Zusammenfassung
There are intimations in the prophetic traditions of an
awareness of a delay in the realisation of future expectations. The
analysis of three specific examples shows that this awareness was
responded to by continued assertions that the expectations would be
realised imminently. Delay is only posited in order to be denied. The
texts may be seen as interpretative attempts to deal with a growing
problem in Judean society in relation to prophetic beliefs. The defence of
the expectations probably had a cultic context which protected the
predictions from being falsified by a strong awareness of delay in their
fulfilment. j.
Nutzer