The Book Of Joel Is A Negative Impact On Christians And...

Introduction The book of Joel is one of the shortest books in the Old Testament, yet it is has had a widespread impact on Christians and their theology from the time it was written right through history to the people of today. The fact that Joel is labelled as a minor prophet substantially discounts from the great impact that his words have, not only on the New Testament writers, with many of them directly quoting or alluding to his words, but also on the Church today. The book of Joel is widely accepted as being written after the conclusion of the Babylonian exile , although some scholars still argue a pre-exilic dating on Joel’s work and lifetime. Nevertheless, according to the majority, Joel’s writing falls in a time of devastation amidst a locust plague, drought and a period of diaspora caused by the exile wherein many of the Jews were dispersed from their homeland. The book of Joel takes the form of apocalyptic literature: writing that is full of symbolism and cod e. This form of writing is also applied in the books of Daniel and Revelation. However, if we take a deeper inspection of the writing of Joel, amidst the symbolism and prophetic language, the fundamental themes of the biblical story are portrayed: the people’s separation from God, their need for repentance, and God’s redeeming grace, also known as â€Å"the Day of the Lord†. Through the eyes of Joel, as he lives through this epoch of great desperation, we see the theme of â€Å"the Day of the Lord† as beingShow MoreRelatedSda Manual Essay101191 Words   |  405 Pagesindicated, all Bible texts are from the King James Version. Scripture quotations marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible, copyright  © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Texts credited to NEB are from The New English Bible.  © The Delegates of the Oxford University Press and the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press 1961, 1970. Reprinted by permission. Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International