Time and Space in Haggai-Zechariah 1-8

By Seth Sykes

Subjects: Criticism, interpretation, Bible, criticism, interpretation, etc., o. t. minor prophets, Bakhtin, m. m. (mikhail mikhailovich), 1895-1975, Historiography, Comparative studies, Bible, Babylonia, history

Description: "In recent years, biblical scholars have begun to apply the literary theories of Mikhail Bakhtin to their study of biblical texts. This study offers a Bakhtinian analysis of Haggai-Zechariah 1-8. Using Bakhtin's distinctive understanding of genre as a textual embodiment of a worldview, this study analyzes how Haggai-Zechariah 1-8 transforms the generic worldview of the chronicles. A Bakhtinian literary analysis also provides insights on the socio-historical context and socio-political function of the text. As a prophetic transformation of the chronistic genre, Haggai-Zechariah 1-8 critiques the ideology of the chronicles. Instead of offering an ideological defense of Persian imperial policy in post-exilic Judah, Haggai-Zechariah 1-8 subverts the historical reality of Persian imperial rule by depicting a utopian vision of Yahweh's universal rule."--BOOK JACKET.