The question of hope in dark times, though topical, is not new. The Babylonian Exile (597/587–539 BCE) is commonly recognised as perhaps the most profound, yet also most fruitful crisis in biblical (Old Testament) times. It involved the total breakdown of all religious and political structures and institutions that previously had provided meaning and protection, yet it led to significant theological progress, laying the foundations for both Judaism and Christianity. Today the metaphor of exile is sometimes used with reference to the present; however, the connection is usually not further explored. This article examines a biblical exilic voice, the book of Ezekiel, which offers an initial prophetic response to the theological, political and identity crisis of the early Babylonian Exile. While resisting both optimism and despair, Ezekiel arrives at an original, if peculiar, imagination of hope, founded solely on theological conviction. The article outlines this process by discussing select texts of the book as examples, and opens it up to conversation with the present. The logic of Ezekiel’s theocentric hope is bound to ultimately remain foreign to modern thinking. However, while it cannot be directly transferred into our times, the article aims to demonstrate that theological reflection on Ezekiel still yields valuable and transferable impulses for thought.
The words and images of death and re-creaction in Ezekiel refer to the collective identity of the House of Israel and to its relationship with its God. Two symptomatic texts are discussed: the first temple vision (Ezek 8–11) and the vision of the valley of bones (Ezek 37:1–14). From Ezek 8–11, the vision of the defiled temple, it becomes evident that the relationship between YHWH and Israel is in a crisis beyond repair; death and destruction are the consequences. The reality of death is the starting point of 37:1–14. The vision demonstrates YHWH’s ability and willingness to restore life even to the dry, scattered bones and, thus, also to Israel as the people of YHWH. For the author(s) of these texts, the initiative for destruction lies on the human side first; the initiative for restoration lies with God alone. What dies and is resurrected is the relationship between God and God’s people. Its ‘death’ becomes a threat to the identity of both. Its ‘re-creation’ is not an act of mercy but an act of power, safeguarding YHWH’s identity as well as Israel’s. Ezekiel’s contribution to overcoming the crisis of the Babylonian exile is not to be underestimated. These texts’ potential to encourage hope is greater than commonly granted and they may hold a message also for our times.
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