Malachi with Dr. Julia O'Brien
Dr. Julia O'Brien (Lancaster Theological Seminary) guides us through the book of Malachi. We discuss:
* What do we know about Malachi and the historical context of the book?
* Major themes of the book including the corrupt priesthood, Malachi’s tone and frustrated attitude, and the repeated use of family language and metaphors
* Issues involved in translating gendered language in the Bible
* How disputations structure the book’s development
* Malachi’s place in Jewish and Christian canons and how Malachi is related to the Book of the Twelve
* How Malachi has been interpreted and its value for today including the importance of religious institutions, and behavior/practice.
* Whether Malachi is talking about marriage or using marriage as a metaphor (2:14–15)
* How God’s destruction of Edom demonstrates God’s love for Israel (1:2–5)
* God’s accusation of the Priests and the importance of the sacrificial system (1:6–2:9)
* Issues involved in translating 2:16, which has often been translated as “I hate divorce” and if this passage is about marriage or idolatry?
* The messenger whom God is sending (3:1) and the tradition of Eijah’s return (4:5)
* God’s invitation to test him by bringing the tithe (3:10)
Works by Dr. Julia O'Brien
* The Oxford Handbook of the Minor Prophets. Edited by Julia O'Brien. Oxford University Press, 2021.
* Micah. Liturgical Press, 2015
* Challenging Prophetic Metaphor. Westminster John Knox, 2008
* Nahum through Malachi. AOTC. Abingdon, 2004
* Nahum. Sheffield Academic, 2001
* Priest and Levite in Malachi. Scholars Press, 1990
Dr. Julia O'Brien recommends
* Joerg Rieger, Theology in the Capitalocene: Ecology, Identity, Class, and Solidarity. Fortress, 2022.
* Cli-Fi (Climate Fiction) books and movies such as:
* Richard Powers, The Overstory, Norton, 2018
* The movie, Dune
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