The Minor Prophets in early Judaism

Abstract

This essay explains that early Jewish interpreters read the Minor Prophets as portenders of the recent past and as predictors of a final restoration. With the exception of references to Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, the Minor Prophets were almost always cited on an individual basis in the rabbinic period but were nevertheless viewed by most early Jewish interpreters as comprising a cohesive collection whose prophecies underscored the importance of repentance through prayer and fasting, and the theme of God's unbroken commitment to Israel. Given the common expectation of a messianic restoration among the early rabbinic community following the destruction of the second Temple, this essay concludes that by citing these prophets, early Jewish interpreters sought to imply at, just as its warnings of punishments had come to pass the comforting predictions preserved in the Minor Prophets would soon be fulfilled.