The Minor Prophets, and returning to Matthew

Dear Bible Challenge participants,

I apologize for not getting an email out to you before we began to engage the minor prophets with Hosea... at least give you fair warning before Hosea's WHOREDOM! hit you as you began reading his scroll.

Hosea is the first of the "Twelve Minor Prophets,"-- minor only in that their scrolls are shorter in length than the major prophets of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.  The Minor Prophets come different eras--pre and post exilic-- and also from the Northern and Southern kingdoms of Israel/Ephraim and Judah, respectively.

I found a decent summary of the Minor Prophets here at bible.org, that would be worth bookmarking as we make our way through this last section of the Hebrew Bible. It includes an overview, as well as information on each of the twelve.

We've wrapped up our reading of Revelation, and I wonder how it was for you to read John the Divine's take on the new heaven and new earth-- and God dwelling among us. Ezekiel's images and John the Divine's images echo nicely, but are also different--I think John is more poetic than the later parts of Ezekiel, likely written by Ezekiel's later, post-excilic priestly disciples.

And then we've returned to Matthew, namely the geneology... reading through all the names, broken up by historical events like the Exile, and the Restoration... how was it reading that genology again, now that you have read through the stories from I and II Samuel, I and II Kings, and read also the Prophet's take on the Exile? Or how about reading about Boaz, Ruth and Obed-- having read Ruth a few months ago?

This is one of the reasons I am looking forward to engaging this journey again... probably with the Common English Bible translation for a change of pace.  

I hope you will join me! 

As ever, thank you for being on this journey!

Peace,

Paige+ 

PS By the way, Cokesbury.com has the CEB on big sale these days-- nice editions, too, including a reference edition, and also large print...