From the earliest period of Jewish national history, the litera-
ture which was produced by prophets, priests, and other writers
reflects a profound optimism for the future. In spite of all the
hardships, disappointments, and political disaster which over-
took the nation from time to time, there was always a hope that
someday better times would come. With the possible exception
of Amos and a few others who may have shared his view, the
catastrophes which fell upon the Israelite people were only a
prelude to a time when their troubles would be over and their
national hopes realized. This period of their triumph was
always associated with the idea of the fulfilment of the divine
purpose and no loyal worshiper of Yahweh could ever doubt
that someday this would come to pass.

The course of Hebrew history throughout the centuries did
not meet these expectations. One disaster was followed by
another and whenever they thought the time had arrived for
their fortunes to change some new catastrophe would overtake
them. Finally, as a result of these many unfortunate experi-
ences, a new type of thinking and a new form of literature
began to emerge. Men began to lose confidence in their ability
to do anything which might hasten the coming of a new and
better order of things. They came to the conclusion that their
own future as well as that of the other nations was in the hands
of Yahweh and there was little or nothing that they could do
about it. In his own time Yahweh would intervene and bring
about the transformation that would realize the Jewish hopes
for their own future, and an appropriate punishment for the
nations which had stood in the way of Israel's progress. In

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