Date of Award

2015

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (College of Philosophy and Theology)

Schools and Centres

Philosophy and Theology

First Supervisor

Dr David Cohen

Abstract

Scholars agree that the prophetic books in the Hebrew Bible contain writings associated with Israel’s prophets. They concur that the growth of the books involves preservation and collection of materials relating to prophetic speeches and activities, reflecting as well as commenting on these materials, and updating them through a process of redaction as events unfold. The purpose of each stage of growth was to make the prophetic speeches and activities applicable to a new situation. This manner of growth, however, presents an interpretive issue. The redaction of prophecies within the context of a book bearing the name of a prophet gives the impression that the redaction derives from the prophet as Yahweh’s spokesperson. With the book of Hosea, scholars argue that the aim of the redaction is to explain the fall of Samaria in 722 BCE and to give encouragement to those in exile. The redaction presenting itself as the word of Yahweh about an impending disaster for the northern kingdom to the prophet suggests it seeks to achieve more than simply explaining the disaster or giving encouragement. Despite many monographs and journal articles treating the redaction in the book of Hosea at length, no investigation has scrutinised the motivation behind the prophecies in Hosea in presenting themselves as the sayings of the prophet Hosea. This study aims to fill the gap in Hoseanic scholarship by offering an extensive review of Hosea 1–3 through the lens of propaganda. It seeks to explore the possibility that the goal of the redaction in these chapters is to persuade the people in the defunct northern kingdom of Israel to adopt a way of thinking and acting that best represent the aspiration of Yahweh. This study hopes to determine whether Hosea 1–3 comprises prophecy, propaganda or both.

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