ezekiel

Ezekiel

Judgment against Israel (1-24)

1-11

1. Chapters 1-11 framed by visions of the glory of YHWH

- the opening visions are very strange and give rise to much later speculation

- the overall point is that YHWH is on a throne that moves from place to place

2. Like Isaiah and Jeremiah, Ezekiel performs a number of symbolic speech acts (examples in Ch 4)

Difficult gender related texts

1. Genesis 3:16 - husband will "rule over you"

2. Exodus 20:17 - decalogue; wife treated as property

3. Leviticus 12:1-5 - female daughter causes longer periods of ritual impurity

4. Ezra 9-10 - divorce of foreign wives

Subversive gender related texts

1. God as mother - Isaiah 66:13

2. Matriarchs - wife sister narratives demonstrate that they are necessary for the patriarchal promises

3. Prophetesses, nazirites and female tribal leaders

- Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, Noadiah

- Female nazirites - Numbers 6:2

- Deborah the "judge"

4. Jael and later Judith are women who are strong in battle

5. The Book of Ruth

12-24

1. Ezekiel 16 is one of the most problematic OT texts related to gender (similarly Ch 23)

- As with the issue of violence, this issue is more complex than simply attributing the OT to a patriarchal society

- There are texts that appear to denigrate women to some degree; however, there are other texts that are subversive to these ideas

2. Ch 18 - depicts Ezekiel as a watchman and emphasizes personal responsibility (contra - Ex 34:6-7)

3. Ch 24 - this section ends with the destruction of Jerusalem

- A very difficult symbolic speech act is performed to demonstrate YHWH's feelings about the conquering of Judah and destruction of Jerusalem

Judgment against foreign nations (25-32)

1. As with Isaiah and Jeremiah, we once again find oracles against foreign nations in Ezekiel

2. Tyre is a focus of these oracles

3. The pattern is one of pride leading to a fall

Love for Israel (33-48)

1. YHWH the Good Shepherd - Ch 34

- Shepherd imagery in the OT implies kingship

- This is the case in most Ancient Near Eastern cultures

2. The Valley of the Dry Bones - Ch37

- Views of the afterlife in Ancient Israel varied significantly

- Many scholars agree that there is no personal ressurection in the OT until the Book of Daniel

- In the valley of the dry bones, thought does begin to move in that direction

3. New Jerusalem - Ch 40-48

- Has an edenic character

- Reformed and pure worship

- Kings role is primarily to provide for sacrifices

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