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The Book of Ezekiel, Juridical Diction and Judahite Identity

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The Book of Ezekiel, Juridical Diction and Judahite Identity ACase for Identity: The Book of Ezekiel, Juridical Diction and Judahite Identity Author: Joel B. Kemp Persistent link: http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:107366 This work is posted on eScholarship@BC, Boston College University Libraries. Boston College Electronic Thesis or Dissertation, 2017 Copyright is held by the author, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise noted. A CASE FOR IDENTITY: THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL, JURIDICAL DICTION AND JUDAHITE IDENTITY JOEL BERNARD KEMP A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the department of Theology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Boston College Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Graduate School April 2017 © Copyright 2017 Joel Bernard Kemp A CASE FOR IDENTITY: THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL, JURIDICAL DICTION AND JUDAHITE IDENTITY Joel Bernard Kemp Advisor: David S. Vanderhooft, Ph.D. ABSTRACT The consistent presence of juridical diction, legal metaphors, and courtroom imagery reveals that Ezekiel 1-33 is set within a precise juridical framework. In this study, I argued that focusing upon these legal elements has two primary benefits for our understanding of the book. First, the juridical framework provides greater clarity and coherence to some passages within Ezekiel 1-33. Second, the book (especially Ezekiel 16) uses its legal elements to articulate a version of Judahite identity under Neo- Babylonian hegemony. To connect these legal elements to identity development, I used some insights from the works of Erik Erikson and Urie Bronfenbrenner (the “EB Model”). According to my analysis, Ezekiel 16 equates the legal status of the city with Judahite identity in order to prove that the experiences of Neo-Babylonian domination .between the deity and Judahites (ברית) did not nullify or rescind the legal agreement Rather, the punishment this chapter describes demonstrates the continuing validity of the contract and the version of Judahite identity that is rooted in it. Consequently, the Judahites’ acceptance of the legal appropriateness of Neo-Babylonian domination is the sine qua non for remaining in the legal relationship that defines Judahite identity. TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... vi Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1 0.1 Scope of study ........................................................................................................................... 4 0.1.1 Ezekiel 1-33 ....................................................................................................................................... 4 0.1.2 The need for A case: Rival prophets and obstinate audiences ..................................... 5 0.1.3 Historicity of Babylonian deportation ................................................................................... 9 0.2 Organization of study .......................................................................................................... 10 1.0 Chapter 1 ........................................................................................................................ 14 1.1 Authorship, unity, and provenance ................................................................................ 15 1.1.1 Authorship and unity ................................................................................................................. 15 1.1.2 The historical Ezekiel ................................................................................................................. 27 1.1.3 Authorship and unity ................................................................................................................. 33 1.1.3.1 Babylonia............................................................................................................................... 33 1.1.3.2 Judah ....................................................................................................................................... 37 1.1.3.3 Babylonia and Judah ......................................................................................................... 40 1.2 Priestly source, holiness code, and Ezekiel ................................................................. 42 1.2.1 Exilic or post-exilic P .................................................................................................................. 49 1.2.2 Pre-exilic P ...................................................................................................................................... 51 1.2.3 Overview of H and Ezekiel ....................................................................................................... 57 1.3 Feminist scholarship overview ........................................................................................ 62 1.3.1 Prophetic metaphors .................................................................................................................. 66 1.3.2 Contextual nature of Ezekiel 16 ............................................................................................. 70 1.3.3 Justification of Misogyny?......................................................................................................... 72 1.4 Framework for present study .......................................................................................... 74 2.0 Chapter 2 ........................................................................................................................ 79 2.1 The Bible, Ezekiel, and psychology ................................................................................ 80 2.2 Judahite identity and psychological methodologies: A brief overview ............. 93 2.2.1 Shaye Cohen ................................................................................................................................... 96 2.2.2 Dalit Rom-Shiloni ...................................................................................................................... 104 2.3 Erikson, Bronfenbrenner, and legal elements ......................................................... 112 2.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 119 3.0 Chapter 3 ...................................................................................................................... 121 3.1 Judahite and Neo-Babylonian procedures ................................................................. 123 3.1.1 Overview of Neo-Babylonian court procedures ........................................................... 124 iv 3.2 Forensic character of Ezekiel ......................................................................................... 130 3.2.1 Legal precedents ....................................................................................................................... 130 3.2.2 Juridical content ........................................................................................................................ 132 3.3 YHWH's judicial disposition ........................................................................................... 136 3.3.1 Accusation of defendant ......................................................................................................... 136 3.3.2 Prophetic sign acts ................................................................................................................... 141 3.3.3 Prohibition of prophetic advocacy .................................................................................... 145 3.3.4 The defendant’s silence .......................................................................................................... 151 3.3.5 Repeal of prophetic restrictions ......................................................................................... 154 3.3.6 The absence of innocence ...................................................................................................... 156 3.3.7 Inquiring of YHWH ................................................................................................................... 158 3.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 161 4.0 Chapter 4 ...................................................................................................................... 163 4.1 Renunciation, negligent supervision, and adverse possession ......................... 165 4.2 Erroneous punishment and judicial misconduct .................................................... 184 4.3 A legal proposal: The death of the prophet's wife .................................................. 199 4.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 205 5.0 Chapter 5 ...................................................................................................................... 206 5.1 Legal elements and Ezekiel ............................................................................................. 208 5.1.1 Abandonment, adoption, and marriage ........................................................................... 208 5.2.2 Indictment, punishment, and ratification ......................................................................
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