Full Description
What does it mean to be deeply in love with God and, at the same time, with a person, a group, or a nation that is at odds with God? Such is the dilemma of the prophet Jeremiah, and it is an experience not unfamiliar to many in our own day. The lesson of Jeremiah's story is that, no matter how unfaithful humans may be, God remains always faithful, always ready to forgive and to right the wrongs humans have wrought.
Using the tools of rhetorical and narrative criticism, Carol Dempsey develops the character Jeremiah as a literary figure, a messenger not only to his own people but to all readers of his book. In keeping with the purposes of the Interfaces series, she helps us sharpen our critical skills by examining the text's presentation of a biblical character not in isolation but interacting, interfacing, with others in his milieu and, implicitly, in ours.
Jeremiah is both prophet and poet, as Dempsey shows. She examines the prophet as both gifted and burdened by his mission and the word given to him, a word personal to himself and repugnant to his audience. Ultimately, it is Jeremiah's relationship with God, in its depth and its tension, that shapes his character 'and that of his audience as well. In the end, Jeremiah's struggles move him from pathos to trust, from imprisonment to freedom, from desperation to conviction, leaving him and his readers with a sense of wonder at the mystery of God.
Contents
Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction and Intersections: Encountering Jeremiah xv
CHAPTER ONE
"Now the Word of the Lord Came to Me . . .": A Poet Graced, A Prophet Afflicted 1
CHAPTER TWO
"Declare This in the House of Jacob . . .": A Portrait of Uncompromising Fidelity 28
CHAPTER THREE
Gussied in Loincloth and Sporting a Yoke: Symbols Come to Life 38
CHAPTER FOUR
In Conversation with God 54
CHAPTER FIVE
Persistence and Courage in the Face of Opposition and Threat 62
CHAPTER SIX
The One Who Prays . . . 76
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Paradox of Letting Go 87
Epilogue 109
Selected Bibliography 112
Index of Authors and Proper Names 115
Index of Biblical Citations 117
Index of Topics 123
