writing Down and Preservation of Prophetic Materials in the Monarchic Period......Page 23 3. Other Potential Literary Models for Understanding the Prophetic Books......Page 26 4. Linguistic Evidence for the Date or Provenance of the Book of Hosea?......Page 29 5. Earlier Treatments of the Book of Hosea That Fall Within the “New Paradigm”......Page 34 6. Dating the Book of Hosea......Page 42 Chapter 2. THE ANTI-MONARCHICAL IDEOLOGY OF THE BOOK OF HOSEA AS EVIDENCE FOR A PERSIAN-PERIOD DATE OF COMPOSITION AND JUDAHITE PROVENANCE......Page 48 1. Hosea 10:3–4, 7......Page 52 2. Hosea 13:9–11 and 8:4a......Page 61 3. Hosea 9:9 and 10:9; 9:15......Page 66 4. Hosea 10:13b–14a; 8:14; 14:4b; 1:7; 2:20......Page 69 5. Hosea 5:1–7; 7:3–7; 8:10......Page 75 6. Hosea 2:2a and 3:5......Page 77 7. Conclusion......Page 81 Chapter 3. THE ANTI-BENJAMIN, ANTI-BETHEL, AND ANTI-SAMARIA POLEMIC IN THE BOOK OF HOSEA READ AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF THE EARLY PERSIAN PERIOD......Page 83 1. Jerusalem in Competition with Mizpah, Bethel, and Samaria......Page 85 2. The Polemic Against Benjamin in the Hebrew Bible......Page 89 3. Analysis of the Anti-Benjamin Polemic in the Book of Hosea......Page 91 4. The Polemic Against Bethel in the Book of Hosea......Page 100 5. Polemic Against the Benjaminite Site of Gilgal......Page 109 6. The Polemic Against Samaria and Shechem......Page 111 7. Conclusion......Page 113 Chapter 4. THE PERVASIVENESS OF THE JUDAHITE DUAL THEME OF EXILE–RETURN IN THE BOOK OF HOSEA AS EVIDENCE FOR A PERSIAN-PERIOD DATE......Page 115 1. Hosea 1:6......Page 117 2. Hosea 2:1–2......Page 119 3. The Name “Jezreel”......Page 123 4. Hosea 3:5......Page 124 5. Hosea 4:16, 19......Page 126 6. Hosea 5:8–15......Page 127 7. Hosea 6:1–3......Page 129 8. Hosea 7:11......Page 130 9. Reversal of the “Exodus” in 8:13, 9:3, and 11:5......Page 135 10. Hosea 12:7, 10......Page 138 11. The Final Restoration: Hosea 14:2–9......Page 140 12. Summary and Conclusion......Page 141 Chapter 5. THE TRADITIONS OF “ISRAEL” IN THE BOOK OF HOSEA: EVIDENCE FOR A POST-MONARCHIC DATE AND JUDAHITE PROVENANCE......Page 143 1. The Date of Deuteronomy......Page 146 2. The Covenant in the Book of Hosea......Page 149 3. The Marriage in the Book of Hosea......Page 150 4. Hosea 1:1......Page 151 5. Hosea 1:4......Page 152 6. Hosea 1:9......Page 153 7. Hosea 2:1......Page 155 8. Hosea 2:16–17......Page 158 9. Hosea 9:1–9......Page 161 10. Hosea 11:8......Page 166 11. The Exodus Tradition in the Book of Hosea......Page 167 12. The Wilderness Tradition in the Book of Hosea......Page 168 13. The Jacob Tradition in the Book of Hosea......Page 171 15. Conclusion......Page 176 Chapter 6. CONCLUSION......Page 177 Bibliography......Page 184 Index of References......Page 194 Index of Authors......Page 198