Ezekiel's Debate with Isaiah
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EZEKIEL’S DEBATE WITH ISAIAH Marvin A. Sweeney I Throughout the history of modern critical scholarship, the book of Ezekiel has suffered from relatively less critical attention and relatively greater misunderstanding when compared to its better-known coun- terparts.1 Such hesitancy to engage Ezekiel and misunderstanding of its contents arise from its priestly world view and depiction of the holy; its often bizarre imagery, language, and concepts; its frequent disagreements with the Pentateuch and other biblical literature; and its exilic-period setting and concern with Temple purity and restora- tion in the aftermath of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylo- nian exile. Ezekiel was nearly excluded from the Jewish Bible until R. Hananiah ben Hezekiah burned three hundred barrels of oil work- ing nights to reconcile the differences between Ezekiel and the Torah (b Shabbat 13b; b Haggigah 13ab; b Menaḥot 45a). Modern scholars have generally followed Gustav Hölscher in stripping away major ele- ments of the book as the product of priestly redaction, thereby deny- ing Ezekiel’s identity as a Zadokite priest of the Jerusalem Temple.2 Some scholars charge that Ezekiel is mentally impaired or dependent on hallucinogenic drugs.3 Even Abraham Joshua Heschel did not treat Ezekiel in his celebrated volume, The Prophets.4 Fortunately, scholarly assessment of Ezekiel has begun to change in the latter half of the twentieth century and the early years of the twenty-first as scholars have come to understand Ezekiel’s intellectual 1 For discussion of modern critical research on Ezekiel, see Bernhard Lang, Ezechiel (Erträge der Forschung 153; Darmstadt, 1981); Lawrence Boadt, “Ezekiel, Book of,” ABD 2, pp. 711–722; Henry McKeating, Ezekiel (OT Guides; Sheffield, 1993); Kath- eryn Pfisterer Darr, “Ezekiel Among the Critics,” CR:BS 2 (1994), pp. 9–24; Risa Levitt Kohn, “Ezekiel at the Turn of the Century,” CBR 2 (2003), pp. 9–31. 2 Gustav Hölscher, Hesekiel, der Dichter und das Buch (BZAW 39; Giessen, 1924). 3 See, e.g., David J. Halperin, Seeking Ezekiel: Text and Psychology (University Park, Pennsylvania, 1993), esp. pp. 7–38. 4 Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Prophets (New York, 1962). 556 marvin a. sweeney breadth and his priestly perspective.5 Gerhard von Rad considers Eze- kiel to be one of ancient Israel’s most deeply reflective prophets and theologians.6 Walther Zimmerli traces the impact of Ezekiel on devel- oping Israelite tradition and its understanding of revelation.7 Moshe Greenberg adds considerable insight into the literary and conceptual coherence of the book.8 Jon Levenson points to Ezekiel’s dependence on the imagery and theology of the Jerusalem Temple.9 Karl-Friedrich Pohlmann emphasizes the role that concerns with exile played in shap- ing the book between the initial exile of 597 bce and the destruction of Jerusalem in 587/6 bce.10 Katheryn Pfisterer Darr recognizes the importance of Ezekiel for modern theology, particularly its relevance for engaging the question of evil posed by the Shoah or Holocaust.11 My own work emphasizes Ezekiel’s identity as a Zadokite priest of the Jerusalem Temple in the presentation of Ezekiel’s visions and concep- 5 For examples of some of the most recent scholarship on Ezekiel, see the two volumes of essays published by the Society of Biblical Literature program units on Ezekiel, viz., Margaret S. Odell and John T. Strong, editors, The Book of Ezekiel: Theo- logical and Anthropological Perspectives (SBLSym 9; Atlanta, 2000); Stephen L. Cook and Corrine L. Patton, editors, Ezekiel’s Hierarchical World: Wrestling with a Tiered Reality (SBLSym 31; Atlanta, 2004). My own recent contributions to this discussion appear in “Ezekiel: Zadokite Priest and Visionary Prophet of the Exile,” Form and Intertextuality in Prophetic and Apocalyptic Literature (FAT 45; Tübingen, 2005), pp. 125–143; “The Destruction of Jerusalem as Purification in Ezekiel 8–11,” Form and Intertextuality, pp. 144–155; “The Assertion of Divine Power in Ezekiel 33:21–39:29,” Form and Intertextuality, pp. 156–172; “The Royal Oracle in Ezekiel 37:15–28: Eze- kiel’s Reflection on Josiah’s Reform,” in Brad E. Kelle and Megan Bishop Moore, edi- tors, Israel’s Prophets and Israel’s Past: Essays on the Relationship of Prophetic Texts and Israelite History in Honor of John H., Hayes (LHBOTS 446; New York and Lon- don, 2006), pp. 239–253. For an overview discussion, see my The Prophetic Literature (IBT; Nashville, 2005), pp. 127–164. 6 Gerhard von Rad, Old Testament Theology (2 vols.; trans. D.M.G. Stalker; New York, 1962–65), vol. 2, pp. 220–237, esp. pp. 221–223. 7 Walther Zimmerli, Ezekiel (2 vols.; Hermeneia; trans. Ronald E. Clements and James D. Martin; Philadelphia, 1979–83); idem, “Knowledge of G-d According to the Book of Ezekiel,” in: W. Brueggeman (ed.), I am YHWH (trans. Douglas W. Stott; Atlanta, 1982), pp. 29–98. 8 Moshe Greenberg, Ezekiel 1–20 (AB 22; Garden City, New York, 1983); idem, Ezekiel 21–37 (AB 22A; Garden City, New York, 1997). 9 Jon D. Levenson, Theology and Program of Restoration of Ezekiel 40–48 (HSM 10; Missoula, Montana 1976). 10 Karl-Friedrich Pohlmann, Der Prophet Hesekiel/Ezechiel (ATD 22,1–2; Göttin- gen, 1996–2001). 11 Katheryn Pfisterer Darr, “The Book of Ezekiel,” in: L. Keck et al. (eds.), The New Interpreter’s Bible. Volume 6 (Nashville, 2001), pp. 1073–1607..