Confucianism And Its Influence On Society - 2178 Words

Confucianism can be regarded as a religion, a belief, a way of ruling and a basis for laying the ground rules for the East Asian countries. Confucianism had gone through so many transformations and has been affected by many religions and dynasties. Many dynasties have adapted the ways of Confucianism, which state that there is a connection between humans and heaven. However, as time progressed, religions such as Buddhism and Daoism also adapted the ways of Confucianism, but they changed some of its ways, leading to new form of this learning. The Buddhists and the Daoists changed and adapted their philosophies based on Confucian views towards the universe and the society, as well as stripping their own belief from superstitions and myths. These lead to a new learning of Confucianism, called the Neo-Confucianism, referred to as Dao Xue (the Learning of the Way) or Li Xue (the Learning of the Principle/Reason) (Yau 8). Neo-Confucianism was adopted into Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese schools. While it was mentioned that it was mostly Buddhism that lead to new changes in Confucianism, other religions played an important role in adapting and changing the method as well and were adopted by different Asian countries. The Christian approach towards Neo-Confucianism was mostly practiced around Korea, China, And Vietnam; the Islamic adaptation was practiced in other parts of China as well as Central Asia; and Neo-Buddhism approach was practiced in parts of Japan and Chine. AccordingShow MoreRelatedConfucianism Of Han Chin Synthesis And Syncretion1581 Words   |  7 PagesTerm Paper Draft Naresh Hing INT 196J 14 November 2014 Confucianism in Han China – Synthesis and Syncretion Abstract: The American Oriental Society suggests that historians consider the fall of the Han Dynasty in negative perspective, viewing the fall of the Han Dynasty as â€Å"the failure of Confucian ethics.† After scrutinizing the available information, one is led to think otherwise. The studies of Confucian traditions are mostly approached by historical and philosophical views. Based on the ChineseRead MoreConfucianism : A Great Chinese Thinker And Philosopher Who Lived During The Warring States1206 Words   |  5 PagesSarthak Singh Mr Rainey 18 June 2015 Ancient China Confucianism Who was Confucius? Confucius was a great Chinese thinker and philosopher who lived during the Warring States Period from 551-479 BCE. He was born in 551 BC, in Zou, Lu state in a family that was in between common people and aristocrats. He never held a high-class job, only working as a shepherd, cowherd, clerk, and a book-keeper. His mother died when he was 23 and he then mourned for three years, an Ancient Chinese tradition. LuRead MoreInfluences of China Essay698 Words   |  3 Pages Daoism, Confucianism, and Legalism To understand China’s current government you need to look at its influences. Daoism involves a deep acceptance of the rhythms of nature and the way of all things (World Religions); which effects people’s personal beliefs and is one of China’s main religions. Confucianism helped pave the way for communism and still is a powerful philosophy today. The ideas of Legalism directly affect the Chinese government. 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ThereforeRead MoreJapanese And Japan s Influence On Chinese Culture751 Words   |  4 Pagescultivated due to their isolation as an island nation. However, while Japanese civilization is a highly distinctive society, it also has strong ties to Chinese culture. In fact, as early as the first century A.D., the people of Japan were sending missions to China; they established a tr ade and tribute based relationship. This initial relationship gave way to the later Chinese influence that would shape Japan. From these encounters, and maybe even from before, the Japanese developed a writing systemRead MoreConfucianism, Daoism, and Legalism976 Words   |  4 Pagesa variety of methods – Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism to name a few. Each philosophy had its own set of rules of how people should act both in public and privately. The overall goal of each philosophy was to set a standard of acceptable living that would ensure harmony and success for the society. However, each was different and thus had different results. The best way for the people of China to succeed in a harmonious, respectable society occurred when both Confucianism and Legalism were combinedRead MoreWork of the Christian Missionaries: Converting China to Christianity1392 Words   |  6 PagesThe Christian missionaries knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Going to China at the time was a one way trip to an unknown land. The task of converting China to Christianity was rife with challenges due to continued resistance to any sort of outside influence that was a tradition of China for many years. Never-the-less the missionaries still went to China and by leveraging what advantages they could find, they were able to find some measure of success over the years. One of the men who made so muchRead MoreSimilarities and Differences between Confucianism in China and Hinduism in India1504 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿ Confucianism originated in China by Confucius around the year 400 B.C.E. (faithresource.com†¦). Hinduism was brought to India by the Aryans around the year 1500 B.C.E. (janesvilleparker.org†¦). Although these two belief systems originated at different times they still share many similarities as well as many differences. Confucianism and Hinduism are two religions that shared many similarities. Such similarities are the idea that both were used as an outline for the way one should live his/her

Reason For Transcribing Why Augustus Did Not Write This...

Reason for Transcribing There are two potential reasons as to why Augustus may have chosen to write this text. The Res Gestae is said to hypothetically be an elogium, or a formal funeral oration. Since it is known Augustus died in 14 AD and the Res Gestae was written just before his passing, it leads one to believe he may have written the text as an autobiographically styled documentation of his rule and contributions. There is also a historical possibility Augustus did not write this in his â€Å"seventy-sixth year,† but rather after his seventy-fifth birthday due to the last recorded events in the passage (Richardson, 198). Although historians debate this issue, what remains clear is that, â€Å"[†¦] the final version was what Augustus, as he approached his death, wished to hand in as his own account of what he had achieved† (Richardson, 198). As Romans placed a large amount of emphasis on glory, it is possible Augustus intended the Res Gestae to be permanent, en during evidence of his glorious achievements while being the Imperial ruler. This primary source served to be a compiled record of his offices, honors, and public services in a distinguished and foreseeable fashion, demonstrating the ways in which he outshined prodigious leaders of the past. Others argue the reason Augustus took to writing the Res Gestae was to actually rewrite history for his own purposes. In this regard, it could be debated that Augustus, with significant proficiency in propaganda, offered the facts in

Accounting for Intermediate Financial Management - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theAccounting for Intermediate Financial Management. Answer: Debt Valuation Short-term and long-term debts The long-term debts are those that are due for a period exceeding 12 months. In the case of Medical Australia Limited, the long-term debt comprises of trade creditors and payables. The non-current liabilities are the obligations and for the company, it is the long-term debt as they are not due in the present course of time. On the other hand, the short-term debt comprises of the debts that are due in a short course of time that is within a span of 12 months. The current liabilities of the company such as trade creditors, income in advance, payroll liabilities, accruals, etc are the short-term debts. Debt structure The debt structure of the company can be commented with the help of debt-equity ratio. As per standard industrial norms, the debt-equity ratio should not exceed 1. This means that a higher reliance on the debt will affect the performance of the company as more interest payment will be required. As per the computation of the ratio, it can be seen that the debt-equity of the company stands below 0.50 that means it is in synchronization with the industrial standards as the company does not contain a major reliance on debt. Proportion of short-term to long-term debts When it comes to the short-term debts it can be said that the company has utilized more of short-term debts. This implies the company operates with a motto of better operation in the short-term. Such debts are due for payment in a span of 12 months and hence, the company does not have the obligation of the longer term. On the contrary, the long-term debt comprises of the trade payable and provisions that decreased in comparison to the year 2015. This reflects that the company has more involvement in terms of current liabilities in contrast to the long-term liabilities (Medical Australia Limited, 2016). No long-term debt Share Valuation Calculation of Cost of Equity: As other details are not available, we shall calculate Cost of Equity using Earnings Price Ratio Approach an under: Cost of Equity = Current EPS * (1+ growth rate)/ Current Market Price per share = 0.30 cents (1+ 0%) / 0.50 cents = 60 % Growth rate of EPS is negative, hence taken at zero. Revenue, earning, EPS The revenue of the company has been showing increasing trends since past years. This can be seen from the revenue figures in the financial statements of the company. With regard to the changes in revenue earnings, EPS, dividends and growth expectations, following facts can be considered: Revenue - the revenue for the year ending 30th June 2016 have shown an impressive growth as compared to the revenue earnings for the year ending 30th June 2015. The revenue for the year ending 30th June 2016 was $ 12,419,938 as compared to $ 11,510,774 for the year ending 30th June 2015. The growth in revenue earnings has been approximately 8% (Medical Australia Limited, 2016). Earning- There was no foreign exchange gain in the year ending June 2016. Also, the expenses for the year 2016 have increased as compared to the year 2015 which has reduced the net profits by more than 70 %. The major reason behind the decrease in profits is due to increase in employee benefits and increase in the cost of goods sold. Despite the fact, the sale has increased by 8%, but the cost of goods sold has increased by more than 20%. So all of this has reduced the profits or PBIT to $ 3,85,251 (Medical Australia Limited, 2016). EPS has gone down drastically in the year 2016 as compared to the year 2015 because EPS in the year 2016 was (3.24)cents which shows that there has been an overall loss in the business. One of the positive signs are EPS calculated as per the continuing business which stands at 0.30 cents. Although this has also reduced around 70% from the year 2015 where the EPS was 1.04 cents per share. Dividends- Dividend have not been declared during the year, hence no comments can be added for the same. Growth expectations- the business is expected to grow at a minimum of 8% as per the growth trends of the business. However, there has to be a check on two things mainly- the cost of goods sold and employee benefits (Parrino et. al, 2012). P/E Approach P/E ratio depicts the price which an investor can pay to invest in a company for earning the P/E Ratio = Market Price per Share/ Earnings per Share Market Value per share as on 30th June 2016 was 0.05 AUD Earnings per share as on 30th June 2016 was 0.03 AUD or 0.30 cents (Medical Australia Limited, 2016) Hence, P/E Ratio = 0.05/ 0.03 = 1.667 times Constant dividend Growth rate model cannot be calculated here as the company has not declared any dividend during the year (Parrino et. al, 2012). There are various factors that influence a companys stock price such as: Mergers acquisitions Change in demand for the products Reviews and rumors about the company Political changes There are varied reasons for changes in share price. In the P/E Approach model, the reason for the change in share price may be due to the decrease in profits and earnings per share of the company due to which the market prices of the shares may go down. If we talk about the dividend growth model, the share price can be affected in future due to no declaration or low declaration of dividends to the shareholders (Scapens, 2012). Most reasonable The earnings per share as shown in P/E Ratio Approach is the most reasonable value as compared to the market price per share. EPS is 0.30 cents and MPS is 0.50 cents which are quite comparable with each other (Medical Australia Limited, 2016). Valuation of the company stocks Other information that can be used to value the companys stocks may be Dividends(if declared)- dividends are used in the valuation of shares by using models like dividend growth mode, etc hence it is an important information to know if the market prices are to be calculated (Subramanyam Wild, 2014). Financial ratios- such as N.P Ratio, Earning per share, etc. can be compared with other similar company to find out the market valuation. Other factors such as discounted cash flows, P/E Ratio, etc. also help in finding out the market valuation and hence are important information to be preferred. Cost of Capital Calculation of WACC As there are no preference shares, debentures or retained earnings in the company, hence Cost of Capital is equal to the cost of equity only. Hence WACC = 60% Cost of Equity Capital has been calculated using Earnings Price Ratio, where it comes to 60%. Companys tax rate In the calculation of WACC, the tax rate has to be used where there are debentures and preference shares in the company for calculating the cost of debt and cost of preference shares. In the given case, the whole capital structure consists of Equity shares only hence there is no use of tax rate here (Porter Norton, 2014). Difference in the cost of debt and the cost of equity There is no debt in the company in its capital structure. Hence the cost of debt could not be found out. In general, the difference is due to the difference in interest rate and taxes involved. The cost of equity is generally calculated using dividend growth or CAPM or Earning Price Ratio, etc whereas the cost of debt is calculated using interest rate and tax rate (Peirson et. al, 2015). Pros and cons of including current liabilities in the cost of capital calculation No, the current liabilities should not be included in the cost of capital calculation. In the given case there is only equity capital in the capital structure. These are short-term liabilities and not long-term debts occur due to trading activities of the business which may be repaid anytime by selling off the stock or repayment received by the debtors (Porter Norton, 2014). However, payments to equity shareholders, debenture holders or preference shareholders can only be made by selling off a substantial business or shares which may also bring the business to an end or end of a business segment. So current liabilities are short-term which does not affect the cost of equity (Shah, 2013). Major value of the WACC calculation The cost of equity is the major part in the calculation of WACC. As the cost of capital is quite high, the company needs to invest its fund keeping in mind the high cost, so that the company is able to recover its cost of capital and other expenses which should be ideally more than the cost of equity. Information unavailable Capital structure The capital structure of the company consists of only equity share capital. The cost of capital of the company is very high. So, the company should choose other options also in line with the industry and should include debentures and preference shares also in capital structure (Peirson et. al, 2015). Also, the company should somehow restrict its expenses so that there can be some retained earnings for the company. Optimal capital structure An optimal capital structure is one which has the lowest cost of capital. It can be achieved by a balance between the debts and equity. A structure with more debts generally has a lower cost of capital due to tax deduction available. Hence the company should opt for some debt in its structure as well. The circumstances that can cause a change in optimal capital structure can be demerger of the company, the redemption of the heavy amount of debentures, the market in fluctuation, etc (Medical Australia Limited, 2016). Market Analysis Financial performance Going by the financial performance of the company it can be said that Medical Australia Limited performance has fluctuated in the past years. The profitability of the company indicates that the company was not able to operate at full capacity and failed to generate adequate profit. This can be attributed to the market risk that the company faced. Beta is the best measure for the market risk (Kay, 2017). The five-year market beta of Medical Australia is projected at 0.45 that indicates the company is less volatile as compared to others. If the market index changes or varies then that change will have a low change in the price of the stock (Medical Australia Limited, 2016). (Kay, 2017) The beta of MLA indicates that the investors with a portfolio of high beta might view this as irrelevant if they are of the opinion to lessen the exposure to the risk prevalent in the market mostly in times of downturn (Choi Meek, 2011). Overview of the company As per the market capitalization of the company that stands AUD $11.35M ranks MLA in the small-cap category of stocks. Moreover, the company contains higher beta as compared to the larger companies. The operation of the company is in the healthcare sector and tends to have low sensitivity to the shocks of the market (Volcker, 2011). In tune to this, a high beta should be expected for the company but overall a low beta should be present for the healthcare segment. Therefore, it indicates that MLA should be more volatile (Brigham Daves, 2012). During the economic downturn, low demand will lead to re-assessment of the production. The fixed assets of the company constitute only 22.23% of the total assets and the important fact that needs to be noted is that the company does not have a heavy reliance on the costly assets (Medical Australia Limited, 2016). Therefore, the volatility of the company is low and as per the experts, it is a safe investment that is even projected by the beta of the company. Other discussion The important fact that needs to be noted about MLA is that the company bears low fixed cost meaning that when it comes to operating leverage, it is flexible when it is a downturn. Hence, MLA can be tagged as a strong bet when it comes to the economic downturn as the beta is low along with the fixed cost (Wagenhofer, 2014). Both the factors provide a strong cushion to the company and hence, is an important element that can be taken into consideration. Reference: Brigham, E. Daves, P 2012, Intermediate Financial Management , USA: Cengage Learning. Choi, R.D. Meek, G.K 2011, International accounting, Pearson . Kay, L 2017, Before You Buy Medical Australia Limiteds, viewed 13 October 2017 https://simplywall.st/news/2017/10/10/before-you-buy-medical-australia-limiteds-asxmla-you-should-consider-this/ Medical Australia Limited 2016, Medical Australia Limited 2016 annual report and accounts, viewed 13 October 2017 https://www.medaust.com/irm/company/showpage.aspx?CategoryId=190CPID=1565InstanceVersionNumber=0 Parrino, R., Kidwell, D. Bates, T 2012, Fundamentals of corporate finance, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Peirson, G, Brown, R., Easton, S, Howard, P Pinder, S 2015, Business Finance, 12th ed, North Ryde: McGraw-Hill Australia. Porter, G Norton, C 2014, Financial Accounting: The Impact on Decision Maker, Texas: Cengage Learning Scapens, R.W 2012, Commentary: How important is practice-relevant management accounting research? Qualitative Research in Accounting Management, vol. 9, no.3, pp. 293 295. Shah, P 2013, Financial Accounting, London: Oxford University Press Subramanyam, K Wild, J 2014, Financial Statement Analysis, McGraw Hill Volcker, P 2011, Financial Reform: Unfinished Business, New York Review of Books. Wagenhofer, A 2014, The role of revenue recognition in performance reporting, Oxford University Press

The Unity of the Twelve Minor Prophets free essay sample

The Book of the twelve Minor Prophets is more than a collection of miscellaneous prophetic materials. The twelve books of the Minor Prophets function as a unified literary work. The trend in modern biblical scholarship is to treat the Book of the Twelve as twelve distinct prophetic compositions that have relatively little to do with each other apart from having been placed in the same collection. Despite these claims, the literary work of the twelve Minor Prophets remains a multifaceted composition that functions in concert in all Jewish and Christian versions of the Bible. The unity of the book plays out simultaneously as a single prophetic book and as a collection of twelve individual prophetic books revealing overriding elements of unity that if carefully examined would lead to a better understanding of the Old Testament. The Book of the Twelve is counted as one book in the Hebrew canon. Some scholars say, â€Å"The purpose of placing all of this material in one scroll is to make a balance in the Hebrew prophetic canon between the four books of the former prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings), and the four books of the latter prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve). We will write a custom essay sample on The Unity of the Twelve Minor Prophets or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † People need balance in their lives but there is a much larger message throughout the grand narrative of scripture that regardless of the balancing of material must find its way into the communities of Yahweh’s people and that message finds its way regardless of the arrangement of books. Many others knew of the book of the Twelve as one book. In the Jewish tradition the Book of the Twelve was identified as tere asar, Aramaic for â€Å"The Twelve,† and in Christian tradition as oi dodeka prohetai, or ton dodekaprophton, Greek for the â€Å"Twelve Prophets. † The apocryphal Wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach, â€Å"Ecclesiasticus† in the 2nd century B. C. E refers in Sir 49:10 to â€Å"the bones of the twelve prophets,† suggesting that ben Sirach knew of the Twelve as one book. Flavius Joseph, a 1st century C. E. Jewish historian also considered the Twelve to be one book. Similarly, 4 Ezra 14:41 counts the Twelve among the twenty-four holy books transcribed by Ezra. Origen, the second-third century Church father counts twenty-two Jewish books of the Old Testament but names only twenty-one leaving many to conclude that he considered the Twelve to be a single book. As well, the Talmudic tradition considers the Twelve to be one book. In the Christian tradition, most always the Twelve Prophets are grouped together, but counted as twelve individually authored books among thirty-nine other books of the Old Testament. The first century C. E. Bishop Melito of Sardis refers to the Twelve as ton dodeka en monobibioi, â€Å"The Twelve in one book,† (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History iv. 26). The term â€Å"Minor Prophets,† Prohetae minors in Latin, first appears in Latin Christian Patristic sources, such as the work of Augustine (City of God 18:29), and refers to the relative length of the individual works of the Twelve prophets when compared to the larger books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Apparently the term refers to the Twelve as both a collection and as individual works. † â€Å"No common material binds the twelve together; they simply stand according to the order presupposed by the version of the Bible in which they appear, but they invariably function together as one book. Within the various versions of the Book of the Twelve a great deal of fluidity is revealed in the arrangement of the individual books. According to the Masoretic Text, the Jewish version of the Book of the Twelve, each of the twelve individual books- Hosea; Joel; Amos; Obadiah; Jonah; Micah; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah; Haggai; Zechariah; and Malachi begin with their own authorization or narrative introduction identifying the prophet and usually provides details toward the historical setting, literary characteristics, or the overall interests of the book. In this way, individual books are clearly distinguished from the others in the overall framework of the Twelve. The book of the twelve prophets deviates from the normal literary compositions of everyday read versions of the Bible. The Greek Septuagint (LXX) has represented the basis for the Old Testament canon from the earliest times of the Church. The earliest manuscripts of the LXX, Codex Vaticanus, and Codex Sinaiticus dating to the fourth century, along with later LXX manuscripts appear to have the same order for the Twelve. The scrolls of the Twelve found in the Judean Wilderness, those from Qumran cave 4, and later Christian versions of the Bible display the Twelve Prophets in the same order as the MT. Only after the destruction of the second Temple were variations of the Twelve Prophets beginning to surface, however there is no evidence that these represent an authoritative sequence from antiquity. The issue of dealing with the Twelve Prophets as one book is as much a mystery as it is a rare subject of study. My argument will now proceed from the Book of the Twelve as a single prophetic book to the elements that reveal an overall unity of the message and themes. It is instructive to note how prophecy has been treated in the past so questions can arise about future interpretation. In this way the old can inform the new. † Scholarship from the last century dealing with prophecy has taught that all types of criticism recognize the historical fact of the form of the twelve. They also note that the twelve were considered a single book by the ancient Church, and pose that the date of the books and catchwords in the books explain in some ways the present arrangement. Unfortunately for these scholars no convincing theory exists of how, or if, the twelve books function as one unified, canonical construction. After a broad sweep of comparisons, form critics and rhetorical analysis offers some hope to one searching for unity of the Twelve Prophets because both methods assume the importance of the written text. Predominantly studies on the twelve have focused on their diversity rather than their unity. Much stress has been placed on the many elements that combined to give us the canonical text that we posses instead of the canonical text itself. Two other methodologies offer hope for discovering unity in the twelve first, canonical criticism because it asks the right questions to discover unity. The second, literary criticism, provides the actual means of uncovering unity. After much research it would appear that the work done on the prophets has been quite exhaustive. The unity of the Twelve Prophets remains an unsolved critical question, perhaps because it remains unexplored. If we could better understand the unifying message of the prophets we could explain how the community of faith dealt with prophecy and how it affected them. We would discover the Twelve to be not-so Minor Prophets after all thereby improving the academy and the Church. â€Å"Having been treated to the wealth of the preaching material in The Twelve, however I realized there was still more to say. Indeed the riches of the word of God to be found in the Minor Prophets’ writings are almost inexhaustible. † There common themes that are weaved throughout The Book of the Twelve as revealed in both the MT and the LXX that serve to reveal the unifying message of the â€Å"Minor† Prophets. Neither the LXX nor the MT version of the Book of the Twelve is clearly arranged in chronological order. Both sequences, nevertheless, appear to represent concerns with the punishment of both Israel and Judah during the monarchic period and with the restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple in the post exilic period. It is important to note that both version begin with Hosea, wich metaphorically portrays YHWH as a husband who divorces His bride Israel to demonstrate the interruption of their relationship as Israel is destroyed by the Assyrians in the eight century B.C. E. Both versions end with Malachi, who states that YHWH hates divorce and calls upon His people to hold firm to the covenant as YHWH’s messenger approaches. The theme Day of YHWH as a day of punishment for both Israel/Judah and the nations when YHWH’s sovereignty is manifested at Zion permeates the books of Twelve Prophets in each version as well. Some scholars raise questions concerning the diachronic formations pointing to the differences in hermeneutical and sequencing perspectives in the two versions. The Masoretic version of the Book of the Twelve arranges the individual books in a sequence that emphasizes reflection on the fate of Jerusalem from the latter half of the monarchic period when the Assyrian empire began to threaten the region, and finally through the time of the Persian period restoration. To a certain degree the Book of the Twelve engage in debate with Isaiah, which offers a similar reflection. Isaiah envisions one particular fate for Israel and the Book of the Twelve envisions another position. Such differing opinions point to the fundamental role of dialogue among the various prophetic books, namely the prophets do not speak with a monolithic voice. Instead, they express a variety of viewpoints in their attempts to discern divine purpose in the world of human experiences. † The Twelve Minor Prophets are arranged as a unified literary work. If one possess at least a basic understanding of the prophetic genre then the pieces that make a literary piece a coherent construction- the structure, plot, characterization, and narration of The Twelve clearly reveal an operative nity. The structure and plot present the story the characters give that story life, and the narrative framework provides an audience of which the story was intended. The Twelve Prophets didn’t choose their messages by chance or as a matter of convenience. The prophets declare an urgent message of sin, judgment, and restoration in a unique way. Some of the Minor Prophets have all of these themes in their messages while others display one or more but not all. In The Twelve Prophets those that portray some but not all the traits combine with other books to reveal the prophetic warnings and promises. The way the Twelve Prophets use imitation or narration for example displays conscious effort to deliver a specific message. The evident unity in literary design of the twelve books reveals a high possibility that unity exists in other spheres as well, such as the structure, and plot. None of the books vary from the accepted notions of prophecy, whether notions from neither major nor minor prophets, nor do any of the Twelve Prophets depart significantly from the basic literary form. The unity within the Book of the Twelve that has been argued for comes from the oft neglected â€Å"Minor† prophets. These Prophets are God’s narrator agents who have captured for their readers the intentions of the Lord, the author behind the whole book. Our task is to pay close attention the words spoken. â€Å"Through the words of his historians and prophets, psalmist and wisdom teachers, priests and lawgivers, God has formed our faith, instructed our piety in proper reverence and awe, awakened our expectations of his working, and bent our wills to his desires and goals.