Joel- The setting and context are not clear. Joel's “most likely historical context is the Persian period (Crenshaw 1995: 21–29; Barton 2001: 15–18; Nogalski 2011: 202), although the evidence for this is not as clear as we might wish. Allusions to historical situations provide the starting point. The ‘scattering’ and selling into slavery of the people of Judah, accompanied by the appropriation of their land by foreign nations (3:2–3 [mt 4:2–3]), probably refers to the Babylonian exile (587 bc). The use of Edom in parallel to Egypt (3:19 [mt 4:19]) as one of the chief enemies of Judah also presupposes a date after the sack of Jerusalem. From that point onwards Edom, which assisted the Babylonians in their attack on Judah (Hadjiev 2020a: 45–47), often appears as a representative or symbol of the enemy nations.
The first part of Joel takes for granted the existence of the Jerusalem temple (1:9, 14, 16; 2:17). This pushes the date of the book after the rebuilding of the temple (515 bc).2 The internal conditions presupposed by the prophecy fit well with this general period. The calls assume the existence of a community small enough to gather at the temple (2:16–17). Its leaders are priests and elders, with no king in sight (1:2, 13–14). The grain-offering and the drink-offering (1:9, 13; 2:14) refers to the tamid sacrifice, the daily offering at the temple (see below, 1:8–10), mentioned only in post-exilic texts.
…
Joel takes up earlier traditions [Scriptures] but transforms their original meaning as he uses them to fashion his own message. Two types of hermeneutics are operative in Joel’s use of Scripture. In the first half of the book Scripture is utilized for the purposes of prophetic critique. Texts, images and motifs that originally pointed to enemies of Israel are now applied to Joel’s audience [Israel]. Thus, a parallel is established between God’s people and various foreign nations under judgment. In the second half of the book Scripture is used differently, to proclaim a message of salvation and restoration (Strazicich, p 30–31).
…. Cook (1995: 188) suggests that ‘the cult prophet Joel wrote APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE’. In his view, the book ‘reflects the course of the actual proceedings of a lament liturgy in the central cult’ (1995: 199) led by Joel, an important member of the priestly establishment. The liturgy was designed as a response to a real-life natural calamity that threatened the survival of the community. The calamity is couched in apocalyptic terms because it is seen as a harbinger of eschatological events. In the same vein, the deliverance from it prefigures the final salvation at the end of time (Cook 1995: 180–184, 196–199). Cook makes an important contribution to the debate by pointing out that apocalyptic thinking is not confined to marginal groups.” (Tchavdar S. Hadjiev—Joel— Tyndale OT Commentaries)
“One must admit that the language employed to describe the advent of the locusts seems to favor an actual enemy of armed hosts. … Some commentators see in [the northern one] a reference to the wars of Gog and Magog which will usher in the Messianic era, parallels being found in the descriptions of Ezekiel.” (Soncino Bible Commentary) So, the message can be applied prophetically and liturgically to the universal church- God’s people at the end of this age. It speaks to the lukewarm, laodicean church and it pertains to the calling of priests for the spiritual rebuilding of the walls after the captivity of Judah.
Comentários