Editing Twelve Minor Prophets (section)

===Academic debates===

In the 21st century, “claims for [[Persian period]] influence or origins have ballooned.”<ref> Bautsch, Richard J., and Mark Lackowski. 2019.“Introduction.” In On Dating Biblical Texts to
the Persian Period, edited by Richard J. Bautch and Mark Lackowski, 1–9. Tübingen,
Germany: Mohr Siebeck</ref>

The recent Oxford Handbook of the Minor Prophets Jason Radine summarizes the ongoing “Persian Turn” in Minor Prophets scholarship.<ref>{{cite book |last=Radine |first=Jason |title=The Oxford Handbook of the Minor Prophets |editor=Julia M. O'Brien |pages=17–28 |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=February 10, 2021 |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190673208.013.17 |url=https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/38566/chapter-abstract/334371238?redirectedFrom=fulltext |access-date=January 5, 2025}}</ref> It refers to a scholarly trend towards dating much of the biblical composition and editing of the Minor Prophets to the Persian period (539–323 BCE). This trend is rooted in earlier scholarly theories, such as the Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis, which suggested that elements of the Pentateuch, particularly the “Priestly” writings, originated during the Persian era. Additionally, [[Spinoza]]’s 17th-century argument that [[Ezra]] authored large portions of the Hebrew Bible influenced this perspective.

This trend has gained momentum as a growing number of scholars now posit that many prophetic books, once assumed to date from earlier periods, were likely finalized or significantly edited during the [[Persian period]]. Researchers like Reinhard Kratz distinguish between the original oracles of ancient Near Eastern prophets and the later literary works attributed to them, which reflect the scribal efforts of later editors.<ref>Kratz, Reinhard G. 2015. The Prophets of Israel. p. 27-35. Translated by Anselm Hagedorn and Nathan MacDonald. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns.</ref>

This theory has been opposed by other scholars, however. For instance, Heath Dewrell argues that many literary features of the Book of Hosea are also attested in [[Neo-Assyrian Empire|Neo-Assyrian]] prophecies. Since these prophetic texts were written close to the time of Hosea and were not substantially edited centuries after their authors' time, Dewrell finds no reason to think that the biblical book underwent any major editing either.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dewrell |first=Heath |url= |title=A Sage in New Haven: Essays on the Prophets, the Writings, and the Ancient World in Honor of Robert R. Wilson |date=2023 |publisher=Nielsen Bookdata |isbn=978-3-96327-216-5 |editor-last=Gruseke |editor-first=Alison Acker |pages=137–147 |language= |chapter=How Prophecy Gets Written: Hosea, Redactors and Neo-Assyrian Prophecy |editor-last2=Sharp |editor-first2=Carolyn J. |chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/124718923}}</ref>

While dating texts from the Persian period is appropriate for books like Haggai and Zechariah, which explicitly mention that era, scholars caution against oversimplifying the dating process. Radine argues that categorizing too much biblical material as Persian-era production risks obscuring the complex, long-term development of biblical literature. In particular, the diversity of themes, literary styles, and theological perspectives in the Minor Prophets suggests that their formation spanned a much longer period than the Persian era alone.<ref name=":0" />

The scholar [[Ehud Ben Zvi]] suggests that much of the biblical material from the Persian period was produced within the relatively small and interconnected community of Jerusalem, where scribes were likely aware of each other’s works.<ref> Ben Zvi, Ehud. 2009. “The Concept of Prophetic Books and Its Historical Setting.” In The Production of Prophecy: Constructing Prophecy and Prophets in Yehud, edited by Diana V. Edelman and Ehud Ben Zvi, 73–95. London: Equinox.</ref> This view emphasizes the importance of understanding how these texts were shaped within their historical and cultural contexts. However, Radine argues that this approach risks overlooking earlier material that predated the Persian period but was later edited or integrated into these texts.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last=Radine |first=Jason |title=The Oxford Handbook of the Minor Prophets |editor=Julia M. O'Brien |page=26 |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=February 10, 2021 |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190673208.013.17 |url=https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/38566/chapter-abstract/334371238?redirectedFrom=fulltext |access-date=January 5, 2025}}</ref>