Sage, Priest, Prophet: Religious and Intellectual Leadership in Ancient Israel (Library of Ancient Israel) [Hardcover]

Joseph Blenkinsopp (Author), Douglas A. Knight (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Library of Ancient Israel | Publication Date: August 1995

The sages, priests and prophets of ancient Israel were directly responsible for what we now call the Old Testament. Blenkinsopp looks at the character and development of these roles and how they functioned in their particular time and place. Based on sociological insights deriving from role theory and audience expectations, the book demonstrates how these intellectual leaders represented their own traditions while responding to the political and professional pressures of their unique situations.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Joseph Blenkinsopp is John A. O'Brien Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana. He is the author of Sage, Priest, Prophet: Religious and Intellectual Leadership in Ancient Israel and coauthor of Families in Ancient Israel. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 191 pages
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press; 1st edition (August 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0664219543
• ISBN-13: 978-0664219543
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,437,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A different view of the roles, October 6, 2011

By 

D. Dumont (Dover, NH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sage, Priest, Prophet: Religious and Intellectual Leadership in Ancient Israel (Paperback)

This scholar's elucidation of these three roles in Hebrew tadition is a thorough analysis of biblical texts in regards to the three roles. Each title has a full section devoted to his understanding of what their functions were and he points out where there are problemmatic passages or unclear facets of their respective duties or responsibilities. Their cultural roles and how they developed over time is also covered very well.

1 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Do NOT waste your time on this turgid resource, August 13, 2009

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sage, Priest, Prophet: Religious and Intellectual Leadership in Ancient Israel (Paperback)

In this book, Joseph Blenkinsopp, Professor Emeritus in the Theology Department at the University of Notre Dame, attempts to examine the intellectual leadership in Israel as exercised by three groups of people - sages, priests and prophets. Each group is given its own section, and the available information is looked at from various sources.

Now, where do I start with this book? I must say that I found it to be completely useless. The book was written for an academic audience, and it shows an obscurantism, an impenetrability to the non-academic reader, that I found breathtaking. The author repeatedly makes statements such as "we assume..." (p.119) and "most scholars would agree..." (p.166). Who are "we" and who are these scholars? It gives the books a feeling of being presented ex cathedra.

No, I picked up this book, hoping to understand the roles of, and the interaction between the various intellectual leaders of Ancient Israel, and I finished the book knowing no more about the subject than when I started. If you are a casual, non-academic reader, interested in Ancient Israel, then I would highly recommend that you do NOT waste your time on this turgid resource.