Overview

The biblical prophets and Biblical Performance Criticism are brought together in three case studies (Elijah, Ezekiel, Jonah) presented as performances. This book proposes a new method of reading the biblical prophets with a threefold focus on creativity, commentary, and connections. With this method the many and varied performances of the prophets can be better appreciated. Critical analysis of the quintessentially performative nature of the prophets as embodied spokespersons for YHWH aids us in understanding and clarifying YHWH's message to audiences, situations, and communities of the past as well as engaging contemporary audiences.

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9781532685538

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In Prophets as Performers, Jeanette Mathews issues an irresistible invitation to hear the biblical prophets afresh through performance criticism. Settings, scenes, script, actors, and props are skillfully illuminated in three case studies on Elijah, Ezekiel, and Jonah. In a volume that is accessible for students and preachers, and compelling for scholars, theory and practice are crucially brought together demonstrating rich possibilities for prophetic re-enactment in our own contexts. --Rachelle Gilmour, author of Representing the Past and Juxtaposition and the Elijah Cycle Jeanette Mathews builds upon her earlier study of performance criticism applied to Habakkuk. Here, she enlivens her introduction of the method with three new case studies. She creatively engages ancient and modern performance and invites her own readers to consider the Elijah Cycle as a four-part mini-series, to reflect upon Ezekiel as a performance artist, and to envision Jonah as a stage play. --James D. Nogalski, author of The Book of the Twelve and Beyond and The Book of the Twelve: Hosea-Jonah What more appropriate application of performance criticism than to bring it to bear on the proclamations of Hebrew prophets! Following her groundbreaking work on Habakkuk, Jeanette Mathews has stepped up to analyze other prophetic performances. Her narrative analyses and performative reflections on Elijah, Ezekiel, and Jonah, including her stimulating translations, illuminate these writings as active speech. Recommended for students and scholars interested in accessing insights into the Hebrew Bible through performance criticism. --David Rhoads, author of Mark as Story and The Challenge of Diversity

"""In Prophets as Performers, Jeanette Mathews issues an irresistible invitation to hear the biblical prophets afresh through performance criticism. Settings, scenes, script, actors, and props are skillfully illuminated in three case studies on Elijah, Ezekiel, and Jonah. In a volume that is accessible for students and preachers, and compelling for scholars, theory and practice are crucially brought together demonstrating rich possibilities for prophetic re-enactment in our own contexts."" --Rachelle Gilmour, author of Representing the Past and Juxtaposition and the Elijah Cycle ""Jeanette Mathews builds upon her earlier study of performance criticism applied to Habakkuk. Here, she enlivens her introduction of the method with three new case studies. She creatively engages ancient and modern performance and invites her own readers to consider the Elijah Cycle as a four-part mini-series, to reflect upon Ezekiel as a performance artist, and to envision Jonah as a stage play."" --James D. Nogalski, author of The Book of the Twelve and Beyond and The Book of the Twelve: Hosea-Jonah ""What more appropriate application of performance criticism than to bring it to bear on the proclamations of Hebrew prophets! Following her groundbreaking work on Habakkuk, Jeanette Mathews has stepped up to analyze other prophetic performances. Her narrative analyses and performative reflections on Elijah, Ezekiel, and Jonah, including her stimulating translations, illuminate these writings as active speech. Recommended for students and scholars interested in accessing insights into the Hebrew Bible through performance criticism."" --David Rhoads, author of Mark as Story and The Challenge of Diversity"

Author Information

Jeanette Mathews is Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies (Old Testament) in the School of Theology of Charles Sturt University (CSU), based at St Mark's National Theological Centre in Canberra, Australia, and a research fellow in CSU's Public and Contextual Theology Research Centre. She is the author of Performing Habakkuk (Pickwick, 2012) and has edited a guide for new theological students titled God, By Degrees (2nd ed., 2019).

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