The Prophetic Imagination PDF
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WALTER B A classic text in biblical theology—still relevant for today and tomorrow R U In this fortieth-anniversary edition of the classic text from one of the most influ- E G ential biblical scholars of our time, Walter Brueggemann offers a theological and G BRUEGGEMANN ethical reading of the Hebrew Bible. He finds there a vision for the community of E M God whose words and practices of lament, protest, and complaint give rise to an A alternative social order that opposes the “totalism” of the day. N N Thwoirsd e bdyit iBornu begugiledms oanffn t haen dre av inseedw afnodre uwpodradt ebdy 2D0a0v1i se Hditainokni nans.d includes a new after- T THE H Praise for The Prophetic Imagination E “Years ago, as I struggled to envision a ministry that would engage both the prophetic and the pastoral, Walter Brueggemann’s The Prophetic Imagination PROPHETIC P gave the world a fresh vision of the role of imagination in the inevitable con- R frontation between what Howard Thurman terms ‘the religion of Jesus’ and what Brueggemann calls ‘the royal consciousness.’ In the years since that O revelation, yesterday’s dilemmas birthed today’s crises, which now loom as P IMAGINATION tomorrow’s catastrophes. Even amid these shadows, Brueggemann still em- H boldens us to endure and even to overcome these troubles, not merely by the tenacity of blues lamentation and the transcendence of gospel communion but E also by prophetic improvisations that jazz the song of Joshua and crumble the T walls thrown up by the politics of domination.” I —William J. Barber II, author of The Third Reconstruction C “Few authors have influenced my spiritual formation more than Walter I M Bruegge mann, and few books more than The Prophetic Imagination. Bruegge- mann is one of the greatest theologians we have alive today. If you have not A read this book, please do. If you have read it before, read it again. The Prophetic G Imagination is precisely what the church needs right now.” I —Shane Claiborne, activist and author of Executing Grace and Red Letter Revolution N “When I first read The Prophetic Imagination in college, it changed my life. A Now, forty years after its initial publication, Brueggemann’s book remains as T timely as ever, retaining all of its power, insight, and daring. This anniversary I edition—beautifully introduced by Davis Hankins—ensures that this classic O work is available to inspire another generation to resist the static triumphal- N ism of Pharaoh (in countless contemporary incarnations), to criticize the dominant totalizing consciousness, and to energize the people of God in the face of profound grief.” 4 —Brent A. Strawn, Emory University 0 t h A Walter Brueggemann is William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament n n Emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary and the author of numerous books iv e including, from Fortress Press, Theology of the Old Testament and The Creative Word. rsa r y BIBLICAL STUDIES E d it io n 40th Anniversary Edition THE PROPHETIC IMAGINATION Praise for The Prophetic Imagination, 40th Anniversary Edition “Years ago, as I struggled to envision a ministry that would engage both the prophetic and the pastoral, Walter Brueggemann’s The Prophetic Imagination gave the world a fresh vision of the role of imagination in the inevitable confrontation between what Howard Thurman terms ‘the religion of Jesus’ and what Brueggemann calls ‘the royal consciousness.’ In the years since that revelation, yesterday’s dilemmas birthed today’s crises, which now loom as tomorrow’s catastrophes. Even amid these shadows, Brueggemann still emboldens us to endure and even to overcome these troubles, not merely by the tenacity of blues lamentation and the transcendence of gospel communion, but also by prophetic improvisations that jazz the song of Joshua and crumble the walls thrown up by the politics of domination.” — William J. Barber II, author of The Third Reconstruction “Few authors have influenced my spiritual formation more than Walter Brueggemann, and few books more than The Prophetic Imagination. Brueggemann is one of the greatest theologians we have alive today. If you have not read this book, please do. If you have read it before, read it again. The Prophetic Imagination is precisely what the church needs right now.” — Shane Claiborne, activist and author of Executing Grace and Red Letter Revolution “When I first read The Prophetic Imagination in college, it changed my life. Now, forty years after its initial publication, Brueggemann’s book remains as timely as ever, retaining all of its power, insight, and daring. This anniversary edition—beautifully introduced by Davis Hankins—ensures that this classic work is available to inspire another generation to resist the static triumphalism of Pharaoh (in countless contemporary incarnations), to criticize the dominant totalizing consciousness, and to energize the people of God in the face of profound grief.” — Brent A. Strawn, Emory University “Walter Brueggemann’s The Prophetic Imagination has drawn many a student, seminarian, preacher, and more than a few laypeople on the strength of the title alone, resonant with much of black preaching where the ‘sanctified imagination’ is regularly engaged. This text has guided generations of biblical interpreters to take the prophetic encounter and vocation as more than protest or religiopolitical disagreement in and beyond the text. The book remains relevant—eminently readable and teachable.” — Wil Gafney, Brite Divinity School “At a time when tradition seems to have become the property of the status quo, this book is more relevant than ever. As tradition shifts sides, it becomes subversive of the dominant religious, political, and economic developments, and so new energies are set free that push toward liberation. While this has been going on for thousands of years, the increasing challenges of the past forty years since this book was written—threatening to destroy both humanity and the planet—underscore its ongoing importance.” — Joerg Rieger, Vanderbilt University “Essential reading for generations of scholars and pastors, The Prophetic Imagination has been catalytic for those yearning to understand biblical prophecy and strengthen their own prophetic witness. Over against the hopelessness generated by repressive ideology, Brueggemann insists that we can choose as the prophets did: neither denial nor acquiescence, but visionary resistance. Brueggemann presses a brilliant case for prophetic imagination as the only choice that will not leave us co-opted by the relentless manipulations of empire.” — Carolyn J. Sharp, Yale Divinity School “Walter Brueggemann’s The Prophetic Imagination is timeless; yet, at the same time, it feels as if he wrote it ‘for such a time as this.’ The convicting yet hopeful voice of Brueggemann is much like the prophets he writes of from the Hebrew Bible—indeed, he is the conscience of our time.” — Cynthia Shafer-Elliott, William Jessup University “The Prophetic Imagination opened our eyes and ears to the power and purposiveness of the prophets’ vision. Practicing prophetic imagination is no less urgent a vocation today, in the face of the omnipresent calculus of human expendability. That this slender book seems both as inspiring and as unerringly realistic today as forty years ago is testament that Walter Brueggemann has described that vocation with precision; this new edition frames his argument as a word on target for a time that critically needs it.” — Neil Elliott, author of Liberating Paul and The Arrogance of Nations THE PROPHETIC IMAGINATION 4oth Anniversary Edition WALTER BRUEGGEMANN Foreword by Davis Hankins FORTRESS PRESS Minneapolis THE PROPHETIC IMAGINATION 40th Anniversary Edition Copyright © 2018 Fortress Press. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Email [email protected] or write to Permissions, Fortress Press, PO Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209. Biblical quotations are translated by the author. Cover design: Brad Norr Design Frontispiece: Door jamb figure of Jeremiah. St. Pierre, Moissac, France. © 2001 Giraudon/Art Resource, NY. Used by permission Print ISBN: 978-1-5064-4930-2 eBook ISBN: 978-1-5064-4931-9 The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z329.48-1984. Manufactured in the U.S.A. For sisters in ministry who teach me daily about the power of grief and the gift of amazement
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