Hosea 2: Metaphor and Rhetoric in Historical Perspective (Academia Biblica, No. 20) (Academia Biblica (Series) (Brill Academic Publishers)) [Hardcover]

Brad E. Kelle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 2005 | ISBN-10: 9004146695 | ISBN-13: 978-9004146693

The complex and, at times, violent metaphorical discourse of "Hosea 2" has elicited a variety of interpretive approaches. This study explores the text from the perspective of rhetorical criticism. The classical conception of rhetoric as the art of persuasion and the function of metaphor within persuasive discourses and social settings correlate with the oracular characteristics of Hosea 2 and illuminate its use of specific metaphors. A reading of "Hosea 2" from this perspective proposes that the prophets of Israel may have functioned in a manner similar to the orators of ancient Greece, who delivered extended rhetorical discourses designed to discern meaning in contemporary events and to persuade audiences. This study offers a distinctively political reading of Hosea 2 that explores the text as a metaphorical and theological commentary on the political and religious dynamics in Israel at the close of the Syro-Ephraimitic War (731-730 BCE). Paperback edition is available from the Society of Biblical Literature.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Brad E. Kelle, Ph.D. (2003) in Hebrew Bible, Emory University, is Assistant Professor of Biblical Literature at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 370 pages
• Publisher: Brill Academic Pub (December 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9004146695
• ISBN-13: 978-9004146693
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,104,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brad E. Kelle, Ph.D.

Brad E. Kelle joined the Point Loma Nazarene University faculty in 2004 and is now Associate Professor of Old Testament and director of the Master of Arts in Religion program. He holds both a Ph.D. in Old Testament and a Masters of Theological Studies from Emory University, as well as a B.A. degree in religion from Trevecca Nazarene University. He is an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene.

Dr. Kelle's academic interests include the Old Testament prophetic literature and Israelite and Judean history. His recent books include Hosea 2: Metaphor and Rhetoric in Historical Perspective (2005) and Ancient Israel at War 853-586 BC (2007). He has also co-edited books on the relationship of the prophetic literature to history, as well as war in the Bible and ancient Israel. His published articles explore Neo-Assyrian historical inscriptions, Wesleyan perspectives on prophetic politics, and the use of marriage imagery in the prophetic books.