The Theological Unity of Obadiah

There is no consensus among scholars concerning the unity of Obadiah. Some scholars are persuaded that the book exhibits unity, while others are persuaded to the contrary. This lack of consensus makes the discussion of Obadianic unity an ongoing debate. This thesis joins this debate by arguing that the book of Obadiah displays a theological unity. Proponents of unity in Obadiah have presented various approaches to support their view. However, the proposal of unity from a theological perspective has not yet been researched. Theological unity may have been adumbrated, but it has not been developed. In-depth research from scholars such as Childs, Moberly, Seitz, Ben Zvi and other eminent scholars in their examination of the books of the Old Testament begins with the final form of the text. To start with the final form does not imply that redactional issues are unimportant, but as Paul House points out: “By definition they cannot be taken as the final point from which to make theological observations”. This Thesis proposes that the book of Obadiah has a theological unity that is both synchronic and diachronic. Its arguments are predicated on an expansive disciplined treatment of the theology of Obadiah, as well as proposals excerpted from a detailed examination of posited models of unity in Obadiah and other prophetic literature by outstanding scholars. I will contend that this research has brought to light new proposals besides unity from a theological perspective that need to be added to the ongoing debate on the unity of Obadiah. These include a) implications of unity or disunity; b) the Masorah of Obadiah; c) and the new proposed audience of Obadiah’s message.