Arnon ATZMON Bar-Ilan University
PROPHET OF GLOOM OR COMFORT: THE CONFLICTING PORTRAYALS OF JEREMIAH’S PROPHECY IN PESIQTA᾿ DE-RABH KAHANA᾿
ABSTRACT
The pisqa᾿ot of the Pesiqta᾿ de-rabh Kahana᾿ (PDRK) accompanying the two haphṭarot of rebuke that precede Tiš῾a be-abh radically differ in their appraisal of Jeremiah and his prophecy. In the first pisqa᾿, The words of Jeremiah, Jeremiah’s prophecy is portrayed as a harsh rebuke, contrasted with the gentler prophecies of Isaiah and Ezekiel, and compared with the similarly harsh prophecy of Moses. The second pisqa᾿, Hear the word of the Lord, paints Jeremiah’s prophecy in a gentle light, comparing it with Jacob’s respectful rebuke of Laban, and this time contrasting it favorably with the harsh and disrespectful language used by Isaiah and Ezekiel. While there are several ways we might understand the sharp differences between these two juxtaposed pisqa᾿ot, I suggest that the editor of PDRK intentionally fash- ioned them in this manner so as to influence and shape the mood of the synagogue audience hearing them during these three weeks.
RÉSUMÉ
Les pisqa᾿ot de la Pesiqta᾿ de-rabh Kahana᾿ (PDRK) qui accompagnent les deux haphṭarot de réprimande précédant Tiš῾a be-abh diffèrent radicalement dans leur éva- luation de Jérémie et de sa prophétie. Dans la première pisqa᾿, Les paroles de Jérémie, la prophétie de Jérémie est présentée comme une sévère réprimande : en cela, elle est semblable à la prophétie de Moïse et se distingue des douces prophéties d’Isaïe et d’Ézéchiel. La seconde pisqa᾿, Écoutez la parole du Seigneur, dépeint la prophétie de Jérémie de façon plus posée et la compare à la réprimande respectueuse que Jacob adresse à Laban. Le langage irrespectueux et sévère utilisé par Isaïe et Ézéchiel appa- raît au contraire sous un jour négatif. Sachant qu’il y a plusieurs manières de com- prendre les différences entre ces deux pisqa᾿ot, je suggère que le rédacteur de PDRK les a intentionnellement façonnées ainsi, afin d’influencer l’auditoire qui les écoute durant trois semaines à la synagogue.
A. Jeremiah’s Prophecy in Ancient Literature
The image of the prophet Jeremiah underwent a radical transformation already within the biblical corpus itself. In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet
Revue des études juives, 176 (3-4), juillet-décembre 2017, pp. 269-293. doi: 10.2143/REJ.176.3.3268993 270 JEREMIAH’S PROPHECY IN PESIQTA᾿ DE-RABH KAHANA᾿ is portrayed as a pursued and despised figure, rejected by his contemporar- ies. His name is not mentioned in other prophetic works of the period or in the book of Kings. However, in later biblical books, those describing the return of Israel to Zion, he is referred to as the herald of redemption, I, Daniel, contemplated the calculations, the number of the years that the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah the prophet, since the destruction of Jerusalem, seventy years (Dan. 9:2).1 Jeremiah’s character became a focal point of literary and cultural creation in apocryphal literature of the Second Temple period,2 as can be seen in the large number of compositions connected to Jeremiah3 or his disciple Barukh son of Neriah.4 These compositions contain an assortment of traditions con- nected to Jeremiah, enlisting him as a symbol both for the destruction of the Temple and for its future rebuilding.5 Towards the end of the Second Temple period, and even more so after the destruction, Jeremiah’s character had a significant impact on the forma- tion of several key figures of the period. Josephus, for instance, at times views himself through the lens of Jeremiah. In Wars of the Jews, Josephus describes himself as turning to the Jews under siege in Jerusalem, requesting they treat him as the men of Jerusalem treated Jeremiah and refrain from killing him.6 So too in early Christian theology, Jeremiah played a central
* I would like to thank Beit Shalom Kyoto (Japan) for their financial support, and my good friend and colleague Dan Jaffé for ably translating the abstract to French. 1. Concerning Jeremiah’s reception in other biblical books see J. APPLEGATE, “Jeremiah and the Seventy Years in the Hebrew Bible: Inner-Biblical Reflections on the Prophet and his Prophecy,” in A. W. CURTIS, T. RÖMER (eds), The Book of Jeremiah and Its Reception – Le Livre de Jérémie et sa réception, Leuven, 1997, p. 91-110. 2. See M. LEUCHTER, “Remembering Jeremiah in the Persian period,” in D. V. EDELMAN, E. BEN ZVI (eds), Remembering Biblical Figures in the Late Persian and Early Hellenistic Periods, Oxford, 2013, p. 384-414. 3. Concerning the Epistle of Jeremiah and its relationship with the book of Baruch see S. A. ADAMS, “Epistle of Jeremiah or Baruch 6?: The Importance of Labels,” Journal of Septuagint and Cognate Studies 44 (2011), p. 26-30. 4. On the development of external biblical traditions concerning Jeremiah see R. GOLD- STEIN, “Jeremiah between Destruction and Exile: From Biblical to Post-Biblical Traditions,” Dead Sea Discoveries 20/3 (2013), p. 433-451. On the large volume of apocryphal material related to Jeremiah and Baruch see E. J. WRIGHT, Baruch Ben Neriah: From Biblical Scribe to Apocalyptic Seer, Columbia, 2003. 5. Qumran scrolls also contain a significant quantity of writings connected to Jeremiah. See G. J. BROOKE, “The Book of Jeremiah and its Reception in the Qumran Scrolls,” in The Book of Jeremiah and Its Reception, p. 183-205; D. DIMANT, “From the Book of Jeremiah to the Qumranic ‘Apocryphon of Jeremiah’,” Dead Sea Discoveries 20/3 (2013), p. 452-471. 6. Josephus, Wars of the Jews 5:391-393 (trans. THACKERAY, Loeb Classical Library). Concerning Josephus’s connection to the image of Jeremiah see S. J. D. COHEN, “Josephus, Jeremiah, and Polybius,” History and Theory 21/3 (1982), p. 366-381. JEREMIAH’S PROPHECY IN PESIQTA᾿ DE-RABH KAHANA᾿ 271 role and to a certain extent even served as an archetype for the image of Jesus. Thus, for instance, in Matthew 16:14, one of the figures with whom the people identify Jesus is the prophet Jeremiah.7 Another figure of this period with whom Jeremiah is identified, at least in the memory of later generations, is Raban Johanan b. Zakai, as can be seen in various agadot appearing in rabbinic sources.8 Josephus, Jesus and Raban Johanan b. Zakai, arguably the three Second Temple figures who would most symbolize for future generations the seismic changes that occurred in the first century C.E. were all connected with Jeremiah. Tanaitic literature, composed during the Roman period, does not relate to the image of Jeremiah in any systematic or organized fashion, and contains only a few scattered references to him.9 Midrašic literature from the Byzan- tine period contains the earliest systematic and detailed rabbinic portrayal of Jeremiah, relating to both his life and his prophecy.10 Such a detailed and focused approach to the image of Jeremiah is found in Pesiqta᾿ de-rabh Kahana᾿ (PDRK), a midrašic composition composed of sermons for Torah readings and readings from the prophets (haphṭarot) read on special calen- drical occasions (festivals and special Sabbaths).11 PDRK includes three units (pisqa᾿ot) that as far as we can tell were dedicated to haphṭarot read on the three Sabbaths preceding the fast of the ninth of the month of Ab, called the “three (haphṭarot) of rebuke.”12 The first two of these pisqa᾿ot (13-14)
7. This was the subject of numerous studies. See for instance M. WHITTERS, “Jesus in the Footsteps of Jeremiah,” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 68 (2006), p. 229-247. 8. See A. TROPPER, “Yohanan ben Zakkai, Amicus Caesaris: A Jewish Hero in Rabbinic Eyes (Hebrew),” Jewish Studies Internet Journal 4 (2005), p. 133-149. 9. Below I will note several of the tanaitic midrašim and Talmudic baraitot which refer to the image of Jeremiah. 10. There are already several comprehensive quality scholarly surveys of the image of Jeremiah in talmudic and aggadic literature. However, they were not based on a full analysis of the midrašic context in which Jeremiah’s image appears. Among these surveys worth not- ing is: A. A. WIEDER, Jeremiah in Aggadic Literature, Ph.D. diss., Brandeis University, 1962; R. TOMES, “The Reception of Jeremiah in Rabbinic Literature and in the Targum,” in The Book of Jeremiah and Its Reception, p. 233-253. 11. For a basic scholarly survey on Pesiqta᾿ de-rabh Kahana᾿ (PDRK) see W. G. BRAUDE, I. KAPSTEIN, Pesikta De-Rab Kahana: R. Kahana’s Compilation of Discourses for Sabbaths and Festal Days, London, 1975, p. xxxiii‒ci; H. STRACK, G. STEMBERGER, Introduction to the Talmud