Abstract
On the basis of a Bakhtinian analysis, I propose that Haggai-Zechariah 1-8 is a single text and, as such, is a prophetic parody of the chronicles. The group of Russian literary theorists, known as the 'Bakhtin Circle', proposed an illuminating way of analyzing a text that involves examining the literary conceptualization of time and space, that is, the chronotope. A comparison of the chronotopes of the chronicles and Haggai-Zechariah 1-8 reveals that Haggai-Zechariah 1-8 transforms and critiques the world view of the chronicles. The world view of the chronicles pre served and legitimated the political authority of the monarchy. The composer of Haggai-Zechariah 1-8 subverts that authority by emphasizing the necessity of obeying the prophetic word of Yahweh Sabaoth.
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