Book of Ezekiel
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The Book of Ezekiel is the third of the
The visions and the book are structured around three themes: (1) judgment on Israel (chapters 1–24); (2) judgment on the nations (chapters 25–32); and (3) future blessings for Israel (chapters 33–48).[3] Its themes include the concepts of the presence of God, purity, Israel as a divine community, and individual responsibility to God. Its later influence has included the development of mystical and apocalyptic traditions in Second Temple Judaism, Rabbinic Judaism, and Christianity.
Structure
Ezekiel has the broad threefold structure found in a number of the prophetic books: oracles of woe against the prophet's own people, followed by oracles against Israel's neighbours, ending in prophecies of hope and salvation:
- Prophecies against Judah and Jerusalem, chapters 1–24
- Prophecies against the foreign nations, chapters 25–32
- Prophecies of hope and salvation, chapters 33–48.[4]
Summary
The book opens with a vision of YHWH (יהוה). The book moves on to anticipate the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, explains this as God's punishment, and closes with the promise of a new beginning and a new Temple.[5]
- Inaugural vision battle chariot. The chariot is drawn by four living creatures, each having four faces (those of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle) and four wings. Beside each "living creature" is a "wheel within a wheel", with "tall and awesome" rims full of eyes all around. God commissions Ezekiel as a prophet and as a "watchman" in Israel: "Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites." (2:3)
- Judgment on Israel and Judah.
- Building a new city:[8] The Jewish exile will come to an end, a new city and new Temple will be built, and the Israelites will be gathered and blessed as never before.
Some of the highlights include:[9]
- The "throne vision", in which Ezekiel sees God enthroned in the Temple among the Heavenly Host;[10]
- The first "temple vision", in which Ezekiel sees God leave the Temple because of the abominations practiced there (meaning the worship of idols rather than YHWH, the official God of Judah);[11]
- Images of Israel, in which Israel is seen as a harlot bride, among other things;[12]
- The "valley of dry bones", in which the prophet sees the dead of the house of Israel rise again;[13]
- The destruction of Gog and Magog, in which Ezekiel sees Israel's enemies destroyed and a new age of peace established;[14]
- The final temple vision, in which Ezekiel sees the third temple commonwealth centered on a new temple in Jerusalem, to which God's Divine Presence) has returned.[15]
Composition
Life and times of Ezekiel
The Book of Ezekiel describes itself as the words of
According to the book that bears his name, Ezekiel ben-Buzi was born into a priestly family of Jerusalem c.623 BC, during the reign of the reforming king
Textual history
The Jewish scriptures were translated into Greek in the two centuries prior to the Common Era. The Greek version of these books is called the Septuagint. The Jewish Bible in Hebrew is called the Masoretic Text (meaning passing down after a Hebrew word Masorah; for Jewish scholars and rabbis curated and commented on the text). The Greek (Septuagint) version[18] of Ezekiel differs slightly from the Hebrew (Masoretic) version[19] – it is about 8 verses shorter (out of 1,272)[20] and possibly represents an earlier transmission of the book we have today (according to the Masoretic tradition) – while other ancient manuscript fragments differ from both.[21]
Critical history
The first half of the 20th century saw several attempts to deny the authorship and authenticity of the book, with scholars such as
Themes
As a priest, Ezekiel is fundamentally concerned with the
Ezekiel depicts the destruction of Jerusalem as a purificatory sacrifice upon the altar, made necessary by the "abominations" in the Temple (the presence of idols and the worship of the god
Previous prophets had used "Israel" to mean the northern kingdom and its tribes; when Ezekiel speaks of Israel he is addressing the deported remnant of Judah; at the same time, however, he can use this term to mean the glorious future destiny of a truly comprehensive "Israel".[27] In sum, the book describes God's promise that the people of Israel will maintain their covenant with God when they are purified and receive a "new heart" (another of the book's images) which will enable them to observe God's commandments and live in the land in a proper relationship with Yahweh.[28]
The theology of Ezekiel is notable for its contribution to the emerging notion of individual responsibility to God – each man would be held responsible only for his own sins. This is in marked contrast to the
Later interpretation and influence
Second Temple and rabbinic Judaism (c. 515 BC – 500 AD)
Ezekiel's imagery provided much of the basis for the
Christianity
Ezekiel is referenced more in the Book of Revelation than in any other New Testament writing.[31] To take just two well-known passages, the famous Gog and Magog prophecy in Revelation 20:8 refers back to Ezekiel 38–39,[32] and in Revelation 21–22, as in the closing visions of Ezekiel, the prophet is transported to a high mountain where a heavenly messenger measures the symmetrical new Jerusalem, complete with high walls and twelve gates, the dwelling-place of God where His people will enjoy a state of perfect well-being.[33] Apart from Revelation, however, where Ezekiel is a major source, there is very little allusion to the prophet in the New Testament; the reasons for this are unclear, but it cannot be assumed that every Christian or Hellenistic Jewish community in the 1st century would have had a complete set of (Hebrew) scripture scrolls, and in any case Ezekiel was under suspicion of encouraging dangerous mystical speculation, as well as being sometimes obscure, incoherent, and pornographic.[34]
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The Visionary Ezekiel Temple plan drawn by the 19th-century French architect and Bible scholar Charles Chipiez
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The Vision of The Valley of The Dry Bones by Gustave Doré, 1866
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Ezekiel's Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones by Maerten de Vos, c. 1600
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Ezekiel's Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones by Quentin Metsys the Younger, c. 1589
In popular culture
• The angelic creatures and accompanying wheels seen by Ezekiel in Chapter 1 are referred to by the spiritual song Ezekiel Saw the Wheel. In the Command & Conquer video game series, the Nod Stealth Tank is sometimes referred to as the "Ezekiel Wheel", referring to the same passage.
• The imagery in Ezekiel 37:1–14 of the Valley of Dry Bones, which Ezekiel prophesies will be resurrected, is referred to in the 1928
• In the movie Pulp Fiction, the character Jules recites a fictional biblical passage just before executing someone. Although he claims that it is Ezekiel 25:17, the text is made of references from both the original passage and other sources [1].
"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and goodwill shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know My name is the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon thee."
See also
- Amillennialism
- Biblical numerology
- Jerusalem in Christianity
- Land of Israel
- Millenarianism
- New Jerusalem
- Rape in the Hebrew Bible § Ezekiel 16 and 23
- Temple in Jerusalem
- Third Temple
Citations
- ^ a b c Sweeney 1998, p. 88.
- ^ a b Joyce 2009, p. 16.
- ^ Petersen 2002, p. 140.
- ^ McKeating 1993, p. 15.
- ^ Redditt 2008, p. 148
- ^ Ezekiel 4:1–24:27
- ^ Ezekiel 25:1–32:32
- ^ Ezekiel 33:1–48:35
- ^ Blenkinsopp (1990)
- ^ Ezekiel 1:4–28
- ^ Ezekiel 8:1–16
- ^ Ezekiel 15–19
- ^ Ezekiel 37:1–14
- ^ Ezekiel 38–39
- ^ Ezekiel 40–48
- Baba Batra 15a
- ^ Drinkard 1996, pp. 160–61.
- ^ Septuaginta,1935,pp770-803
- ^ Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 1937. pp811-894
- ^ "How many verses are in the book of Ezekiel?". Answers.com.
- ^ Blenkinsopp 1996, p. 130.
- ^ Sweeney 1998, pp. 165–66.
- ^ Sweeney 1998, p. 91.
- ^ a b Sweeney 1998, p. 92.
- ^ Sweeney 1998, pp. 92–93.
- ^ a b c Sweeney 1998, p. 93.
- ^ Goldingay 2003, p. 624.
- ^ Sweeney 1998, pp. 93–94.
- ^ Kugler & Hartin 2009, p. 261.
- ^ Block 1997, p. 43.
- ^ Buitenwerf 2007, p. 165.
- ^ Buitenwerf 2007, pp. 165 ff.
- ^ Block 1998, p. 502.
- ^ Muddiman 2007, p. 137.
Bibliography
- Bandstra, Barry L (2004). Reading the Old Testament: an introduction to the Hebrew Bible. Wadsworth. ISBN 9780495391050.
- Blenkinsopp, Joseph (1996). A history of prophecy in Israel. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664256395.
- Blenkinsopp, Joseph (1990). Ezekiel. Westminster John Knox. ISBN 9780664237554.
- Block, Daniel I. (1997). The Book of Ezekiel: chapters 1–24, Volume 1. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802825353.
- Block, Daniel I. (1998). The Book of Ezekiel: chapters 25–48, Volume 2. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802825360.
- Brueggemann, Walter (2002). Reverberations of faith: a theological handbook of Old Testament themes. Westminster John Knox. ISBN 9780664222314.
- Buitenwerf, Riuewerd (2007). "The Gog and Magog Tradition in Ezekiel 20:8". In De Jonge, H. J.; Tromp, Johannes (eds.). The Book of Ezekiel and Its Influence. Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 9780754655831.
- Bullock, C. Hassell (1986). An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books. Moody Press. ISBN 9781575674360.
- Clements, Ronald E (1996). Ezekiel. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664252724.
- Drinkard, Joel F. Jr. (1996). "Ezekiel". The Prophets. Mercer University Press. ISBN 9780865545090.
- Eichrodt, Walther E (1996). Ezekiel. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664227661.
- Goldingay, John A. (2003). "Ezekiel". In James D. G. Dunn, John William Rogerson (ed.). Eerdmans Bible Commentary. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802837110.
- Halperin, David J. (January 1976). "The Exegetical Character of Ezek. X 9-17". S2CID 170312460.
- Henning III, Emil Heller (2012). Ezekiel's Temple: A Scriptural Framework Illustrating the Covenant of Grace. . Xulon. ISBN 9781626975132.
- Joyce, Paul M. (2009). Ezekiel: A Commentary. Continuum. ISBN 9780567483614.
- Kugler, Robert; Hartin, Patrick (2009). The Old Testament between theology and history: a critical survey. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802846365.
- Levin, Christoph L (2005). The Old testament: a brief introduction. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691113944.
- McKeating, Henry (1993). Ezekiel. Continuum. ISBN 9781850754282.
- Muddiman, John (2007). "The So-Called Bridal Bath...". In De Jonge, H.J.; Tromp, Johannes (eds.). The Book of Ezekiel and Its Influence. Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 9780754655831.
- Petersen, David L (2002). The prophetic literature: an introduction. John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664254537.
- Redditt, Paul L. (2008). Introduction to the Prophets. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802828965.
- Sweeney, Marvin A. (1998). "The Latter Prophets". In Steven L. McKenzie, Matt Patrick Graham (ed.). The Hebrew Bible today: an introduction to critical issues. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664256524.
External links
- Online translations
- English Translation of the Greek Septuagint Bible: Ezekiel
- Yechezkiel from Chabad.org
- BibleGateway (various translations)
- Bible: Ezekiel public domain audiobook at LibriVox (various versions)