Messengers of hope in Haggai-Malachi

Abstract

Recent work on the Book of the Twelve has consistently identified various sections of Haggai-Malachi as a corpus that existed prior to its incorporation into the Book of the Twelve. Many see Haggai/Zechariah 1-8 as an initial collection to which Malachi and Zechariah 9-14 were later added (prior to and/or after inclusion in the Book of the Twelve). This study investigates this corpus by interacting with past research and the text of these prophetic sections to argue that although each section in the corpus (Haggai, Zech. 1-8, Zech. 9-14, Malachi) displays an integrity of its own, the corpus as a whole is witness to a developing tradition, the resulting literature of which has been unified through a 'messenger' leitmotif. This leitmotif, however, rather than signalling the end of prophecy (as argued by some), identifies the importance of prophetic, priestly and royal streams to the emerging hope for a heavenly visitation. © 2007 SAGE Publications.