Craig G. Bartholomew and Heath A. Thomas. <i>The Minor Prophets: A Theological Introduction</i>

Craig G. Bartholomew is an Old Testament professor and currently the director of the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge. He has written on Old Testament topics like the Kuyperian tradition, the book of Ecclesiastes, biblical hermeneutics, and many others. Heath A. Thomas is also an Old Testament professor and president at the Oklahoma Baptist University. He is a prolific writer with books on Habakkuk, Lamentations, and 1 and 2 Samuel. He has also edited numerous books. Both scholars have joined their expertise and efforts to provide us with a brilliant introduction to the Minor Prophets of the Old Testament.The first chapter provides a review of the interpretation of prophets in the Christian world from patristics to the postmodern turn of our own time. Although the authors recognize the contributions of the scholarly effort, their “approach in this volume” is “to integrate literary, historical and kerygmatic aspects in the service of theological interpretation” (p. 24). The objective is “understanding the theological presentation of the Minor Prophets . . . through a close reading of the biblical texts, their communication strategies, and the world they project and invite us to indwell” (p. 25). This goal is achieved throughout this volume.The second chapter is also introductory. It compares the ministry and God of the Hebrew prophets with similar manifestations in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Transjordan. This work allows us to see the similarities but, above all, the uniqueness of the Hebrew prophets.This work is an easy-to-read introduction to each of the prophetic books considered “minor” due to their length in the canon. It does not fall into a mechanical format of presenting the authorship, the historical setting, the outline of the book, etc., like other works, but, rather, it dynamically presents these topics, leading the reader to immerse themselves in the prophet’s message. They make a brief but very illuminating commentary on each section of the prophetic scroll under study. In addition, the theology of each prophet is presented, which helps to understand the message of the book. The study of each book culminates with a review of the New Testament’s use of the ideas of the prophetic scroll considered, and, in some cases, the textual quotations used by the New Testament writers. This work is reflected in chapters 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, and 19.Bartholomew and Thomas also conduct an analysis of select passages from the Minor Prophets. This section is insightful, well-documented, and presents challenging conclusions. The reader will be left wishing that more similar studies had been added to this work. The authors discuss Hos 2:16–25 (chapter 3), the prophets’ basic theme of “the Day of the Lord” (chapter 5), an interesting study of God and Creation in Amos (chapter 8), an insightful analysis of Jonah’s prayer in the belly of the fish (chapter 11), new perspectives on the central text of Mic 6:6–8 (chapter 13), a detailed work presenting approaches to the famous text of Hab 2:2–4 (chapter 16), and the messianic prophecy of Zech 9:9–10 in its literary context (chapter 18). These sections enrich the depth of the book and invite readers to further investigate the Minor Prophets.The final three chapters meticulously explore key themes from each prophetic scroll, synthesizing their insights into a comprehensive analysis. These points are the theology of the prophets, the relationship of the prophetic message to Jesus, and how the message of these ancient visionaries has relevance in today’s world.Chapter 20 reviews the theology of the Minor Prophets. The authors develop ten different aspects of their theological thought, which are explored in subsections within the chapter: “The God Who Speaks,” “The Covenant God,” “Zion, City, and the Great King,” “Creator,” “Yahweh—and Israel—Amid the Empires,” “God, the Judge, the Lord of Hosts,” “Gracious and Compassionate,” “Sin and Repentance,” “Ethics,” “Spirituality,” and “Eschatology.” The authors present a good summary that deserves to be expanded with deeper research.Chapter 21, “The Minor Prophets and Jesus,” starts from the fact that “if we think of the Old Testament as a series of streams emerging out of Eden, then it is important to realize that they all converge in Jesus of Nazareth” (p. 333). Bartholomew and Thomas make an analysis of the allusions and quotes of the Minor Prophets within the New Testament, demonstrating how these passages have their theological fulfillment in Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew is used as a background to do this intra-biblical work.One detail in which the authors are intentional is in trying to apply the text studied and the knowledge acquired to the reality of the current church. Throughout the work, this effort is evident in the theological exploration of each prophetic book as well as in the conclusions of each chapter. This is reinforced in the book’s twenty-second and final chapter, “The Theology of the Minor Prophets for Today.” The effort is to reveal those themes that remain relevant to the reader and his or her congregation today.Bartholomew and Thomas provide a clear, scholarly, and practical study that will be helpful to the scholar as well as the preacher, pastor, and church member.