The Minor Prophets

Rating:
Summary: A Scholarly Introduction
Review: I'm glad to see this out in paperback, I prize my earlier hardback edition for its depth and breadth.

Feinberg brings the contents of these twelve books to life with his knowledge of their cultural environments within the sweep of Biblical prophecy. This book provides help in applying the words of these writers to modern life.

If you're going to buy one book on the minor prophets this should be it.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent General Resource
Review: In 1948 Charles Feinberg began the work that would evolve into a rare gem of a book when he published the first part of his extensive studies in the Minor Prophets. Originally, a collection of expository essays, Feinberg took great care in transferring them into a scholarly collection of much quality. Feinberg proves himself a first rate scholar with his careful exposition of the text. Before his rather recent death, he was known as one of the nation's foremost authorities in issues stemming from Jewish history, both Old Testament and intertestamental. And his expertise in Biblical prophecy was among the top of his field. After all, of how many Biblical scholars can it be said that they trained for the rabbinate before their conversion?

The Minor Prophets is primarily a compilation of five volume previously published in the book series The Major Messages of the Minor Prophets. These divisions are seen in the book's five sections reproduced in the exact order of their publication. Feinberg's ultimate purpose seems to be to produce an introductory work on these oft-neglected books. He goes into minimal detail. This is after all not so much a commentary as a guidebook. But those details he does reveal prove to be well chosen and work effectively in giving the reader a more than adequate acquaintance with the Twelve.

Feinberg does not attempt at a general introduction to the Minor Prophets. Nor does he a conclusion. Rather, he allows the individual books to speak for themselves. Any unity that exists among the Twelve must come from the Biblical text itself, rather than from some forced sense of cohesiveness pushed onto the text by the writer. The grouping together of chapters within the five parts follow the order of the English text (save Zechariah which is in a category all its own) instead of a historical or thematic type of unity. This is advantageous as a point of reference. However, thematic unity would have been more helpful in this writer's opinion if for no other reason than to make interpretation easier and more convenient.

The setup of individual chapters is convenient for purposes of a general overview. The splitting of the text into major and minor sections without outline numbers gave it a more informal tone. However, for the one studying a minor prophet or a part of a chapter or book in depth, this is no way to go. It is difficult to find information on a specific verse without time wasted in searching that could have been spent in study.
As an example of how Feinberg handles the text we shall examine his examination of one of the prophets in depth. Let us look at his handling of, let's say Joel. He begin the chapter by dedicating it to his children, and then offering his purpose for writing the chapter. He then begins the main text of the chapter, dividing it into three sections: The Locust Plague and Day of Jehovah, The Outpoured Spirit and The Judgment of All Nations. He divides the first major section into five more, the second major section into ten and the third major section into six. Each of these sections range in size from one sentence to four or five paragraphs.

He begins the first section by discussing the background of the prophet, the meaning of his name and other pertinent background information. He moves quickly into exegesis, making frequent reference to various verses of Scripture that parallel various concepts in Joel's prophecy. In one section, he discusses Peter's quotation of Joel 2:28-32 in his Pentecost sermon and its possible interpretations and implications.

This approach proves to be a success. Of course, it must be admitted that the fact that the previous example took a cursory examination of a Biblical book to test the book's usefulness. And for this type of study, it works. However, few serious Bible students engage in this type of study.

It would have been helpful if the author or an editor had made more of an effort to fashion the text into a cohesive unity. Some attempt was made in the form of those paragraphs at the beginning of each chapter, but this was far too little to be as effective as was necessary. For example, the use of charts and tables concerning the historical placement of the prophets would have been helpful. This almost makes the book seem to be more of an afterthought.

If the reader is shows at least a cursory interest in the Minor Prophets, Feinberg's book is a must-read. It provides the basic background necessary for further studies to be undertaken. It provided this writer with information that he will value for a lifetime. One major advantage of this text is its emphasis on finding the Messiah in the Minor Prophets. Feinberg stays true to the principles of only identifying a Scripture as a Messianic prophecy when the New Testament identifies it as such. While this information is helpful, it is far too scattered. Perhaps an appendix essay wherein instances of Messianic prophecy in the Twelve are discussed and identified would have been helpful. At the very least, I would have like this in chart form.

Feinberg's text is perfect for one seeking a casual introduction to the Minor Prophets. But for one who wants to sit at the knees of one of them, so to speak, soaking up his knowledge, learning from the mistakes of the land and praising God for its triumphs, this text falls miserably short. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. What has been said before will be echoed again. This book was never intended to be an in-depth study. One must appreciate it for what it is-a guidebook.

Rating:
Summary: Best Commentary on the Minor Prophets
Review: This work is the best commentary on the Minor Prophets from a conservative, dispensational, premillennial viewpoint. The work is ideally suited for pastors or serious Bible students. It is not tedious, but definitely scholarly and well researched.

The strength of this book is its purpose, interpretation. It is not intended to be a popular commentary with an accent on application, but seeks to focus upon discerning the text. Yet it does not get tedious with grammatical overkill.

As a pastor of over 20 years, it is the first book I reach for (after my Bible) when studying the Minor Prophets. I rarely sense a need to reach for another.

Rating:
Summary: Best Commentary on the Minor Prophets
Review: This work is the best commentary on the Minor Prophets from a conservative, dispensational, premillennial viewpoint. The work is ideally suited for pastors or serious Bible students. It is not tedious, but definitely scholarly and well researched.

The strength of this book is its purpose, interpretation. It is not intended to be a popular commentary with an accent on application, but seeks to focus upon discerning the text. Yet it does not get tedious with grammatical overkill.

As a pastor of over 20 years, it is the first book I reach for (after my Bible) when studying the Minor Prophets. I rarely sense a need to reach for another.