The approach to biblical interpretation known as "form criticism" has changed markedly at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Front-ranking experts here survey the contemporary landscape of form criticism and explore significant patterns and trends now emerging in the field. Together these essays point to the continuing dynamism and vitality of form-critical theory as a significant tool for reading the Bible.

The Changing Face of Form Criticism for the Twenty-First Century

Religion & Spirituality

Marvin A. Sweeney

Ehud Ben Zvi

Christian Books & Bibles

Eerdmans Pub.Co.

There is generally no common material that binds together the works of the individual prophets that comprise the Twelve, but through Sweeney's commentary they stand together as a single, clearly defined book among the other prophetic books of the Bible.
The Book of the Twelve Prophets is a multifaceted literary composition that functions simultaneously in all Jewish and Christian versions of the Bible as a single prophetic book and as a collection of twelve individual prophetic books. Each of the twelve individual books - Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi - begins with its own narrative introduction that identifies the prophet and provides details concerning the historical setting and literary characteristics. In this manner each book is clearly distinguished from the others within the overall framework of the Twelve.
By employing a combination of literary methodologies, such as reader response criticism, canonical criticism, and structural form criticism, Sweeney establishes the literary structure of the Book of the Twelve as a whole, and of each book with their respective ideological or theological perspectives. An introductory chapter orients readers to questions posed by reading the Book of the Twelve as a coherent piece of literature and to a literary overview of the Twelve. Sweeney then treats each of the twelve individual prophetic books in the order of the Masoretic canon, providing a discussion of each one's structure, theme, and outlook. This is followed by a detailed literary discussion of the textual units that comprise the book.

The Twelve Prophets (Vol. 2): Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi (Berit Olam series) (Volume 2)

Franke, Chris

Walsh, Jerome T.

Liturgical Press

Theology of the Hebrew Bible, volume 1: Methodological Studies (Resources for Biblical Study 92)

Diverse approaches to biblical theology This volume presents a collection of studies on the methodology for conceiving the theological interpretation of the Hebrew Bible among Jews and Christians as well as the treatment of key issues, such as creation, the land of Israel, divine absence, and others. Contributors include Georg Fischer, SJ, David Frankel, Benjamin J. M. Johnson, Soo J. Kim, Wonil Kim, Jacqueline E. Lapsley, Julia M. O'Brien, Dalit Rom-Shiloni, Marvin A. Sweeney, and Andrea L. Weiss. Features:
<ul>
<li>Examination of metaphor, repentance, and shame in the presence of God</li> <li>Ten essays addressing the nature of biblical theology from a Jewish, Christian, or critical perspective</li> <li>Discussion of the changes that have taken place in the field of biblical theology since World War II</li>
</ul>

SBL Press

Visions of the Holy: Studies in Biblical Theology and Literature

The series Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft (BZAW) covers all areas of research into the Old Testament, focusing on the Hebrew Bible, its early and later forms in Ancient Judaism, as well as its branching into many neighboring cultures of the Ancient Near East and the Greco-Roman world.

Isaiah 1–4 and the Post-Exilic Understanding of the Isaianic Tradition (Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, 171)

Walter de Gruyter

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Books by Marvin A. Sweeney