Ezekiel and the Ethics of Exile (Oxford Theology and Religion Monographs)

Mein aims to set Ezekiel's ethics firmly in the social and historical context of the Babylonian Exile. Ezekiel's moral concerns and priorities, Mein suggests, are substantially shaped by the social experience of deportation and resettlement. They also represent a creative response to the crisis, providing significant impetus for social cohesion and the maintenance of a distinctively Jewish community. Whereas Much Recent Work On The Ethics Of The Hebrew Bible Addresses The Theological Task Of Using The Bible As A Moral Resource For Today, This Book Aims To Set Ezekiel's Ethics Firmly In The Social And Historical Context Of The Babylonian Exile. The Two 'moral Worlds' Of Jerusalem And Babylonia Provide The Key. Ezekiel Explains The Disaster In Terms Familiar To His Audience's Past Experience As Members Of Judah's Political Elite. He Also Provides Ethical Strategies For Coping With The More Limited Possibilities Of Life In Babylonia, Which Include The Ritualization Of Ethics, An Increasing Emphasis On The Domestic And Personal Sphere Of Action, And A Shift Towards Human Passivity In The Face Of Restoration. Thus The Prophet's Moral Concerns And Priorities Are Substantially Shaped By The Social Experience Of Deportation And Resettlement. They Also Represent A Creative Response To The Crisis, Providing Significant Impetus For Social Cohesion And The Maintenance Of A Distinctively Jewish Community.--jacket. 1. Moral Worlds: Ancient Israelite Ethics In A Social Context -- 2. Ezekiel And The Exiles -- 3. The World Of Politics -- 4. The Politics Of Cult -- 5. Ritual And Ethics -- 6. The 'domestication' Of Ethics -- 7. From Responsibility To Passivity -- Conclusion: Ezekiel And The Ethics Of Exile. Andrew Mein. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [264]-282) And Indexes. The two 'moral worlds' of Jerusalem and exile provide the key to Ezekiel's ethics. The prophet both offers an explanation of the disaster in terms familiar to his hearers' past experience, and provides ethical strategies for coping with the far more limited possibilities of life in Babylonia. - ;Whereas much recent work on the ethics of the Hebrew Bible addresses the theological task of using the Bible as a moral resource for today, this book aims to set Ezekiel's ethics firmly in the social and historical context of the Babylonian Exile. The two 'moral worlds' of Jerusalem and Babylonia provi Contents List of Abbreviations Introduction 1. Moral Worlds: Ancient Israelite Ethics in a Social Context 2. Ezekiel and the Exiles 3. The World of Politics 4. The Politics of Cult 5. Ritual and Ethics 6. The ‘Domestication’ of Ethics 7. From Responsibility to Passivity Conclusion: Ezekiel and the Ethics of Exile Bibliography Index of Authors A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P R S T U V W Z Index of Biblical References The early sixth century BCE was a time of almost unparalleled crisis for the Jewish people, as successive Babylonian invasions left Judah devastated and Jerusalem in ruins. It has often been said that ethics in the Hebrew Bible (for Christians, the Old Testament) is an under-represented area of Biblical Studies.