Why the Former Prophets?

Another way of asking this might be – why not look at the legal texts in the Old Testament that deal so clearly with Israels attitude to foreigners?

There are several reasons, however, why this approach is not taken here. First, a number of studies already exist that consider the issue of the foreigner in Israel’s law, so the relative gain in considering the same selection of texts is relatively small.

Second, there is value in a more focused study that considers the contribution of the Old Testament’s narrative materials. Walter Houston has pointed out that laws can change a society’s behaviour only when justice is taught and not only enforced, and one of the key ways in which this teaching happens in the Old Testament is through its narrative materials. The importance of the narrative materials for understanding the place of foreigners has been recognized by Fleur Houston and Lau, though neither has considered the Former Prophets to a significant degree.

There are, however, more fundamental reasons for turning to Israel’s wider narrative traditions. One important point is that the law provides not an ethical maximum but rather a minimum. That is, law recognizes a problem that needs to be addressed, but what it provides is the least that should be done, not necessarily the ethical goal towards which a people should aspire. By contrast, Wenham has argued that the narrative texts of the Old Testament are didactic and so try ‘to instil both theological truths and ethical ideals into their readers’, and that therefore the narratives offer a form of paradigmatic ethics. Understanding narrative material in this way still requires reflection on whether the narrative presents characters and their actions as exemplary in some way, an issue to which we will return. But with Parry it is important that the narratives we consider within the Former Prophets are placed within the larger story that the Old Testament, and indeed the New Testament, provides – which is why we reflect briefly on these themes in the New Testament in the final chapter. As we will see, this is often because the narrators in the Former Prophets tend to assume that readers are aware of other texts within the Old Testament (principally the Pentateuch); but beyond this it is an important element in a Christian reading of these texts that they are also placed within the framework of the whole canon, albeit one that takes seriously its nature as a work containing two Testaments in which the two mutually inform our reading of the other. It is this awareness that enables a reading of these texts that is alert to their contribution to this theme.

Third, and more specific to the Former Prophets rather than narrative texts in general, these books contain a significant number of references to foreigners and these have not been explored in detail in a systematic way. A feature that emerges from a reading of these books is a developing response to the presence of foreigners within Israel whereby foreigners who may seem unacceptable can be included within Israel even as those who are ethnically Israelite are excluded because of their failure to live out the demands of the covenant with Yahweh. For example, within the book of Joshua Rahab is the archetypal foreigner, a Canaanite prostitute, and yet she is included within Israel. By contrast, Achan effectively becomes a Canaanite and is excluded, even though he has an exemplary Israelite heritage. I shall argue that these stories are intended to make readers ask questions about the identity of Israel as the people of God. However, where Joshua is particularly concerned about those people from the land who remain among Israel, by the time we reach the book of Kings the focus is on foreigners who live outside the land and yet desire a relationship with Yahweh. These elements point to positive reasons for considering these texts.

But a more negative reason also exists for considering the Former Prophets, in particular exposing readings of them that have taken hold in popular thought but that may be contrary to what they say. There is a perception that these books point to an understanding of God that is highly ethnocentric. This understanding can be seen in both contemporary critics of the Christian faith and Christians who believe that these books have a highly negative view of foreigners.

David's new contribution to the long-running NSBT series publishes on the 17th of November. You can preorder your copy now! David is a prolific writer, so below are some of his other books, or books he's contributed to/edited.