THE PROPHETIC VOICE

The Prophetic Voice  SCV.03 identify the role of Scripture in ethical and moral decision-making;  PFV.02 explore the origin and purpose of Catholic social teaching;  CMV.04 define the Catholic understanding of the nature of sin and reconciliation, both social and individual, and explore sin’s impact on human happiness;  We will describe how prophets (old & new) call us to faithful Christian lives.

The Prophetic Voice REVIEW: Literal vs. Contextual Readers; Old (Hebrew) vs. New (Christian) Testaments; Decalogue vs. Beatitudes.  What do we know about ‘prophets?’ People Prophet Tasks Modern Nature

The Prophetic Voice Patriarchs: the earlier fathers of the Jewish people (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph). Creation is followed by De-creation and, ultimately, Re- creation.  The Biblical Prophets cannot be properly understood without recognizing the importance of Covenant and the Patriarchs to the Hebrew people.  Covenant is a deep, loving, and committed relationship promised between God and God’s people (the Hebrews in the Old Testament) seeking to bring forth the great potential of humanity.  The initial covenant, established in humanity’s perfect creation, is broken by Adam and Eve.

The Prophetic Voice Salvation history is the story of the relationship between God and God’s people. Abraham has two children: Ishmael via a concubine and Isaac via his wife.  The early peoples live in tension with God, submitting to God’s love & will before pulling away from it. This is a motif that continues throughout Jewish history.  Abraham is a faithful man – wealthy, aged, and childless – to whom God promises a great nation if he submits to the Covenant.

The Prophetic Voice Isaac’s wife is chosen on Abraham’s behalf from a community that loved God. Esau is the eldest and therefore had the greatest claim to Abraham’s significant wealth.  Isaac is the preferred son of Abraham who marries Rebekah and fathers two sons, Esau and Jacob.  Jacob cheats Esau out of his birthright and flees his brother’s wrath. He meets an angel with whom he wrestles, gaining the name Israel as a blessing. He is to father the twelve great tribes of Israel.

The Prophetic Voice Seven is a magical number in Hebrew culture symbolizing a complete cycle, a very long time. It was a great shame for a younger sister to marry before the elder.  Israel falls in love with Rachel and pledges himself (and all of his household) to slavery for seven years in exchange for her betrothal.  Rachel’s father tricks Israel into marrying her elder sister Leah and so Israel consents to another seven years of servitude because he loves Rachel so much.

The Prophetic Voice Hebrew marriage had much to do with economies of contract and obligation – property and propagation. The family as we understand it is not entirely analogous.  Israel has ten sons with Leah and two concubines but none with his great love, Rachel.  Israel prays that he will have sons with Rachel and his prayers are answered by Joseph and Benjamin, his preferred children.  Joseph’s brothers are jealous of him and plot to kill him; instead they sell him into slavery.

The Prophetic Voice The eventual reunion of Joseph and his brothers is full of supplication and fulfills the early prophecies of Joseph’s success. The Jewish minority quickly become a majority.  Joseph comes to be enslaved in Egypt but rises to prominence because God gives him the gift of dream interpretation.  In a time of famine, Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt seeking charity and are humbly reunited with their brother.  The twelve tribes live and prosper in Egypt.

The Prophetic Voice The Hebrews did not initially understand heaven and hell as distinct and so the reward for a faithful life was prosperity in this life.  The Egyptian people fear the growing numbers of Hebrews and enslave them, at one point seeking to kill all male, Jewish children.  This is the interregnum between Genesis and Exodus and begins the story of Moses and the passage of the Israelites from Egypt to the Sinai Desert and ultimately the Promised Land.

The Prophetic Voice Both the Judges/Kings (temporal rulers) and the Priests (spiritual leaders) called the people to faithfulness but often one would fail and the Prophets would identify the sin.  The story of Salvation History for the Jewish people is one of establishment in the Promised Land as reward for faithfulness followed by banishment for breaking the Covenant before eventual restoration.  The Prophets are those people who call the Jewish people to faithfulness, often in contradiction of authority.

The Prophetic Voice  Review and extension: 1. What is a covenant? 2. What might be a contemporary example of covenant? 3. How did the Hebrew vision of the afterlife impact their understanding of salvation history? 4. How might our vision of the afterlife impact our understanding of salvation history? 5. How might Pope Emeritus Benedict’s vision of truth- love-justice apply to Hebrew salvation history?

The Prophetic Voice  Using the text, In Search of the Good, read pages (“What’s in a Name” to “The Call of…”);  Answer the two banks of guiding questions;  Outline the key elements of a Call Story.

The Prophetic Voice JIGSAW: Home group – 3 students completing an individual chart for (e.g.) Isaiah; Jigsaw – 3 new students with a chart for each of the prophets.  In groups of 3, read “The Call of…(either) Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel” as identified by the teacher including the preface from the Catholic Study Bible.  Complete the chart for your identified prophet and prepare to teach your peers in a jigsaw format.  Leave your home group and find 2 peers, each with a chart completed for the other prophets

The Prophetic Voice Elijah Elisha Amos Hosea Micah Zephaniah Nahum Habakkuk Haggai Obadiah Malachi Joel  Individually, research one of the other prophets using two or more of Concordance, Catholic Study Bible, Jerome Biblical Commentary, Chronology in the text book.  Complete the chart for your newly identified project and prepare to present to the class (3-5 min)

Criteria for a successful presentation: The Prophetic Voice

 Using the text, In Search of the Good, read pages (“Prophets and Judgment” to “Prayer”);  Answer the bank of guiding questions on page 82;  Complete the venn diagram considering how the Hebrew understanding of sin/reconciliation is different and consistent with ours. Hebrew Catholic

Speed Dating: 1. Take a seat in one of the two opposite rows (A & B). 2. A’s will have one minute to respond to the prompt. 3. B’s will have one minute to respond to the prompt. 4. A’s will move down one seat and the process repeats. 5. With each move, a new prompt will be provided. The Prophetic Voice