Ezekiel's Hierarchical World: Wrestling with a Tiered Reality (Symposium Series) (Symposium Series)

Can we live with the God of Ezekiel? Can we relate to a God who has established a multilayered hierarchy that separates the divine from the human, who creates boundaries that segregate people from the temple, the priesthood, and the glory of the Lord? In contrast to those who suggest that Ezekiel should no longer be read as an authoritative part of the canon, the essays in this volume engage Ezekiel's hierarchical world directly, neither dismissing it out of hand nor accepting it uncritically. By wedding theological interest and reflection with serious biblical exegesis and criticism, this work helps readers to understand Ezekiel's hierarchical theology - especially the book's views on creation, priesthood, and land. It thus equips readers to form their own evaluations of the relevance of Ezekiel's theology for today. Contributors include Daniel I. Block, Keith Carley, Stephen L. Cook, Katheryn Pfisterer Darr, Iain M. Duguid, Friedrich Fechter, Julie Galambush, Norman Habel, Risa Levitt Kohn, Corrine L. Patton, David L. Petersen, Baruch J. Schwartz, Daniel L. Smith-Christopher, and Steven Shawn Tuell. Preface 7 Contributors 9 Abbreviations 11 Introduction: Hierarchical Thinking and Theology in Ezekiel's Book (Stephen L. Cook and Corrine L. Patton) 15 Priesthood in Exile according to the Book of Ezekiel (Friedrich Fechter) 41 Putting Priests in Their Place: Ezekiel's Contribution to the History of the Old Testament Priesthood (Iain M. Duguid) 57 A Priest Out of Place: Reconsidering Ezekiel's Role in the History of the Israelite Priesthood (Baruch J. Schwartz) 75 Priest, Prophet, and Exile: Ezekiel as a Literary Construct (Corrine L. Patton) 87 God's Land and Mine: Creation as Property in the Book of Ezekiel (Julie Galambush) 105 From Harshness to Hope: The Implications for Earth of Hierarchy in Ezekiel (Keith Carley) 123 The Silence of the Lands: The Ecojustice Implications of Ezekiel's Judgment Oracles (Norman Habel) 141 Ezekiel in Abu Ghraib: Rereading Ezekiel 16:37–39 in the Context of Imperial Conquest (Daniel L. Smith-Christopher) 155 'With a Mighty Hand and an Outstretched Arm': The Prophet and the Torah in Ezekiel 20 (Risa Levitt Kohn) 173 Creation and Hierarchy in Ezekiel: Methodological Perspectives and Theological Prospects (David L. Petersen) 183 Cosmos, Kabod, and Cherub: Ontological and Epistemological Hierarchy in Ezekiel (Stephen L. Cook) 193 Proverb Performance and Transgenerational Retribution in Ezekiel 18 (Katheryn Pfisterer Darr) 213 Responses 239 In Search of Theological Meaning: Ezekiel Scholarship at the Turn of the Millennium (Daniel I. Block) 241 Contemporary Studies of Ezekiel: A New Tide Rising (Steven Shawn Tuell) 255 Selected Bibliography 269 Index of Modern Authors 275 Index of Primary Sources 281 Subject Index 297