Bridging the Times: Trends in Micah Studies since 1985

Abstract

Scholars continue to respond to Willis's foundational work of the 1960s, and to each other, using a variety of classical and new methodologies to treat questions of unity, coherence, theme, and other aspects of the book of Micah. Sampling works that use literary criticism, text criticism, form criticism, historical criticism, tradition criticism, redaction criticism, rhetorical criticism, feminist and womanist approaches, canonical and intertextual approaches, and inter-disciplinary approaches, as well as innovative combinations of these (both multi-critical and multi-disciplinary), this article follows the progress of methodological trends in Micah scholarship from the 1980s to the present. These trends have generated new questions regarding ideological concepts such as justice; class differences and power; and the book's use in the church.