Ethical Monotheism

From a detailed comparison of ANE prophetic/oracular texts with biblical ones, Wheaton’s John Walton ( Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible ) concludes that Near Eastern oracles differed from Israelite prophecies in fundamental ways.

First, Israelite prophets indicted kings and or people for violations of covenant standards, while ANE oracles focused on “cultic neglect,” reflecting the prophets’ role as “ritual enforcers.”

Second, “Judgment in the ancient Near Eastern oracles is nearly nonexistent, while in Israel about half of all prophetic oracles contain an element of judgment. In pre-exilic classical prophecy, the oracles of judgment tend to focus on prognostications of the future and are paired with indictment. In postexilic prophecy, the judgment has often already come . . . . This Israelite style of prophecy is the opposite of ancient Near Eastern style, where divine support is the focus. In Israel divine disfavor is the focus, standing in opposition to the status quo. In Israel support of the deity is withdrawn more often than assured, and victory is projected for enemies rather than for Israel. The capital is to be destroyed rather than secure, and the dynasty is in jeopardy rather than affirmed.” No wonder Ahab was so upset with Micaiah.

Finally, though both Israelite and ANE prophets offer hope, in Israel the hope is “generally not intended to indicate divine support for the king. The hope offered is for after the judgment . . . . The contrast is clear: The ‘support’ category in the ancient Near East focused hope primarily on near-term victory and protection, legitimizing the current regime; Israelite aftermath oracles generally focused on the long term because the near future held judgment and defeat for the current regime, which is consequently stigmatized. Ancient Near Eastern prophecies functioned in a context of immediacy and urgency and had no longer-term value. In contrast, the hope that is offered in Israelite prophecy is presented as part of a divine plan that is eschatological and covenant based.”