The Prophetic Imagination, 2nd
Edition by Walter Brueggemann
Paperback Theology's Review Of The Prophetic Imagination
In this challenging and enlightening treatment, Brueggemann traces the
lines from the radical vision of Moses to the solidification of royal power in
Solomon to the prophetic critique of that power with a new vision of
freedom in the prophets. Here he traces the broad sweep from Exodus to
Kings to Jeremiah to Jesus. He highlights that the prophetic vision not only
embraces the pain of the people but creates an energy and amazement
based on the new thing that God is doing. In this new edition,
Brueggemann has completely revised the text, updated the notes, and
added a new preface. Contents
--Preface
--The Alternative Community of Moses
--The Royal Consciousness: Countering the Counter-Culture

--Prophetic Criticizing and the Embrace of Pain
--Prophetic Energizing and the Emergence of Amazement
--Criticism and Pathos in Jesus of Nazareth
--Energizing and Amazement in Jesus of Nazareth
--A Note on the Practice of Ministry
Personal Review: The Prophetic Imagination, 2nd Edition by
Walter Brueggemann
The Prophetic Imagination is a profound and illuminating book, applying
observations of the socio-political tensions in the Biblical narrative, and
touching on human psychology. The observations, then, facilitate a close
comparison of the imperial critique found within scripture and that of
present consumerist society; This book effectively extends the imperial
critique found in scripture to the present day empire. In doing so,
Brueggeman nicely demonstrates the kind of message that needs to be
heard today. Brueggeman uses the condition and the message found in
the biblical narrative from Moses and the Exodus, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and
Jesus to demonstrate what kind of message this can be.
This book is insightful and well-written, and I think it may have the affect of
reinforcing interest in reading the Old Testament. I would highly
recommend this book.
The following is a summery of the major points made in the text. It should
be mentioned that I pulled these references from the 1978 version.
In The Prophetic Imagination, Walter Brueggemann's review of the Old
Testament narrative leads him to recognize general characteristics of the
imperial consciousness, and in the prophet's task to "evoke a
consciousness and perception alternative to the consciousness and
perception of the dominant culture around us."(13) The world of empire,
according to Brueggemann, is sustained by three interconnected elements:
The Economy of Affluence, Politics of Oppression, and the Religion of
Imminence (that is, domestication of God). Hence, the empire ignores
God's freedom (that God cannot be domesticated) and his justice (his
advocacy of the oppressed). The royal consciousness, then, leads people
to apathy about suffering and death, and despair about power to new life.
The task of the prophet is to subvert this royal consciousness.
First, consider apathy. The royal consciousness is upheld by an overall
acceptance of immediate satiation. Therefore Brueggemann argues that
the "royal consciousness leads people to numbness, especially to
numbness about death. It is the task of the prophetic ministry and the
imagination to bring people to engage their experiences of suffering to

death."(46) The culture of immediate satiation is necessary to avoid the
existential pain and struggle. The royal consciousness is concerned with
an eternal now - it therefore denies the many dimensions of existence,
exchanging concerns about experience with concerns about behavior
(conformity over confrontation). "In the Christian tradition," writes
Brueggemann, "having been co-opted by the king, we are tempted to
legitamate the denial by offering cross-less good news and a future well-
being without a present anguish. Such a religion serves the king well, for
he imagines he is still king. He imagines that he can manage and that his
little sand castle will endure (if you pardon the phrase) forever." That is,
the life upheld by the empire is an illusion, advocating lies about self and
neighbor. The task of the porphetic imagination, then, is "to cut through
the numbness, to penetrate self deception, so that the God of endings is
confessed as Lord."(49) The propeht addresses the pain and suffering the
royal consciousness ignores. Criticism of the royal conscioussness is
found in crying - the cry of those who are "paying attention" and
understand that the empire will end.
Brueggemann sites Jeremiah as a 'criticising prophet.' While there is a
time to mourn and a time to dance - Judah does not know what time it is:
Even the stork in the heavens knows her times;
and the turtledove, swallow, and craine
keep of their coming;
but my people know not the ordinance of the Lord. (Jer. 8.7; cf. 4.22)
Jerimiah continues to evoke metaphores depicting Judah's ignorance of
her own ruin. This is an example that recognizes that "The riddle and
insight of biblical faith is the awareness that only angusih leads to life, only
grieving leads to joy, and only embraced endings permit new
beginnings."(60)
Second, consider despair. "The royal conscoiussness leads people to
depair about the power to new life. It is the task of the prophetic
imagination and ministry to bring people to engage the promise of
newness that is at work in our history with God." The dual task of the
prophet is, on the one hand, to bring us to face our suffering unto death
and, on the other hand, to bring us to the rejoicing of hope. "Numb people
do not discern or fear death. Conversely, despairing people do not
anticipate or receive newness."(62-63) This is how the happiness of
satiation is replaced with the joy of hope. The gospel is presented to the
prosperous by helping them face their own mortality and pain, and only in
that context the prosperous can know the real good news is not in denial or
despair, but in hope of new life amoung the dead.
Brueggemann sees Second Isaiah as the prophet bringing hope to a
people in despair: "Whereas Jeremiah tried to penetrate the numbness,
Second Isaiah had to deal with despair. Both had to speak out of Moses'
liberating tradition against the royal mentality that would not let people

grieve or hope."(72) Isaiah does this with doxology. While "Lament is the
loss of true kingship," doxology is the "faithful embrace of the true king and
the rejection of all the phony ones."(73) Doxology involves a return to
remembering God's faithfulness. God is remembered not as one who is
carried around, or is only present under certain socio-poliitical conditions.
God's power and freedom brings him to those in exile:
Hearken to me, O house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been borne by me from your birth,
carried from the womb;...
I have made, and I will bear;
I will carry and will save... (Is. 46.3-4; cf. 43.22-24)
The Empire wants to transcend history and does not want to hear of new
times, yet the exilers rejoice that God is "doing a new thing." God is free to
do this. This God of newness is a source of energy and inspiration,
representing hope that is not generated but given.
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