My Understanding of Religion
Page 17
The prophet Jeremiah was born in Anathoth near Jerusalem in 650 BC. He was convinced YAHWEH had chosen him, and that he was predestined to be a 'prophet to the nations'. He began to prophesy about 626 BC. The Book of Jeremiah is often divided into four sections: prophecies against Judah and Jerusalem, narratives about Jeremiah, prophecies against other nations, and a historical appendix. Jeremiah is probably responsible for the prophecies in the first part of the book (chapters 1-25). Baruch, Jeremiah's secretary, is traditionally seen as the composer of the second section. It is thought the third section may derive from Jeremiah. The last section was, in large part, taken from 2 Kings. Jeremiah told the Jewish people that YAHWEH would destroy the Temple (the house of YAHWEH) unless they changed their ways. He claimed the people had filled the land with false gods and useless idols. Jeremiah predicted Jerusalem would suffer the fate of a rejected whore. In chapter 25 Jeremiah introduces the wine cup of the fury of YAHWEH that all kingdoms on the face of the earth must drink from. He predicted a world conflict in which YAHWEH 'will plead with all flesh'. After the conflict the dead will lay 'from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth'. The dead will not be mourned or buried - 'they shall be as dung upon the ground'. After the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC, Jeremiah was taken to Egypt. One tradition has it that fellow countrymen stoned Jeremiah to death there in 570 BC.
Ezekiel conducted his mission in Jerusalem and Babylon during the first three decades of the 6th century BC. Ezekiel was deported to Babylon in 597 BC. He was situated near Nippur (city of Enlil: father of the Sumerian moon god Sin). It was in July 592 BC, after having a vision of the 'throne-chariot' of YAHWEH, that Ezekiel became a prophet. His vision involved winged creatures, a crystal firmament, rainbow light, and rings so high they were 'dreadful'. He prophesied from 592 BC until 585 BC, and again from 572 BC until 570 BC. The Book of Ezekiel may be divided into three parts: prophecies against Judah and Jerusalem (chapters 1-24), prophecies against other nations (chapters 25-32), and prophecies about Israel's future (chapters 33-48). Ezekiel called Jerusalem an insatiable whore and adulterous wife against whom YAHWEH had drawn his sword in order to cut off 'the righteous and the wicked'. After the fall of Jerusalem Ezekiel changed his theme to one in which Judah and Israel return to the Promised Land and reunify. Gog and Magog are features of Ezekiel's work - Gog and Magog became significant in Christian eschatology.
Some elements of Ezekiel's vision (crystal, rainbow, and rings) appear to connect with mystical traditions as disparate as the ancient Greeks, Australian Aboriginals, and the Cro-Magnon peoples.
Hosea is the first of The Twelve (Minor Prophets). He began his mission in the northern kingdom (Israel) in the 8th century BC. It lasted until about the time of the fall of Israel in 721 BC. The Book of Hosea has a long history of conception and transmission, and the text, which is rather corrupt, presents problems of interpretation. It may be divided into two parts: the marriage of the prophet (chapters 1-3), and judgements against Israel (chapters 4-14). Hosea represents the relationship between Israel and YAHWEH as one of husband and adulterous wife. Israel in 'a spirit of harlotry' had committed adultery with other gods. Israel will be rejected and disciplined for its whoredom, but YAHWEH would still love Israel if Israel would return to him.
The second of the Minor Prophets is Joel. Jewish tradition divides The Book of Joel into four chapters. Christian tradition divides it into three chapters. Nothing about Joel himself is communicated through the work, and the dates of Joel are hard to establish: some scholars argue the work comes from a time just after the fall of Jerusalem in 586BC, while other scholars favour a time between 539BC and 331BC. An important motif in Joel is the day of the Lord. Much of the language and imagery (sun turned into darkness, the moon into blood, stars withdraw their shining) used by Joel to describe the day of the Lord are reflected in later Christian writing. According to Joel YAHWEH will bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, and also at that time YAHWEH will gather all nations into the valley of decision on the day of the Lord.
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