Biblical Bibliographies
Charles Conroy [www.cjconroy.net]



Prophets in the Light of Human Sciences, II:
Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, Sociology



[see also:  Prophets: Psychological Aspects]



The bibliography is divided into two sections as follows:

I.    Anthropological and sociological studies bearing on prophecy

Benjamin, D. C., "An Anthropology of Prophecy", BTB 21 (1991) 134-144.

Blenkinsopp, J., "The Social Roles of Prophets in Early Achaemenid Judah", JSOT 93 (2001) 39-58. Reprinted in J. Blenkinsopp, Essays on Judaism in the Pre-Hellenistic Period (BZAW 495; Berlin: De Gruyter, 2017) 178-191.

Brown, J. P., "The Mediterranean Seer and Shamanism", ZAW 93 (1981) 374-400.

Burridge, K. O. L., "Reflections on Prophecy and Prophetic Groups", in R. C. Culley – T. W. Overholt (eds.), Anthropological Perspectives in the Study of Old Testament Prophecy (Semeia 21; Chico, CA: Scholars, 1981) 99-102.

Buss, M. J., "The Social Psychology of Prophecy", in J. A. Emerton (ed.), Prophecy. Essays Presented to Georg Fohrer on his sixty-fifth birthday, 6 September 1980 (BZAW 150; Berlin: De Gruyter, 1980) 1-11.

Buss, M. J., "An Anthropological Perspective upon Prophetic Call Narratives", in R. C. Culley – T. W. Overholt (eds.), Anthropological Perspectives in the Study of Old Testament Prophecy (Semeia 21; Chico, CA: Scholars, 1981) 9-30. Reprinted in M. J. Buss, Toward Understanding the Hebrew Canon: A Form-Critical Approach (Hebrew Bible Monographs, 61; Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2013) 97-110.

Buss, M. J., "On Social and Individual Aspects of Prophecy", Semeia 21 (1981) 121-123.

Carroll, R. P., "Prophecy and Society", in R. E. Clements (ed.), The World of Ancient Israel. Sociological, Anthropological and Political Perspectives. Essays by Members of the Society for Old Testament Study (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989) 203-225.

Carroll, R. P., "Whose Prophet? Whose History? Whose Social Reality? Troubling the Interpretive Community Again: Notes towards a Response to T. W. Overholt's Critique", JSOT 48 (1990) 33-49; = [same title], in P. R. Davies (ed.), The Prophets (The Biblical Seminar, 42; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996) 87-101. [see below for Overholt's article]

Closs, A., "Prophetismus und Schamanismus aus der religionsethnologischen Perspektive", Kairos 14 (1972) 200-213.

Closs, A., "Prophet", in Sacerdoce et prophétie dans le Christianisme et les autres religions / Priesthood and Prophecy in Christianity and Other Religions (Studia Missionalia, 22; Roma: Università Gregoriana Editrice, 1973) 15-30.

Craffert, P. F., "Shamanism and the Shamanic Complex", BTB 41 (2011) 151-161.

Culley, R. C. – T. W. Overholt (eds.), Anthropological Perspectives in the Study of Old Testament Prophecy (Semeia 21; Chico, CA: Scholars, 1981).

Gottwald, N. K., "Problems and Promises in the Comparative Analysis of Religious Phenomena", in R. C. Culley – T. W. Overholt (eds.), Anthropological Perspectives in the Study of Old Testament Prophecy (Semeia 21; Chico, CA: Scholars, 1981) 103-112.

Grabbe, L. L., "Prophets, Priests, Diviners and Sages in Ancient Israel", in H. A. McKay – D. J. A. Clines (eds.), Of Prophets' Visions and the Wisdom of Sages. Essays in Honour of R. Norman Whybray on his Seventieth Birthday (JSOTSup 162; Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1993) 43-62.

Grabbe, L. L., Priests, Prophets, Diviners, Sages: A Socio-Historical Study of Religious Specialists in Ancient Israel (Valley Forge, PA: Trinity Press, 1995).

Grabbe, L. L., "Shaman, Preacher, or Spirit Medium? The Israelite Prophet in the Light of Anthropological Models", in J. Day (ed.), Prophecy and the Prophets in Ancient Israel: Proceedings of the Oxford Old Testament Seminar (LHB/OTS 531; London & New York, T & T Clark International, 2010) 117-132.

Grabbe, L. L., 'The Spirit of the Lord Came upon Me': Prophets in Ancient Israel from a Cross-Cultural Perspective (LHB/OTS 738; London & New York: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2024).

Hobbs, T. R., "The Search for Prophetic Consciousness: Comments on Method", BTB 15 (1985) 136-141.

Jepsen, A., Nabi. Soziologische Studien zur alttestamentlichen Literatur und Religionsgeschichte (München: Beck, 1934).

Kselman, J. S., "The Social World of the Israelite Prophets: A Review Article", Religious Studies Review 11 (1985) 120-129.

Lang, B., "Israelitische Prophetie im Licht von Sundéns Rollenpsychologie", Archiv für Religionspsychologie 14 (1980) 19-27.

Lang, B., "Wie wird man Prophet in Israel?", in his Wie wird man Prophet in Israel? Aufsätze zum Alten Testament (Düsseldorf: Patmos, 1980) 31-58. Revised English version: "The Making of Prophets in Israel", in his Monotheism and the Prophetic Minority: An Essay in Biblical History and Sociology (Social World of Biblical Antiquity, 1; Sheffield: The Almond Press, 1983) 92-113 (with notes on pp. 164-166).

Lang, B., "Israelitische Prophetie und Rollenpsychologie", in B. Gladigow – H. G. Kippenberg (eds.), Neue Ansätze in der Religionswissenschaft (Forum Religionswissenschaft, 4; München: Kösel, 1983) 175-197.

Lang, B., "Old Testament and Anthropology: A Preliminary Bibliography", BN 20 (1983) 37-46.

Lang, B. (ed.), Anthropological Approaches to the Old Testament (Issues in Religion and Theology, 8; Philadelphia: Fortress; London: SPCK, 1985).

Lemche, N. P., "Sociology and Prophetical Literature", in N. P. Lemche, If I Forget You, Jerusalem! Studies on the Old Testament (Discourses in Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Studies; Sheffield: Equinox, 2024) 119-129.

Lewis, I. M., "Prophets and their Publics", in R. C. Culley – T. W. Overholt (eds.), Anthropological Perspectives in the Study of Old Testament Prophecy (Semeia 21; Chico, CA: Scholars, 1981) 113-117.

Long, B. O., "The Social Setting for Prophetic Miracle Stories", Semeia 3 (1975) 46-63.

Long, B. O., "Prophetic Authority as Social Reality", in G. W. Coats – B. O. Long (eds.), Canon and Authority. Essays in Old Testament Religion and Theology (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1977) 3-20.

Long, B. O., "Social Dimensions of Prophetic Conflict", in R. C. Culley – T. W. Overholt (eds.), Anthropological Perspectives in the Study of Old Testament Prophecy (Semeia 21; Chico, CA: Scholars, 1981) 31-53.

Matthews, V. H. – D. C. Benjamin, Social World of Ancient Israel (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1993) 211-226 [= Chap. 16 "The Prophet"]

Matthews, V. H., Social World of the Hebrew Prophets (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2001).

Mayes, A. D. H., The Old Testament in Sociological Perspective (London: Marshall, Morgan and Scott, 1989).

Mayes, A. D. H., "Prophets and Society in Israel", in H. A. McKay – D. J. A. Clines (eds.), Of Prophets' Visions and the Wisdom of Sages. Essays in Honour of R. Norman Whybray on his Seventieth Birthday (JSOTSup 162; Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1993) 43-62.

Miller, R. D., "Shamanism in Early Israel", Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes 101 (2011) 309-341.

Nissinen, M., "Why Prophets Are (Not) Shamans?", VT 70 (2020) 124-139.

Oberforcher, R., "Soziale Rollenbilder in der alttestamentlichen Prophetie", Protokolle zur Bibel 2 (1993) 121-143.

Oesch, J. M., "Sozialgeschichtliche Auslegung des Alten Testaments. Ein forschungsgeschichtlicher Überblick", Protokolle zur Bibel 1 (1992) 3-22.

Overholt, T. W., "Commanding the Prophets: Amos and the Problem of Prophetic Authority", CBQ41 (1979) 517-532.

Overholt, T. W., "Prophecy: The Problem of Cross-Cultural Comparison", in R. C. Culley – T. W. Overholt (eds.), Anthropological Perspectives in the Study of Old Testament Prophecy (Semeia 21; Chico, CA: Scholars, 1981) 55-78.

Overholt, T. W., "Seeing is Believing: The Social Setting of Prophetic Acts of Power", JSOT 23 (1982) 3-31.

Overholt, T. W., "Thoughts on the Use of 'Charisma' in O.T. Studies", in W. B. Barrick – J. R. Spencer (eds.), In the Shelter of Elyon. Essays on Ancient Palestinian Life and Literature in Honor of G. W. Ahlström (JSOTSup 31; Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1984) 287-303.

Overholt, T. W., Prophecy in Cross-Cultural Perspectives: A Sourcebook for Biblical Researchers (SBL Sources for Bible Study, 17; Atlanta, GA: Scholars, 1986).

Overholt, T. W., Channels of Prophecy: The Social Dynamics of Prophetic Activity (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 1989).

Overholt, T. W., "Prophecy in History: The Social Reality of Intermediation", JSOT 48 (1990) 3-29; = [same title], in P. R. Davies (ed.), The Prophets (The Biblical Seminar, 42; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996) 61-84.

Overholt, T. W., "'It Is Difficult to Read'", JSOT 48 (1990) 51-54; = [same title], in P. R. Davies (ed.), The Prophets (The Biblical Seminar, 42; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996) 102-105.

Overholt, T. W., Cultural Anthropology and the Old Testament (Guides to Biblical Scholarship, OT Series; Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996).

Petersen, D. L., The Roles of Israel's Prophets (JSOTSup 17; Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1981).

Petersen, D. L., "Introduction: Ways of Thinking about Israel's Prophets", in D. L. Petersen (ed.), Prophecy in Israel: Search for an Identity (Issues in Religion and Theology, 10; Philadelphia: Fortress; London: SCM, 1987) 1-21.

Rodd, C. S., "On Applying a Sociological Theory to Biblical Studies", JSOT 19 (1981) 95-106.

Rogerson, J. W., "Structural Anthropology and the Old Testament", BSOAS 33 (1970) 490-500.

Rogerson, J. W., Anthropology and the Old Testament (Growing Points in Theology; Oxford: Blackwell; Atlanta: John Knox, 1978); = Antropologia e Antico Testamento. Introduzione di C. Grottanelli ("Dabar" – Studi biblici e giudaici, 2; Casale Monferrato: Marietti, 1984).

Rogerson, J. W., "The Use of Sociology in Old Testament Studies", in J. A. Emerton (ed.), Congress Volume. Salamanca 1983 (VTSup 36; Leiden: Brill, 1985) 245-256.

Rogerson, J. W., "Anthropology and the Old Testament", PIBA 10 (1986) 90-102.

Sundén, H., Die Religion and die Rollen. Eine psychologische Untersuchung der Frömmigkeit (Berlin: Töpelmann, 1966).

Utzschneider, H., Hosea, Prophet vor dem Ende. Zum Verhältnis von Geschichte und Institution in der alttestamentlichen Prophetie (OBO 31; Freiburg, Schweiz: Universitätsverlag; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1980).

Williams, J., "The Social Location of Israelite Prophecy", JAAR 37 (1969) 153-165.

Wilson, R. R., "Prophecy and Society in Ancient Israel: The Present State of the Inquiry", in P. J. Achtemeier (ed.), Society of Biblical Literature 1977 Seminar Papers (SBLSP 11; Missoula, MT: Scholars, 1977) 341-358.

Wilson, R. R., "Early Israelite Prophecy", Int 32 (1978) 3-16.

Wilson, R. R., "Anthropology and the Study of the Old Testament", Union Seminary Quarterly Review 34 (1978/79) 175-181.

Wilson, R. R., Prophecy and Society in Ancient Israel (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1980).

Wilson, R. R., Sociological Approaches to the Old Testament (Guides to Biblical Scholarship: Old Testament Guides; Philadelphia: Fortress, 1984).

Wolff, H. W., "Prophet und Institution im AT", in T. Rendtorff (ed.), Charisma und Institution (Gütersloh: Mohn, 1985) 87-101.

II.    Max Weber (1864-1920) on Judaism and discussion around his work

1.   Weber on ancient Judaism

Weber, M. , Gesammelte Aufsätze zur Religionssoziologie, III: Das antike Judentum (Tübingen: Mohr [Siebeck], 1921); = Ancient Judaism (Glencoe, IL: The Free Press, 1952) [reprinted (New York: The Free Press; London: Collier-Macmillan, 1967)]; = Le judaïsme antique (Études de sociologie de la religion, 3 / Recherches en sciences humaines, 31; Paris: Librairie Plon, 1970).

Weber, Max, Die Wirtschaftsethik der Weltreligionen – Das antike Judentum; Schriften und Reden 1911-1920. Herausgegeben von Eckart Otto, unter Mitwirkung von Julia Offermann. 2 vol. (Max Weber Gesamtausgabe, 21; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2005). A Studienausgabe (without the scholarly apparatus) was published in the series "Max Weber Studienausgabe, 21/I" (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2008).

2.   Discussion of Weber's work (particularly with regard to prophecy)

Berger, P. L., "Charisma and Religious Innovation: The Social Location of Israelite Prophecy", American Sociological Review 28 (1963) 940-950.

Clements, R. E., "Max Weber, Charisma and Biblical Prophecy", in Y. Gitay (ed.), Prophecy and Prophets: The Diversity of Contemporary Issues in Scholarship (Semeia Studies; Atlanta, GA: Scholars, 1997) 89-108.

Eisenstadt, S. N. (ed.), Max Weber on Charisma and Institution Building: Selected Papers. With an introduction by S. N. Eisenstadt (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1968).

Holstein, J. A., "Max Weber and Biblical Scholarship", HUCA 46 (1975) 159-179.

Lang, B., "Max Weber und Israels Propheten. Eine kritische Stellungnahme", ZRGG 36 (1984) 156-165.

Mayes, A. D. H., "Idealism and Materialism in Weber and Gottwald", PIBA 11 (1988) 44-58.

Otto, E., "Hat Max Webers Religionssoziologie des antiken Judentums Bedeutung für eine Theologie des Alten Testaments?", ZAW 94 (1982) 187-203.

Otto, E., Max Webers Studien des antiken Judentums: historische Grundlegung einer Theorie der Moderne (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2002).

Petersen, D. L., "Max Weber and the Sociological Study of Ancient Israel", in H. Johnson (ed.), Religious Change and Continuity (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1979) 117-149.

Raphaël, F., "Max Weber et le judaïsme antique", Archives européennes de sociologie 11 (1971) 297-336. [on prophets esp. 309-318]

Rodd, C. S., "Max Weber and Ancient Judaism", SJT 32 (1979) 457-469.

Schäfer-Lichtenberger, C., Stadt und Eidgenossenschaft im Alten Testament. Eine Auseinandersetzung mit Max Webers Studie "Das antike Judentum" (BZAW 156; Berlin: De Gruyter, 1983).

Schäfer-Lichtenberger, C., "The Pariah: Some Thoughts on the Genesis and Presuppositions of Max Weber's Ancient Judaism", JSOT 51 (1991) 85-113.

Schluchter, W. (ed.), Max Webers Studie über das antike Judentum. Interpretation und Kritik (Suhrkamp-Taschenbuch Wissenschaft, 340; Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp, 1981).