Framing the Twelve : paratexts, prominence and parody

Abstract

The question of a frame for the Twelve Prophets can be meaningfully approached in at least three ways. First, a frame describes the boundary of a text. According to the documentary evidence for the Twelve from the Masoretes back to the Dead Sea discoveries, the paratextual presentation of the Twelve encourages its reception as a verbal entity bounded by Hosea and Malachi. Thus, in at least this sense, Hosea and Malachi can be described as a frame for the Twelve. A second approach to the term frame is investigating the exploitation of prominent peripheral positions of a text for hermeneutic potential. Utilisation of such framing devices was common in many types of Jewish and non-Jewish ancient literature with various different compositional histories. This raises the possibility for such a device being available to the producers of the Twelve. Indeed, on investigation, there are significant intertextual relationships between Hosea and Malachi, the peripheries of the Twelve. In particular, both Hosea and Malachi parody the same texts from outside the Twelve in order to portray the object of their critique in a particular way: The nation is an unfaithful spouse encouraged to return to their first spouse; the priest is a prototypical fool who must repent; Israel is scheming Jacob who must return to receive God's blessing as gift. Such parodic intertextuality highlights a third possible way to approach the concept of a frame for the Twelve, viz. a framework, or interpretive context, which shapes one's reading of the Twelve. The framing parodies heighten the Twelve's critique and encourage its reading within the framework of a call to return to YHWH. Thus, in all three of the above senses, Hosea and Malachi form a meaningful and purposeful frame for the Twelve.