The Liberating Path of the Hebrew Prophets: Then and Now

by Nahum Ward-Lev

Overview

In a time of social turbulence, Nahum Ward-Lev mines Biblical wisdom to illumine a way forward. His book explores the rich territory of liberating social change as articulated by the Hebrew prophets and lived by Biblical persons. Ward-Lev examines the development of these Biblical liberation themes in contemporary prophetic writers including Paulo Freire, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Martin Luther King Jr., and bell hooks. In clarifying practices for the liberation journey, prioritizing reciprocal relationships, engaging in dialogue, exercising social and artistic imagination, and nurturing a love ethic in public life, his book empowers readers of all faiths and backgrounds to see through a prophetic lens and engage in prophetic action.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608337910
Publisher:	Orbis
Publication date:	05/22/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Rabbi Nahum Ward-Lev is a teacher, scholar, and spiritual director. He is the founder and leader of Beit Midrash, a biblically-based, multifaith intensive learning community in Santa Fe, NM. He leads workshops at retreat centers, synagogues, churches and seminaries across the United States.

Table of Contents

Foreword Walter Brueggemann xi

Acknowledgments xv

A Note on Translation xix

Introduction: A Stream Runs through It xxi

Part 1 Prophetic Wisdom for Societal Transformation

1 A Journey in Love 3

2 The Prophets and Deuteronomy: A Societal Revolution 13

3 The Liberation Journey 19

4 The Way of Relationship 31

5 Telling the Essential Story throughout Time 39

6 Headwaters: The Prophetic Stream in Creation 45

7 Journey Partners: God and Abraham 55

8 Rivalry and Resolution in Genesis 65

9 Exodus: A Women's Liberation 79

10 Force and Transformation 87

11 The Reluctant Prophet and the Unprepared People 93

12 Head for the Hills: Origins of the Liberation Journey 99

13 A Scribal Tradition 107

Part 2 Contemporary Reflections on Prophetic Wisdom

14 A Mighty Stream: Contemporary Prophetic Critique 119

15 A Listening Lineage 133

16 We Make the Road by Walking: Life as Journey 137

17 Dialogue Is the Way 145

18 Dialogue against Oppression 155

19 The World Is Built with Love (Ps 89:3) 163

20 Enacting a Love Ethic 169

21 The Exquisite Lightness of Being 179

22 The Art of Stars and Stones 183

23 The Love That Binds Us 199

Appendix A Spiritual Practices for Prophetic Action 205

Appendix B Chapter Reflections 213

Selected Readings 221

Index 227