Old Testament
The Minor Prophets
The Book of the Twelve · Trei Asar · Hosea through Malachi
Short, sharp, and often personal, these books read as a chorus more than a series.
Together they cover the whole prophetic era: Assyrian threat, Babylonian collapse, return, and the shape of restored community.
Period
From the 8th c. BCE (Amos, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah's contemporaries) through the early Persian period (Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, c. 520–430 BCE).
Themes
- ·Covenant loyalty (hesed) and its breach
- ·The Day of the LORD
- ·Justice for the poor and the stranger
- ·God's mercy on the nations
- ·Rebuilding after ruin
Authorship — traditional
In Jewish tradition the twelve are counted as a single scroll — Trei Asar, 'the Twelve' — and were arranged and preserved by the Men of the Great Assembly (Bava Batra 15a). Each book is attributed to the prophet whose name it bears, with a few noted exceptions (Jonah's story told about, not necessarily by, the prophet).
Authorship — historical-critical
Critical scholarship largely accepts eighth-century dating for Amos, Hosea, and Micah; sixth-century for Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Nahum, and Obadiah; and post-exilic dating for Haggai, Zechariah (with chs. 9–14 often assigned to a later hand), Malachi, and Joel. Jonah is usually read as a post-exilic didactic story about an earlier prophet.
The books
Click a book to open it in the reader at chapter 1.
- Hosea14 ch
Northern kingdom, c. 750–722 BCE.
Hosea's marriage to unfaithful Gomer becomes a living parable of God's covenant love for a wayward Israel.
- Joel3 ch
Usually post-exilic (5th–4th c. BCE).
A locust plague becomes an image of the Day of the LORD, and the Spirit is promised on all flesh — the text Peter quotes at Pentecost.
- Amos9 ch
Northern kingdom, c. 760 BCE, at the height of Jeroboam II's prosperity.
A shepherd from Tekoa denounces the injustice of a comfortable society: 'let justice roll down like waters.'
- Obadiah1 ch
Shortly after 586 BCE.
The shortest book in the Old Testament: a single-chapter oracle against Edom for gloating over Jerusalem's fall.
- Jonah4 ch
The prophet lived in the 8th c. BCE; the book is usually dated post-exilic.
A prophet flees his mission, is swallowed by a great fish, and finally preaches to hated Nineveh — which repents. A comic, uncomfortable story about the mercy of God.
- Micah7 ch
Late 8th c. BCE, contemporary with Isaiah.
A rural prophet indicting the powerful of Jerusalem and Samaria. Its central line: 'do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.'
- Nahum3 ch
Late 7th c. BCE, before Nineveh's fall in 612 BCE.
An oracle of judgment on Assyria — and, for its first hearers, a song of relief that tyranny will end.
- Habakkuk3 ch
Late 7th c. BCE, on the eve of Babylonian invasion.
A dialogue with God about the scandal of evil: 'the righteous shall live by his faith' — a line Paul will later carry to Rome.
- Zephaniah3 ch
Late 7th c. BCE, under Josiah.
The Day of the LORD in dark and dazzling colours: judgment on the nations and Judah, then a quiet song of restoration.
- Haggai2 ch
520 BCE, second year of Darius, back in Judah after exile.
Two short chapters urging the returned community to finish rebuilding the temple. Priorities, and the promise of a greater glory to come.
- Zechariah14 ch
520–518 BCE, alongside Haggai; chs. 9–14 are often dated later.
Night visions and messianic oracles — the humble king on a donkey, the pierced one, the fountain opened — that will echo through the passion narratives.
- Malachi4 ch
Mid-5th c. BCE, contemporary with Ezra and Nehemiah.
The last book of the Christian Old Testament: a dispute-style prophecy about worship, marriage, and tithes, closing with the promise of Elijah's return.