The lecture begins with an in depth treatment of the introductory matters of the books of Zephaniah, Nahum and Habakkuk. Theological themes in these books also receive a thorough assessment.
As regards to the prophetic book of Zephaniah the following theological themes may be identified: God’s election of Israel, and his kingship in the world, the election of a remnant, religion and ethics and the day of the Lord. On one hand, the book of Zephaniah raises the issue, whether it is a drama or not, on the other hand the person of the prophet Zephaniah raises the issue whether he may be considered a cult prophet. Further topics to be discussed include: power and weakness, Zephaniah and Jeremiah, humility and poverty.
Scholars used to depreciate the book of Nahum, since it lacks the ethical themes of the great prophets. Nonetheless, a closer look at the book shows that it does have an ethical ground for prophecy, which emerges in the judgement on Assyria. Its evil is in effect evil plotted against God. The book of Habakkuk perhaps lends itself more readily for an exploration of theological themes and questions; the following may be mentioned: how can a just God tolerate evil and will the righteous live by faithfulness?