Ezekiel lived in a time of international crisis and conflict. Assyria was the world power in the area under the rule of Tiglath-pilesar III. In 724 B.C Israel raged war upon Assyria, and Israel was no match for Assyria. In 627 B.C the last of the able Assyrian rulers, Ashurbanipal died. Following the death of Ashurbanipal, Babylon under Nebuchadrezzer II wanted independence from Assyria. In 614 B.C the Assyrians under Nineveh surrendered to the rising Babylonians. In 605 B.C the Babylonians defeated the Egyptians and established themselves as the leading power in the area. During all of this warring, Judah allied itself with Babylonia and kept her independence. However, in 597 BCE, after failing to continue their payment of tribute, Babylonia besieged Jerusalem. Nebuchadrezzer II, king on Babylonia, installs a puppet king, Zedekiah, in order to keep the Judeans in line. Nevertheless, Zedekiah rebels also. In 586, Babylonia exiles the most of the rulers and people of Judah to Babylonia, leaving only the poorest, and decimates Jerusalem, including the temple. Since the people believed the “Zion Theology,” which said Jerusalem is God’s choice of Zion and the monarchy comes from David, exile left the Judeans completely lost. The responses varied among the exiled Judeans, since they assumed that they were safe, after the temple wasn’t destroyed during the first destruction of Jerusalem and the fall of Israel. One response was lament, a feeling or an expression of grief, over their loss. Another was anger towards the Babylonians. A further response was anger toward neighbors who failed to aid them. Moreover, some Judeans turned to Marduk, chief god of the gods of Babylonia, figuring that he overpowered Yahweh, the god of the Judeans. Finally, the Judeans thought judgment had befallen them for their sins against Yahweh and Yahweh revoked his protection of Jerusalem. The Judeans remained in exile, until 538 BCE.
Ezekiel, son of Buzi, a Zadokite priest, received his call to prophesy at around 593 BCE, along the Chebar River at the village of Tel-abib. “As I [Ezekiel] looked, a stormy wind can out of the north; a great cloud with brightness around it and fire flashing forth continually…He said to me, Mortal, I am sending you to the people of Israel.” (Cook 1182-1184). Carried captive during the 597 BCE Exile, Ezekiel by some accounts made the “torturous trek to Meso...
... middle of paper ...
...him and give them new hearts that will not turn away and new spirits that will obey. Then they can renew their covenant with God and return to the land that he promise Abraham, then Moses. Furthermore, they can be once again God’s children, like the Prodigal son.
Works Cited
Brownlee, William H. "The Book of Ezekiel." Interpreter's One Volume Commentary. Ed: Charles Laymon. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1971. 430.
Cook, Stephen L. “Ezekiel.” The New Oxford Annotated Bible Third Edition: new Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha. Ed. Michael D. Coogan. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. 1180-1182.
Howie, C.G.. "Ezekiel." The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Ed: George Buttrick. New York: Abingdon Press, 1962. 203-213.
May, Herbert G. "The Book of Ezekiel." The Interpreter's Bible. Ed. Samuel Terrien. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 162+.
Pfisterer Darr, Katheryn. "Ezekiel 36:22-32." The New Interpreter's Bible Vol. IV. Ed: Leander Keck. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2001. 1490-1493.
Vawter, B. "Book of Ezechiel (Ezekiel)." New Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: McGraw-Hill Co, 1967. 776-779.
The Bible: The Old Testament. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Sarah Lawall et al. Vol 1. 7th ed. New York: Norton, 1999. 47-97.
Tanner, Paul J. 1996. Rethinking Ezekiel’s Invasion by Gog. Journal of the Evangelical Society.JETS 39-1 (March 1996).
Ezekiel meaning the strength of God, is one of the four greater prophets in the Old Testament. Ezekiel was the son of a priest named Buzi. Not much is known about Ezekiel’s childhood; much more is know after the age of twenty-five. Ezekiel was taken captive in the captivity of Jehoiachin, about eleven years before the destruction of Jerusalem. He was one of the many members of a community of Jewish people who settled on the banks of the Chebar, a river of Babylon. Ezekiel began prophesying in 595 B.C, and finished prophesying in 573 B.C. Ezekiel prophesied for a period that lasted about twenty-two years. Ezekiel was a married man but little else is known about his family life, he also had a house in his place of exile. His wife died a sudden death during the siege of Jerusalem. He lived among the top of his companions in exile, and their elders consulted with him on all matters.
...yne A. The HarperCollins Study Bible New Revised Standard Edition . New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. 1645-1722. Print.
When someone tells you they have experienced something "life changing" what lingers through your mind? Mine is November 10, 2010 12:04pm; This was the first 24 hour period when my mother’s ability to act single-handedly on her health became theoretical; Failing to recall whether she took her pills in the morning was no longer acceptable. My mother had undergone a surgery due to various cancerous cells that grew in both her thyroids. Having removed the right and left side, doctors informed her after this procedure she must consume two white pills everyday, for the rest of her life. The purpose of these pills
Robinson, B. A. (2008, March 30). Books of the Hebrew Scripture . Retrieved May 7, 2011, from Religious Tolerance: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_otb3.htm
New Revised Standard Version. New York: American Bible Society, 1989. Print. The. Russell, Eddie.
Correspondingly, other canonical prophetic books interpret Yahweh’s will during periods of social or political crisis.4 Many minor prophets wrote during one of the three critical periods: the Assyrian Crisis, the Babylonian threat, or the postexilic readjustment.5 During the Babylonian threat of the late-seventh century, Habakkuk served as a link between God and humanity. The Assyrian kingdom, led by Shalmanasar V, forced the people of Judah into harsh conditions through a heartless deportation. In time, political drama spread throughout the region. After 612 B.C.E. when Assyria fell to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Habakkuk wrote his prophetic book, focusing on the agony of humankind’s struggle to progress in such a wicked world. His message of faith and morality transcended the evil within society, ultimately revealing to the Israelites that justice would prevail.
The New Interpreter's Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha. Nashville: Abingdon Press, ©2003.
Kohlenberger, III, John R. and Barker, Kenneth L., eds. Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary: An Abridgement of the Expositors Bible Commentary. Chicago: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994.
Cosby, Michael R. Interpreting Biblical Literature: An Introduction to Biblical Studies. Grantham: Stony Run, 2009. 120-25. Print.
The book of Ezekiel is expansive and has many encounters between nations, individuals and communities. It is also the embodiment of the life of ...
The jurors’ room is not a very large room and to make matters worse they are in the middle of a heat wave. The condition of the building is in poor working order there is no air conditioner and the only fan available is broken. As the jury members try to deal with the unbearable heat it does not take long before the restless jury men take a vote. Eleven out twelve jurors find the boy guilty as charged; however Juror #8 refuses to convict this young boy because he believes there is reasonable drought. It is up to Juror #8 Henry Fonda, to convince the other members of the jury to go back through and revisit the evidence. As the group begins to sort through the facts their attitudes and viewpoints begin to produce enormous conflict. Juror #8 Fonda, refuses to back down he knows all too well that the fate of the young boy lies in their hands.
James L. Mays.Harper Collins Bible Commentary,with society of biblical literature. HarperSanFransico.United states of America.New York. 1988 .985.
Carson, D, & Moo, D. (2005) An introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.