Full Description
To many readers the book of Ezekiel is a hopeless riddle. We may still find many features of the man and his message difficult and sometimes even shocking or offensive. The bizarre opening vision catches us off guard and tempts us to stop reading. A persistent reader, however, who meditates long and hard on individual utterances and sign actions, will discover that despite the strangeness of the man, this is the most clearly organized of the major prophetic books. Individual prophecies are clearly marked by headings and often by conclusions. The priestly prophet knew his audience, something that is evident if one continues to delve deeper: he recognized in Judah's rebellion against YHWH the underlying cause of the divine fury that resulted in the exile of his people and the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 BCE. However, he also recognized that YHWH's judgment could not be the last word: his covenant is eternal and irrevocable. A day of spiritual renewal and national restoration is anticipated. This is the first of two volumes of essays on Ezekiel and his book. The seven general essays and two studies of particular texts in this collection explore the times, the message, and the methods of the prophetic priest.
Contents
List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgements
List of Credits
List of Abbreviations
1 Preaching Ezekiel
2 The Theology of Ezekiel
3 The God Ezekiel Wants Us to Meet
4 Divine Abandonment: Ezekiel's Adaptation of an Ancient Near Eastern Motif
Excursus A: The Prophetic Speech of Marduk
5 Chasing a Phantom: The Search for Historical Marduk
6 The Prophet of the Spirit: The Use of ????? in the Book of Ezekiel
7 Beyond the Grave: Ezekiel's Vision of Death and Afterlife
8 Text and Emotion: A Study in the "Corruptions" in Ezekiel's Inaugural Vision (Ezekiel 1:4-28)
Excursus B: Ezekiel 1:6, 8-10 and 10:9-22 in Parallel
9 Ezekiel's Boiling Cauldron: A Form-Critical Solution to Ezekiel 24:1-14
Appendix: In Praise of Moshe: A Tribute to Moshe Greenberg
Bibliography
Index of Modern Authors
Index of Selected Subjects
Index of Scripture References
