Joel gross novels, including the books of rachel, have been selected by the book of the month club and the literary guild. The book of joel has striking linguistic parallels to the language of amos, micah, zephaniah, jeremiah and ezekiel. Overview of the book of joel third millennium ministries. The greek septuagint lxx, and latin vulgate versions follow the hebrew masoretic text, titling this book after joel the prophet, the recipient of the message from god 1. God compares the past to the future in the book of joel. Joel is bright and flowing, his imagery and language are fine driver, introduction to the literature of the old testament. And in joel both judgment and salvation are worldwide in nature. Joel and the locust invasion reformed bible studies. In the two speeches that make up this book, joel uses an agricultural crisis to. The structure of the book of joel lena lee kerux 7. Joel calls the inhabitants of judah and jerusalem to lament and return to the lord during a time of national disaster. Joel was a prophet in the southern kingdom of judah during the period of the divided kingdom 930722 bc. These things are essential to know if we want to understand the book of joel or any of the prophecies of the.
His father, john osteen, was pastor and over the years had built a regional. Intro to joel biblica the international bible society. The prophet joel is identified only as joel son of pethuel joel 1. The book of joel was likely written between 835 and 800 b. Nothing other than his name is known about the prophet. In any case, its message is not significantly affected by its dating. Since the book of joel contains no clear indications as to when it was written, it is exceedingly difficult to date the book. The book relates nothing about joel except his name and that of his father. Book of joel overview insight for living ministries.
God sent joel to get the people to turn from their sins so he could restore the nation. From references in his writings it is presumed that he was an inhabitant of jerusalem, and he addressed most of his prophecies to judah. It is believed that he did not live far from jerusalem. As there are no explicit references in the book to datable persons or events, scholars have assigned. Hegel in his lectures on the philosophy of history. After a superscription ascribing the prophecy to joel son of pethuel, the book may be broken down into the following sections. The book of joel is often noted for its rich poetic5 imagery. The book of joel, a prophetic book of the old testament of the bible, derives its name from the prophet joel. Many interpreters date it somewhere between the late seventh and early fifth centuries b. This is what was spoken by the prophet joel desiring god. Joel is referred to only once in the new testament acts 2. According to bible history, there were no jews known as such until about 15 centuries after abraham was born, and until 600 years after the death of moses. Historical background and summary of the book of joel in easy to study.
We now turn to the book of joel, and this will be the first of two lessons 2. This invasion of locusts destroys everythingthe fields of grain, the vineyards, the gardens and the trees. Meaning, origin and history of the name joel behind the name. Throughout the books lifetime, a history of the modern world has been hailed as an elegantly written historical narrative, filled with analysis and balanced historical insights as well as its traditional attention to the processes of historical change, conflict, and political transformations. A locust invasion precipitated the vision of the next book in our yearlong study of the old testament writing prophets. The early placement of joel in the hebrew canon second minor prophet after hosea. Yuil was a prophet of ancient israel, the second of the twelve minor prophets and according to the book itself the author of the book of joel. He warned the people of judah that the devastation was going to sweep across the land very soon. Joel s name means the lord is god and when god used him to judge israel. Joel osteen, born march 5, 1963, houston, texas, u. Joel must have lived during the early eighth century b.
Watch our overview video on the book of joel, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The book gives us no other information about the prophet, and he is mentioned nowhere else in scripture. Book of joel, second of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets. A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original. Scholarly estimates of the period of joel have ranged from the ninth century b. Joel summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of joel for bible study or sunday school lessons. Studies in the minor prophets joel the day of the lord. Not much is known about joel other than he is the son of pethuel.
Joel old testament prophet amazing bible timeline with. The date of composition was probably between 400 and 350 bc, although some scholars place it much earlier 9th 7th century bc. Dating the book of joel depends upon ones interpretation of gods great army of locust, cankerworms, caterpillars, and the palmerworm cf. Joel intro to joel biblica the international bible society. Is it true that you\re a real old testament prophet. He appears on the biblical timeline during the divided kingdom around 930 bc. The basis for the early date stems from joel s parallel themes with the prophets isaiah, ezekiel, zechariah and amos. Most scholars date the book after the exile to babylon 586 b. The book of joel also makes ample mention of priests, temple rituals, and nations, such as phoenicia, philistia, egypt, and edom, that were prominent in the late ninth century bc. An investigation into the use of israels historical. God, history, and the natural world in the book of joel jstor. Alan delivers the book of joel, where we look at the invasion of locusts. We refer to the book of joel, which describes a plague of locusts under the old covenant as a type of the day of the lord joel 1. Joel is a narrative and prophetic source of wisdom.
Joel reflects on the day of the lord and how true repentance will bring about the great restoration hoped for in the other prophetic books. No other details of his personal history or background are recorded. Chapters 12 refer to a plague of locusts which ravaged judah at the time. Little is known about joel, a prophet from judah perhaps jerusalem.
All of this points to a date of approximately 835 bc or soon after, making joel one of the earliest writing prophets, as well as a contemporary of the prophet elisha. The book of joel accounts for justice over evil in a form thats unique to the other old testament prophets. To answer your question, i thought it would be fun to pretend to interview joel. Israel was occupied by a foreign power when joel was prophesying in the area. Also a playwright and screenwriter, gross received his ma in english and comparative literature at columbia university. The book of joel teaches about the power of the combined prayers and fasting of gods people during a time of great difficulty in israels history. A history of the modern world joel colton although european history is the focus of this book, it gives a great summary of how the changes in europes timeline affected the world at large. The central message of joel, as is so often the case in the prophets, is that of salvation amid judgment. But the author of this book, joel distinguishes himself by giving us a name of his father. Patterson for one states that, he wrote with a pure classical yet logical style, distinguished by its clarity, flow of thought, and beauty of expression. Joel wasnt the only old testament prophet who longed for the day when god would saturate his people with his spirit. As there are no explicit references in the book to datable persons or events, scholars have.
The date the book of joel was written has aroused a good deal of discussion among biblical scholars. Types and shadows in joel the day of jesus is at hand. Throughout history, travel, trade and war have spread ideas and knowledge from one land to another. Judgment is global in the sense that, throughout joel, judgment will come upon israel joel 1. The postexilic composition of the book can least of all be proved from the mention of the elders see especially i. The book of joel states that its author was the prophet joel joel 1. Joel came and prophesied to the land of judah before the plague came. But, there isnt any other information about the author in the bible. Lament over a great locust plague and a severe drought 1. Book of joel old testament britannica encyclopedia britannica. The book contains no references to datable historical events. The name joel means jehovah is god, and we know very little about the author.
Nothing is know about joel other than his being the son. Joel is one of the twelve minor prophets of the old testament, the author of the book of joel, which describes a plague of locusts. The book of joel is apocalyptic in nature, referring to the day of the lord. It is possible that joel may have been a contemporary of elisha in israel. Judah, the setting for the book, is devastated by a vast horde of locusts. The jewish canon lumps all together as the twelve and divides joel into four chapters. The prophet joel showed up in israel during a time of the most terrible plague of locusts in the nations history. The book of joel presents difficult historical, critical and interpretative problems.
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