“Wrath without Remediation”: The Babylonian Exile and the Question of Immediate Retribution in Chronicles

2021 ◽  
pp. 312-352
Keyword(s):  
2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-164
Author(s):  
Refael Furman

Abstract This study identifies similar sociological patterns connected with identity issues in the biblical prophetic literature concerning the Babylonian exile in and two “modern-time diasporas,” the Armenian and the Palestinian. Certain criteria were found common to the inspected cases, suggesting common identity shaping patterns that may transcend time and culture.


Religions ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 476
Author(s):  
Janina M. Hiebel

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.


2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Schart

This paper proposes a reading of the Book of the Twelve (used interchangeably with �Twelve� and �Book� for convenience) that concentrates on the sound that is included in the description of the world of the text. Three onomatopoeic devices are singled out. First, the mourning cry h�y is considered. This interjection is used differently in several of the writings: in Amos (5:18; 6:1) the prophet cries out in compassion with the addressees. By contrast, in Nahum 3:1 and Habakkuk 2:6�19, h�y is uttered in a mood of mockery. In Zechariah 2:10 a third, joyful h�y is used. It appears that the different usages cohere nicely with the overall structure of the Book of the Twelve. Secondly, the interjection has likewise shows different usages. In Amos 6:10 and 8:3, it simulates the last breath of Israelites dying when the land is devastated. By contrast, in Habakkuk 2:20, Zephaniah 1:7 and Zechariah 2:17, the addressees are directed to be silent before YHWH. This command should be perceived as an act of reverence. Again, the sequence of the occurrences coheres with the overall structure of the Book of the Twelve. Of special relevance is that the last three instances build a frame around the Babylonian exile, which lies between Zephaniah and Haggai. The third example is the phrase ham�n�m, ham�n�m in Joel 4:14. The author employs an irregular double plural to construe this place as the loudest spot (�apocalyptic noise�) within the Twelve.Setu sa go tiba le modumo wa aphokhaliptiki: Ditemogo ka medumo ya Puku ya ba LesomepediPampiri ye e �i�inya go balwa ga Puku ya ba Lesomepedi (yeo e ka nogo bit�wa �Lesomepedi� goba �Puku� go bebofat�a ditaba) ka go gatelela modumo wo o lego ka gare ga tlhaloso ya lefase la go tswala dingwalo t�e. Ditsela t�e tharo t�a onomathopoiki di bewa pepeneng. La mathomo, go �et�wa sello sa mahloko sa h?y. Lelahlelwa le le �omi�wa ka go fapana mo dingwalong t�e mmalwa: go Amosi (5:18; 6:1) moprofeta o lla ka kwelabohloko go bangwalelwa ba gagwe. Go fapana le seo, mo go Nahume 3:1 le Habakuku 2: 6-19, h?y e t�welet�wa ka moya wa dikwero. Mo go Sakaria 2:10, go diri�wa h?y ya boraro e le ya lethabo. Go bonala nke dit�homi�o t�e tharo t�e t�a go fapana di nyalelana gobotse le sebopego sa Puku ya ba Lesomepedi. Sa bobedi, lelahlelwa has le lona le laet�a dit�homi�o t�a go fapana. Mo go Amosi 6:10 le 8:3, le tso�olo�a mohemo wa mafelelo wa Baisraele ge ba ehwa ka go bona go senywa ga naga. Go fapana le seo, ka go Habakuku 2:20, Tsefaya 1:7 le Sakaria 2:7, bangwalelwa ba laelwa go homola pele ga YHWH. Taelo ye e swanet�e go kwe�i�wa e le tiro ya go laet�a tlhompho. Gapegape, tatelano ya ditiragalo e nyalana gabotse le sebopego sa Puku ya ba Lesomepedi. Se maleba le go fete�i�a ke gore mabaka a mararo a mafelelo a aga freime go tiragalo ya bothop�a bja Babilonia, bjoo bo welago magareng ga Tsefanya le Hagai. Mohlala wa boraro ke sekafoko ham�nim mo go Joele 4:14. Mongwadi o diri�a sebopego sa go se tlwaelege sa bobedi mo bont�ing go laet�a lefelo le e le la modumo wa go feta yohle (�modumo wa apholiphtiki�) mo go Lesomepedi.


Author(s):  
Mark Leuchter

Can you see the real me … ?—Pete TownshendAT A GLANCE, the biblical tradition paints a fairly simple picture of the Levites. They were a tribe descended from one of Jacob’s sons (Levi); Moses and Aaron emerged from their ranks in Egypt, and saw to their sacerdotal investiture during the wilderness period. Once the Levites had settled in the land of Canaan, they continued these priestly duties under the leadership of major priestly figures who descended from Aaron. They supported the building of Solomon’s temple, and they returned to Jerusalem following the end of the Babylonian Exile to help build the Second Temple and minister therein under the leadership of the Aaronide priesthood. The Levites then remained in this secondary position and were charged with a variety of duties to support the sacrificial cult conducted and regulated under Aaronide auspices. They also assisted powerful figures such as Ezra and Nehemiah in reading ritual texts, transmitting sacred teachings, and administering society according to divine law....


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-59
Author(s):  
Günter Stemberger

Abstract:According to the rabbis, only those belong to Israel who have lived through the central events of biblical history, above all the Exodus and the Babylonian Exile. This is demonstrated on the basis of three texts, the Haggadah of Pesaḥ, the Mekhilta, and the interpretation of the Exodus story in the Babylonian Talmud Sotah. Every Jew is expected to re-enact these events in their own lives: “In every generation man is bound to look upon himself as if he had come forth from Egypt.” Converts may also opt into this history and consider themselves as if they, too, had stood on Mount Sinai. Biblical history remains an active force beyond the limits of time; the consciousness of this ever present history is part of the rabbinic understanding of one’s own present and thus essential for one’s Jewish identity.


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