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We now begin the second part of this long course, the Era of the Prophets.

As the Southern Kingdom slipped gently into obscurity, we follow the fortunes of the much larger Northern Kingdom of ISRAEL. It was a long time before it began to prosper because of the constant civil wars caused by several new contenders for the throne. It was in this situation, however, that prophets came to the fore.

Prophecy was a well-known feature of life in many parts of the Ancient Middle Eastern world, attested in documents since the era of Abraham. There were two main types of prophet, the lone 'seers', and the ecstatic groups, both of which have already appeared in the stories of Samuel and Saul. During the 9^th and 8^th centuries BCE, however, they became more prominent, both in Israel and the neighbouring kingdoms. In Israel alone, the two types fused, (see 1 Sam.9.9), and developed into a new and unique phenomenon.

The lone seers were uncomfortable people to live with. They were 'scary', charismatic men of the desert, often ascetics, often hairy and unkempt, men of 'magic' who could effect medical cures, or forecast the weather, interpreters of dreams, seers of visions, and whose utterances were always in carefully composed poetic oracles. (Poetry was the essential hallmark which gave credence to the words as coming from a god). They were also feared because of their proximity to that which was 'Holy', and also because they judged the status quo in comparison with the Law of Moses as inherited from Sinai. People feared the seers' condemnation which took the form of curses, for sickness, blindness and even death.

The ecstatic prophets always functioned in large groups, and were permanently attached either to a religious sanctuary or the royal court. They 'prophesied' by self-induced drugged ecstasy, after much music, and rhythmic dancing. They were seen to be in trances, during which their utterances were uncontrolled, spontaneous shrieks, as if they were 'possessed' by the deity. Always these needed to be interpreted for people. They also read omens, saw visions, and interpreted dreams.

They lived communally, (like 20^th century 'hippies'), men and women together, so there was also ecstatic sex, and 'temple prostitution'. They were good for public entertainment, - but not a good career for one's children!

In Israel these two types existed side by side for many years. As they coalesced into Israel's own prophetic phenomenon, they grew in stature if not in popularity. A prophet's careful poetic utterance beginning with the words, 'Thus says YHWH....', was full of authority; - once uttered, it could not be un-said. One day it would happen! Likewise, acted oracles had the same authoritative inevitability, even though they appeared to be 'magic'..

Their great model and hero was Moses. Their stories focussed on him, and on the miraculous elements of the exodus event, the parting of the Red Sea waters, and the discovering of water and food in the desert, until, in their written 'E-Code' stories, the years in the wilderness took on the form of a Covenant-honeymoon. The Law of Moses was the standard by which they measured Israel. They were rarely ever concerned with other nations.

The Northern Kingdom nearly collapsed altogether, half a century after its breakaway from Judah. King Elah was assassinated while drunk, by Zimri. In the next seven days Zimri exterminated all Elah's family, only to lose out himself . He died in a fire which destroyed the King's house in Tirzah, the makeshift capital. Civil war followed while the farmers elected Tibni to be king but the army had chosen Omri. Two years later, Omri won.

His achievements, together with those of his son, Ahab, changed Israel's fortunes completely. They did for Israel what David and Solomon had achieved for Jerusalem, only more so.

King Omri made peace with his neighbours, particularly Judah, and then with Phoenicia, now under the rule of Ethbaal of Sidon. The peace treaties were sealed with royal marriages, so Jezebel left her sophisticated and luxurious home in Sidon to become the wife of Ahab. Trade flourished again, and the wealth poured in. Soon territorial wars were being fought, and Israel's borders were expanding. Both Omri and Ahab were brilliant soldiers.

The OT records, (edited later in the South), mention very little of all this. Historical knowledge comes from the records of other kingdoms, found by archaeologists. Omri is recorded, in the OT, as the purchaser of a hillside in the centre of Israel where the brand new city of Samaria was built, with its luxurious palace decorated with hundreds of beautifully carved ivory plaques, (discovered in the 1930s), and where the administration of the country was organised. Its new inhabitants were the newly rich, the intelligentia, the civil servants and the socially-upwardly-mobile folk. Omri was succeeded by his son, Ahab, who continued his father's policies very successfully for another 22 years.

No disruption was made to the now-established YHWH-shrines at Dan and Bethel. Omri and Ahab were loyal YHWH-worshippers, but Ahab built a temple for Baal-Melkart, Jezebel's god, for her in Samaria, next to the palace. It was not long before it became the fashion to join Jezebel's celebrations, which were aided with hundreds of baal-prophets and priests from Sidon. It encouraged the re-emergence of baalism among the rural people too. Jezebel was always her father's daughter, and wanted her adopted country to be more like her own. The Biblical editors thought her the very worst person ever to live in Israel, because of her religious influence, and were at a loss to find words bad enough to use for her. .

In 1 Kgs. 17 we meet an independent tradition, of superb story-telling, (probably preserved in the memory and records of the prophetic 'Guilds'), which has been incorporated into the Bible, without any hint of Deuteronomic editing.

Without any warning, the hairy prophet appeared from across the Jordan, the YHWH-champion known as Elijah, (El -his god- is Jah), and confronted King Ahab with his oracle, that there would be a drought in Israel. This was a serious challenge to the baal devotees for they believed it was the baals which controlled the weather. The prophet had spoken, however, and no rain fell for three years. In the intervening time the stories tell of Elijah being fed by ravens, and then by the widow of Zarephath whose provisions never ended, and whose son Elijah restored to life. On his return to Israel, where water was in very short supply and the grass all dried up, Elijah delivered his challenge to find out which god, Baal or YHWH, had power and control in Israel.

The event is dramatically told in 1 Kgs.18. It took place on Mt.Carmel, on the border between Israel and Phoenicia. On the mountain the baal-prophets agreed to set up their sacrificial altar with everything except the fire, and Elijah would do the same for YHWH. In turn they would each pray to their god to show his power in the sending of fire to light the sacrifice. The baal prophets tried first, all morning until the heat of noon, making music, circle-dancing, and cutting themselves in their ecstasies, all to no avail. Elijah taunted them with great glee. In his turn Elijah even doused his sacrificial bull with water! (even in a drought, and on top of the mountain!). When he prayed to YHWH, however, without any frenzy, fire fell from the sky. Everyone there was suddenly convinced again, that YHWH was the God for Israel, and the reaction was so great that all the baal-prophets were killed.

Soon afterwards Elijah was able to pronounce the end of the drought, and the arrival of rain. In his exhilaration, at the end of such a day, Elijah 'ran' in front of Ahab's chariot, all the way back to Jezreel, where Ahab had his family-estates.

Jezebel was horrified when she heard what had happened, and threatened revenge on Elijah. When he heard, he was emotionally exhausted, and ran away from her threats. He quickly went southwards, and could only think of getting back to the origins of his prophetic faith in YHWH, back to the mountain of Moses at Sinai, also known as Horeb. Halfway there at Beersheba, the storyteller says, he was fed by angels to strengthen him on his way.

(to be continued, next time!)