Ezekiel
Ezekiel יְחֶזְקֵאל | |
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Roman Catholicism | |
Controversy | Babylonian captivity |
Ezekiel or Ezechiel (/ɪˈziːkiəl/; Hebrew: יְחֶזְקֵאל Yəḥezqēʾl [jə.ħɛzˈqeːl]; Greek: Ἰεζεκιήλ Iezekiḗl [i.ɛ.zɛ.kiˈel]) was an Israelite priest. He is the eponymous protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible.
The
It is believed that he died around 570 BCE; Ezekiel's Tomb is the most important Jewish religious site in Mesopotamia. The name "Ezekiel" means "God is strong" or "God strengthens" in the Hebrew language.[1] In 539 BCE, three decades after the believed date of his death, the Babylonian captivity ended with the Persian conquest of Babylon and the Jews were subsequently repatriated in an event known as the return to Zion, which began after the Persian king Cyrus the Great issued the Edict of Cyrus.
Biblical account
The author of the Book of Ezekiel presents himself as Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, born into a priestly (kohen) lineage.[2] Apart from identifying himself, the author gives a date for the first divine encounter which he presents: "in the thirtieth year".[3] Ezekiel describes his calling to be a prophet by going into great detail about his encounter with God and four "living creatures" with four wheels that stayed beside the creatures.[4]
According to the Bible, Ezekiel and his wife lived during the Babylonian captivity on the banks of the Kebar Canal in Tel Abib near Nippur[a] with other exiles from the Kingdom of Judah.[5] There is no mention of him having any offspring.
Chronology
Ezekiel's "thirtieth year" is given as the fifth year of the exile of
The
Extrabiblical accounts
Jewish tradition
According to
Ezekiel, like Jeremiah, is said by Talmud[13] and Midrash[14] to have been a descendant of Joshua by his marriage with the proselyte and former prostitute Rahab. Some statements found in rabbinic literature posit that Ezekiel was the son of Jeremiah, who was (also) called "Buzi" because he was despised by the Jews.[15]
Ezekiel was said to be already active as a prophet while in the Land of Israel, and he retained this gift when he was exiled with Jehoiachin and the nobles of the country to Babylon.[16] Josephus claims that Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia's armies exiled three thousand people from Judah,[17] after deposing King Jehoiachin in 598 BCE.
Rava states in the Babylonian Talmud that although Ezekiel describes the appearance of the throne of God (merkabah), this is not because he had seen more than the prophet Isaiah, but rather because the latter was more accustomed to such visions; for the relation of the two prophets is that of a courtier to a peasant, the latter of whom would always describe a royal court more floridly than the former, to whom such things would be familiar.[18] Ezekiel, like all the other prophets, has beheld only a blurred reflection of the divine majesty, just as a poor mirror reflects objects only imperfectly.[19]
According to the midrash Shir HaShirim Rabbah, it was Ezekiel whom the three pious men, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (also called Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) asked for advice as to whether they should resist Nebuchadnezzar's command and choose death by fire rather than worship his idol.
At first God revealed to the prophet that they could not hope for a miraculous rescue; whereupon the prophet was greatly grieved, since these three men constituted the "remnant of Judah". But after they had left the house of the prophet, fully determined to sacrifice their lives to God, Ezekiel received this revelation:
When they went out from before Ezekiel, the Holy One blessed be He revealed Himself and said: 'Ezekiel, what do you think, that I will not stand by them? I will certainly stand by them.' That is what is written: "So said the Lord God: Concerning this too, I will acquiesce to the house of Israel" (Ezekiel 36:37). 'But leave them and do not say anything to them. I will leave them to proceed unsuspecting.'[20]
Christian tradition
This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2016) |
Ezekiel is commemorated as a
Certain Lutheran churches also celebrate his commemoration on July 21.[22]
John B. Taylor credits the subject with imparting the Biblical understanding of the nature of God.[24]
Islamic tradition
Ezekiel (
The Quran mentions a prophet called
Regardless of the identification of Dhu al-Kifl with Ezekiel,
Bibliography
- Ibn Kutayba, K. al-Ma'arif ed. S. Ukasha, 51
- Tabari, History of the Prophets and Kings, 2, 53–54
- Tabari, Tafsir, V, 266 (old ed. ii, 365)
- Masudi, Murudj, i, 103ff.
- K. al-Badwa l-tarikh, iii, 4/5 and 98/100, Ezechiel
- Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Holy Qur'an: Translation and Commentary, Note. 2473 (cf. index: Ezekiel)
- Emil Heller Henning III, "Ezekiel's Temple: A Scriptural Framework Illustrating the Covenant of Grace", 2012.
Resting place
Ezekiel's Tomb, Iraq
Ezekiel's Tomb is located in Al Kifl, Iraq, near Babylon. Historically an important Jewish site, the Al-Nukhailah Mosque for Shia Muslims was constructed over it.[28] Due to the Jewish exodus from Iraq in the 1950s, the presence of the Iraqi Jewish community has diminished, although a disused synagogue remains in place at the location.[29] In 2020, work was reportedly underway to transform the synagogue into a mosque.[30][31]
Tomb at Ergani, Turkey
A tomb in the Ergani District of Diyarbakır Province in Turkey is also believed to be the resting place of Ezekiel. It is located 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the city centre on a hill, where it is revered and visited by local Muslims, called Makam Dağı.[32][33]
In popular culture
Ezekiel is portrayed by Darrell Dunham in a 1979 episode[34] of the television series Our Jewish Roots (1978–).[35]
See also
- Apocryphon of Ezekiel
- Pseudo-Ezekiel
- List of names referring to El
Notes
- ^ Not to be confused with modern day Tel Aviv, located on the Mediterranean coastline. However, this location's name was influenced by Ezekiel 3:15.
- ^ "Ḥazqiyāl" is also romanised as "Ḥizqiyāl", "Ḥizqīl", and "Ḥizkīl"
- ^ Ibn Kutayba, Ukasha, Tabari, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Ishaq, Masudi, Kisa'i, Balami, Thalabi and many more have all recognized Ezekiel as a prophet
- ^ The greatest depth to the figure is given by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, in his commentary; his commentary's note 2743: "If we accept "Dhul al Kifl" to be not an epithet, but an Arabicised form of "Ezekiel", it fits the context, Ezekiel was a prophet in Israel who was carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar after his second attack on Jerusalem (about BCE 599). His Book is included in the English Bible (Old Testament). He was chained and bound, and put into prison, and for a time he was dumb. He bore all with patience and constancy, and continued to reprove boldly the evils in Israel. In a burning passage he denounces false leaders in words which are eternally true: "Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken ...... etc. (Ezekiel, 34:2–4)."
- ^ "Dhū al-Kifl" is also romanised as "Dhul-Kifl", "Zu al-Kifl", and "Zul-Kifl"
References
- ISBN 9780567483614.
- ^ Ezekiel 1:3
- ^ Ezekiel 1:1–2
- ^ Ezekiel 1
- Ezekiel 1:1, 3:15.
- ^ Ezekiel 1:2
- ^ Ezekiel 29:17–19
- ^ ISBN 978-1-61164-596-5.
- ISBN 978-0-664-25272-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8204-7425-0.
- ^ Longman, T., Jeremiah, Lamentations, Hendrickson Publishers, 2008, p. 6
- Baba Bathra 15a
- ^ (Meg. 14b)
- Sifri, Num. 78)
- ^ Radak – R. David Kimkhi – in his commentary on Ezekiel 1:3, based on Targum Yerushalmi
- ^ Josephus, Ant. x. 6, § 3: "while he was still a boy"; comp. Rashi on Sanh. 92b
- ^ Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews Book X, 6.3.98
- ^ (Ḥag. 13b)
- ^ Midrash Lev. Rabbah i. 14, toward the end
- ^ "Shir HaShirim Rabbah 7:8:1". www.sefaria.org.
- ^ "Lives of the Saints". Oca.org. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
- ^ Emmaus Evangelical Lutheran Church, Daily Catechesis on the Way, published 15 July 2018, accessed 21 February 2020
- ISBN 0-7648-0664-5.
- ISBN 0-87784-884-X.
- ^ Niebuhr, Carsten (1778). Reisebeschreibung nach Arabian. Vol. 2. Copenhagen: Nicolaus Möller. pp. 264–266.
- ^ Stories of the Prophets, Ibn Kathir, Story of Ezekiel (Hizqil)
- ^ Encyclopedia of Islam, G. Vajda, Hizkil
- ^ "Jewishencyclopedia.com". Jewishencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
- ^ "Iraq Cleric Slams Plan to Turn Jewish Tomb into Mosque". Thejc.com. 2010-04-12. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
- ^ Neurink, Judit (2020-02-09). "Jewish shrine of Prophet Ezekiel's Tomb open to visitors in Shiite Iraq". Haaretz. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
- ^ bataween (2020-10-20). "Synagogue at Ezekiel's tomb dismantled • Point of No Return". Point of No Return. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
- ^ İnanç ve kültür mirasının gözdesi: Hazreti Zülkifl Makamı (Turkish)ilkha. Posted 17 November 2018.
- ^ İNANÇ VE KÜLTÜR MİRASININ GÖZDESİ: HAZRETİ ZÜLKİFL MAKAMI (Turkish) GuneydoguGuncel. Posted 18 November 2018.
- ^ DRY BONES.mov, retrieved 2022-04-07
- ^ Our Jewish Roots (TV Series 1978– ) - IMDb, retrieved 2022-04-07
Further reading
- Broome, Edwin C. Jr. (September 1946). "Ezekiel's Abnormal Personality". Journal of Biblical Literature. 65 (3): 277–292. JSTOR 3262666.
- Eissfeldt, Otto (1965). The Old Testament: An Introduction. Peter Ackroyd, trans. Oxford: Blackwell.
- ISBN 0-8006-0853-4.
- ISBN 0-385-00954-2.
- Greenberg, Moshe (1997). Ezekiel 21–37: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-18200-7.
- ISBN 0-87249-553-1.
- Kugler, Gili, The Cruel Theology of Ezekiel 20
External links
- Media related to Ezekiel at Wikimedia Commons
- Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. .
- Prophet Ezekiel Orthodox synaxarion