ANCIENT PROPHETIC THOUGHT AND MODERN RELEVANCE: A PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS OF EIGHTH-CENTURY MESSAGES

Prophetic ministry in ancient Israel witnessed a paradigm shift in the middle of the eighth century through the emergence of Amos, Hosea, Isaiah and Micah. Referred to as 'classical prophets', these prophets were unique in the sense that although they shared the same national religious traditions with their contemporaries, they differed in their interpretation and application of traditions. Amos and Hosea worked in the Northern Kingdom, while Isaiah and Micah worked in the Southern Kingdom with some overlaps. Using the historical grammatical and contextual approaches, the paper examined the times - which include the historical, socio-economic, religious and political settings, the person, and the message of these men. The study reveals the prophets' boldness and stern use of words in passing judgment on Israel and Judah devoid of occultic antecedent; they exposed the twin nations' false hope which rested on false religion, false morality, and false national hope, among others. They presented Yahweh as the controller of history, who is merciful and will pardon if the people return to him.