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Cited by 2Biblical Studies and InterpretationArts and Performance StudiesHistorical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 30 of the 30 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Beyond Oral and Written Prophecy: Prophetic Performance and Performativity

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Stell, Elizabeth·2022·Dead Sea Discoveries
DOI 10.1163/15685179-02903007
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Abstract

This article examines performance as part of the prophetic and revelatory in ancient Jewish literature. The body of the article centres on the so-called “prophetic actions” within the biblical corpus. Scholarship’s use of this category has highlighted nonverbal performance as a part of prophecy but raises questions regarding the efficacy of these varied actions as well as their distinction from written or spoken prophecy. Here I reapply J.L. Austin’s speech act theory to further examine their function. Isaiah 20:1–6 and Jeremiah 51:59–64, my central case studies, demonstrate not only the variety among these performances but also how interwoven they are with prophetic biography, writing, and speech. Exploring such phenomena through this more flexible lens further illuminates the continued significance of performance and prophecy in the Second Temple period, which the article demonstrates using 11QPsalms a and the Exagoge of Ezekiel.

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Research works printed but not linked: 24

  1. Austin, J.L. How to Do Things with Words. 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1975.
  2. Bloch, René. “Part of the Scene: Jewish Theater in Antiquity.” Journal of Ancient Judaism 8 (2017): 150–169.
  3. Butler, Judith. Excitable Speech: A Politics of Performance. New York: Routledge, 1997.
  4. Coggins, R. “Isaiah.” Pages 433–486 in The Oxford Bible Commentary. Edited by John Barton and John Muddiman. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.
  5. Dimant, Devorah. “From the Book of Jeremiah to the Qumranic Apocryphon of Jeremiah.” DSD 20 (2013): 452–471.
  6. Fitzmyer, Joseph A. “David, ‘Being Therefore a Prophet …’ (Acts 2:30).” CBQ 34 (1972): 332–339.
  7. Fountoulakis, Andreas. “Greek Dramatic Conventions in Ezekiel’s Exagoge.” Platon 48 (1996): 88–112.
  8. Ganzel, Tova. “Ezekiel’s Nonverbal Language as Prophetic Message.” ZAW 134 (2022): 179–192.
  9. Greenberg, Moshe. “On Ezekiel’s Dumbness.” JBL 77.2 (1958): 101–105.
  10. Holladay, Carl R. “The Portrait of Moses in Ezekiel the Tragedian.” Pages 447–52 in Society of Biblical Literature 1976 Seminar Papers. Edited by George MacRae. SBLSP 15. Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1976.
  11. Holladay, William L. Jeremiah 2: A Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, Chapters 26–52. Hermeneia. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1989.
  12. Hornsby, Jennifer. “Illocution and its Significance.” Pages 187–207 in Foundations of Speech Act Theory. Edited by S.L. Tsohatzidis. Abingdon: Routledge, 1995.
  13. Hutton, Rodney R. “Magic or Street-Theater? The Power of the Prophetic World.” ZAW 107 (1995): 247–260.
  14. Jacobson, Howard. The Exagoge of Ezekiel. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983.
  15. Khan, Geoffrey, and Hindy Najman. “Performance in Ancient and Medieval Judaism.” DSD 29 (2022): 259–291.
  16. Kugel, James L. “David the Prophet.” Pages 45–55 in Poetry and Prophecy: The Beginnings of a Literary Tradition. Edited by James L. Kugel. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1990.
  17. Kugel, James L. “Poets and Prophets: An Overview.” Pages 1–24 in Poetry and Prophecy: The Beginnings of a Literary Tradition. Edited by James L. Kugel. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1990.
  18. Lang, Bernard. “Prophecy, Symbolic Acts and Politics: A Review of Recent Studies.” Pages 83–91 in Monotheism and the Prophetic Minority: An Essay in Biblical History and Sociology. Edited by Bernard Lang. Sheffield: Almond, 1983.
  19. Leuchter, Mark. “Sacred Space and Communal Legitimacy in Exile: The Contribution of Seraiah’s Colophon (Jeremiah 51:59–64A).” Pages 77–90 in The Prophets Speak on Forced Migration. Edited by Mark Boda. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2015.
  20. Lundbom, Jack R. “Prophets in the Hebrew Bible.” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion. 29 Apr. 2018. DOI 10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.109 · DOI
  21. Lundbom, Jack R. The Hebrew Prophets: An Introduction. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2010.
  22. Najman, Hindy. “Philology as Hermeneutics: Poetic Processes, Composition, and Collection in the Hebrew Bible and Beyond.” Conference paper at IOSOT 2019.
  23. Scalise, Pamela J. “Baruch as First Reader: Baruch’s Lament in the Structure of the Book of Jeremiah.” Pages 291–307 in Uprooting and Planting: Essays on Jeremiah for Leslie Allen. Edited by John Goldingay. New York: T&T Clark, 2007.
  24. Zahn, Molly M. Genres of Rewriting in Second Temple Judaism: Scribal Composition and Transmission. Cambridge Core. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020.

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Metadata

Authors
Stell, E.
Affiliations
University of Oxford (GB)
Corresponding author
Stell, Elizabeth
ORCID
Stell, Elizabeth
Venue
Dead Sea Discoveries
Publisher
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Published
2022-11-10
Volume
29
Issue
3
Pages
410-437
ISSN
  • 0929-0761 (ISSN-L)
  • 1568-5179
DOI
10.1163/15685179-02903007
OpenAlex
W4309047885
Cited by
2
References
30
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2024: 1
FWCI
1.80
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
Dead Sea Discoveries (publishedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Biblical Studies and Interpretation
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Visual Arts and Performing Arts › Arts and Performance Studies
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies
Keywords
prophetic action, prophecy, nonverbal performance, speech act theory, biography of Muhammad, Second Temple period, ancient Jewish literature

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