Animal Metaphors and the People of Israel in the Book of Jeremiah. By Benjamin A. Foreman. Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des alten und neuen Testaments. Göttigen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2011. Pp. xi + 277. $213.75.

2015 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-20
Author(s):  
Phillip Michael Sherman
Keyword(s):  
The People ◽  
Book Of Jeremiah

LEADERS AND TIMES OF CRISIS: JEREMIAH 5:1–6 A CASE IN POINT

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 657-677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilhelm J. Wessels
Keyword(s):  
Ordinary People ◽  
Covenant Theology ◽  
The People ◽  
History Of ◽  
Book Of Jeremiah ◽  
Definitive Role ◽  
Ethical Obligations ◽  
Moral Demands ◽  
The Way ◽  
Crisis Situations

The book of Jeremiah reflects a particular period in the history of Judah, certain theological perspectives and a particular portrayal of the prophet Jeremiah. Covenant theology played a major role in Jeremiah’s view of life and determined his expectations of leaders and ordinary people. He placed high value on justice and trustworthiness, and people who did not adhere to this would in his view bear the consequences of disobedience to Yahweh’s moral demands and unfaithfulness. The prophet expected those in positions of leadership to adhere to certain ethical obligations as is clear from most of the nouns which appear in Jeremiah 5:1–6. This article argues that crisis situations in history affect leaders’ communication, attitudes and responses. Leaders’ worldviews and ideologies play a definitive role in their responses to crises. Jeremiah’s religious views are reflected in his criticism and demands of people in his society. This is also true as seen from the way the people and leaders in Judah responded to the prophet’s proclamation. Jeremiah 5:1–6 emphasises that knowledge and accountability are expected of leaders at all times, but in particular during unstable political times.

Contested Theologies in the Book of Jeremiah

2021 ◽  
pp. 310-327
Author(s):  
Georg Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Hebrew Text ◽  
Greek Translation ◽  
Rich Variety ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The People ◽  
Book Of Jeremiah ◽  
The Rich ◽  
The One ◽  
Theological Message

The book of Jeremiah testifies to disputes about theologies on various levels. Comparison of the Hebrew text and the version of the Septuagint shows large differences regarding the manner in which they speak of God. These differences suggest that the Greek translation tried to evade unusual, challenging, or provocative aspects attributed to God by mitigating or omitting them. The opposition between YHWH, with Jeremiah on his side, and the people together with their leaders shapes the main conflict within the book. The latter wish a “comfortable” relationship without liability, whereas God and his prophet require an exclusive liaison and determination. In some passages, Jeremiah has views which differ from those of YHWH. These texts illustrate that even a prophet has to “learn,” to open himself to God’s broader horizons and distinct plans. (d) Some features of the theological message of the book of Jeremiah are unique and set it apart from all other scrolls of the Bible. Jeremiah thus conveys a particular, independent view of YHWH, which sometimes stands in contrast to Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and other writings, although sharing the same belief in the one and only God. (e) The theological struggles within the book of Jeremiah find a continuation in the conflict of contemporary interpretations. Instead of explaining the various positions with diachronic considerations, it seems sounder to understand the rich variety of theologies therein as due to the different characters, altered situations and circumstances, and to the development of the individuals within the course of history.

scholarly journals The “poisonous water” (mê rʾōš) in Jer 8:14 and the “bewitched water” (mê kaššāpūti) in Maqlû i 103-104: witchcraft in the book of Jeremiah

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristiana Conti
Keyword(s):  
The People ◽  
Book Of Jeremiah ◽  
Harmful Effects

Some scholars consider the biblical phrase mê rʾōš (“poisonous water”) a metaphor for the venom of a snake, others interpret it as a poisonous substance produced by pressing herbs and still, others believe it to be a metaphor for the destruction of the people Israel and their land. In the book of Jeremiah in particular, the phrase mê rʾōš appears three times (8:14, 9:15, and 23:15) and in all cases, it appears in execratory contexts. Numerous studies have put this phrase in relation to the trial ordeal in Numbers 5:11-31, and have therefore recognized its execratory nature, yet, to my knowledge, no one has ever studied it against the background of the Neo-Assyrian magical tradition. Accordingly, the expression “poisonous water” may have magical nuances attached to it. For example, the ancient Mesopotamians believed that curses could be passed to the victim by means of food or drink. In this analysis, I argue that the expression mê rʾōš may have the function that the Akkadian phrase mê kaššāpūti (“bewitched water”) has in Assyrian anti-witchcraft rituals where the administration of a poisonous drink symbolized the nullification of a curse as it was believed that the bewitched potion given to the evildoer returned to him the evil he had intended for his victim. In my talk, I will analyze the theme of the transfer of the curse through liquids and food in select Assyrian literature. I will then show how the book of Jeremiah redeployed this Assyrian theme to articulate its theological offensive against the harmful effects of the oracular utterances of illegitimate Prophets.

The Love Poetry of Disaster—Lamentations

2019 ◽  
pp. 291-298
Author(s):  
Ellen F. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Love Poetry ◽  
The People ◽  
Book Of Jeremiah

THE BOOK OF Jeremiah includes a lengthy prose account of events leading up to and following the fall of Jerusalem, written in the distinctive language of the Deuteronomistic Historians. This account accords with the book of Kings in its report that the people of Jerusalem and Judah repeatedly refused the appeal made by YHWH’s prophets to repent (Jer 34:15–22; 35:12–17; 36:29–31; 44:2–6; cf. 2 Kgs 24:20); their punishment is therefore deserved. Establishing the fact of impenitence and thus defending the justice of God is the Deuteronomists’ primary theological concern, but it does not touch on everything that people of faith might ...

The Representation of Egypt in the Book of Jeremiah

2021 ◽  
pp. 56-77
Author(s):  
Safwat Marzouk
Keyword(s):  
Forced Migration ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Situation ◽  
The People ◽  
History Of ◽  
Book Of Jeremiah ◽  
The Way

This chapter discusses the representation of Egypt in the book of Jeremiah. The prophetic traditions embedded in the book of Jeremiah portray Egypt in a negative way across the span of the history of the people of Israel, from their exodus from Egypt all the way to the chaotic situation after the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem. The negative portrayal of Egypt stems from the view that Egypt feeds into Judah’s rebellion against YHWH, whether in entering a political alliance with Egypt against Babylon or seeking a place of refuge in Egypt after the exile. The chapter begins with a survey of the political situation in the last decade of Judah. The study moves on to show that the prophetic references to the exodus from Egypt intend to highlight YHWH’s faithfulness and the people’s disobedience, which was manifested most poignantly in their determination to return to Egypt; a geographical move that reverses the exodus. Finally, after examining the prophetic judgments pronounced against the Judean diaspora in Egypt, the chapter concludes with a reflection on Jeremiah’s discourse on resisting the empire and forced migration.

scholarly journals Profeten Jeremias og genopbyggelsen af national identitet

2010 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-40
Author(s):  
Else K. Holt
Keyword(s):  
Role Model ◽  
Word Of God ◽  
The People ◽  
Book Of Jeremiah ◽  
Biblical Scholar

The Book of Jeremiah can be read as a contribution to the struggle for the rebuilding of the exilic and post-exilic nation of Israel. Based on social-anthropological theories about the conditions of the life of refugees, presented by the American biblical scholar Daniel Smith-Christopher, the polyphonic Book of Jeremiah is presented as a text with a “V-structure”: The first half of the book represents a dystopian disclosure of Israel’s culpability while the second offers a utopian message of hope for the nation. Such a message needs authority, and this authority is reinforced by the strong identification of the prophet with (the word of) God. This article presents the literary persona of the prophet as partly dissimilated from the people and assimilated to God and partly in conflict with God as a role model for the people in its suffering.

Portraits of the Prophet in the Book of Jeremiah

2021 ◽  
pp. 342-357
Author(s):  
Else K. Holt
Keyword(s):  
Word Of God ◽  
Introductory Section ◽  
The People ◽  
Book Of Jeremiah ◽  
God's Work ◽  
Call Narrative

This chapter presents three different theological portraits of Jeremiah: Jeremiah as the (embodied) word of God, the lamenting Jeremiah, and Jeremiah as a political advisor to king and people. The introductory section discusses the historical and hermeneutic background for a literary, non-historicist reading of the book of Jeremiah and presents the approach in the article as “la seconde naïveté.” The portrait of Jeremiah as the word of God governs the presentation of the prophet in the book. It is conveyed through the call narrative and the initial audition-vision in chapter 1, which emphasizes how Jeremiah is supposed to do God’s work among the nations while God promises to protect the prophet. The second part, Jeremiah the Lamenter, presents three different portraits of the lamenting prophet: the prophet correlated with God, lamenting the apostasy of the people; the prophet correlated with the people, lamenting the absence of God; and the prophet lamenting his own charge as a prophet. Finally, Jeremiah is presented as a political advisor to both king and people, a task that is deemed to fail, due to the king’s obduracy and the people’s stubborn ignorance. The conclusion asks for the background of such a diverse presentation of one prophet and his message.

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