The Expositor's Bible: The Book of the Twelve Prophets, Vol. 1: Commonly Called the MinorSmith, George Adam
Religion
The Expositor's Bible: The Book of the Twelve Prophets, Vol. 1: Commonly Called the Minor
Smith, George Adam
Bible. Minor Prophets -- Commentaries
In the Hebrew Bible, however, the order differs, and is much more
significant. The Prophets[3] form the second division of the
threefold Canon: Law, Prophets and Writings; and Daniel is not among
them. The Minor follow immediately after Ezekiel. Moreover, they are
not twelve books, but one. They are gathered under the common title
_Book of the Twelve_;[4] and although each of them has the usual
colophon detailing the number of its own verses, there is also
one colophon for all the twelve, placed at the end of Malachi and
reckoning the sum of their verses from the first of Hosea onwards.
This unity, which there is reason to suppose was given to them before
their reception into the Canon,[5] they have never since lost.
However much their place has changed in the order of the books of
the Old Testament, however much their own internal arrangement has
differed, the Twelve have always stood together. There has been every
temptation to scatter them because of their various dates. Yet they
never have been scattered; and in spite of the fact that they have
not preserved their common title in any Bible outside the Hebrew,
that title has lived on in literature and common talk. Thus the Greek
canon omits it; but Greek Jews and Christians always counted the
books as one volume,[6] calling them "The Twelve Prophets," or "The
Twelve-Prophet" Book.[7]. It was the Latins who designated them "The
Minor Prophets": "on account of their brevity as compared with those
who are called the Major because of their ampler volumes."[8] And
this name has passed into most modern languages,[9] including our
own. But surely it is better to revert to the original, canonical
and unambiguous title of "The Twelve."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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