Hope in Exile: In Conversation with Ezekiel

Abstract

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.

“Adakah Harapan untuk Tulang-tulang Kering Ini?”

“…Menghadapi peristiwa ini, Yehezkiel merefleksikan bahwa kehancuran yang berakibat pada hilangnya bait suci, kota, kerajaan, dan keimaman (Yeh. 33:21,(27)(28)(29) merupakan peristiwa yang dikehendaki Allah karena Israel telah gagal untuk hidup sebagai umat perjanjian. Kitab ini juga menggambarkan perasaan frustrasi yang dirasakan oleh sang nabi ketika tidak berhasil meyakinkan umat Israel yang tidak setia dan memberontak ini untuk menyadari kesalahan mereka dan membuat mereka berbalik serta memohon belas kasih dan pengampunan Tuhan (Yeh.…”

“…Di ujung terowongan yang gelap ada cahaya pengharapan bagi mereka. 27 Di sini, Yehezkiel mendorong umat manusia di konteks kekinian untuk belajar dari kesalahan yang ada namun pada saat yang sama mesti berjuang untuk bergerak melampaui penderitaan tersebut.…”

Resistance to Narratives of the Covid‐19 Pandemic as an Act of God

“…The core imagery that the Babylonian Exile evokes is one of uncertainty and disorientation with the dissolution of both religious and political institutions. However, it is also recognized by commentators as a period of theological growth underpinning both Jewish and Christian thought (Hiebel 2019).…”