
Ezekiel and the Ethics of Exile
Andrew Mein(Author)
Oxford University Press
Published on 5. January 2006
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-0-19-929139-7 (ISBN)
Description
Whereas much recent work on the ethics of the Hebrew Bible addresses the theological task of using the Bible as a moral resource for today, this book aims to set Ezekiel's ethics firmly in the social and historical context of the Babylonian Exile. The two 'moral worlds' of Jerusalem and Babylonia provide the key. Ezekiel explains the disaster in terms familiar to his audience's past experience as members of Judah's political elite. He also provides ethical strategies for coping with the more limited possibilities of life in Babylonia, which include the ritualization of ethics, an increasing emphasis on the domestic and personal sphere of action, and a shift towards human passivity in the face of restoration. Thus the prophet's moral concerns and priorities are substantially shaped by the social experience of deportation and resettlement. They also represent a creative response to the crisis, providing significant impetus for social cohesion and the maintenance of a distinctively Jewish community.
Reviews / Votes
Review from previous edition The author considers the prophet's ethical message, and he does so with great success ... An excellent contribution to prophetic studies. * International Review of Biblical Studies * Fine contribution to both a more rigorous methodology for examining Ezekiel texts, and a distinct advance in understanding the unity and purpose of the judgment oracles in Ezekiel. * Biblica * A valuable contribution to the study of the prophet. Its chief importance lies in its careful inquiry into a basic feature of ethics that has not been taken into account in the main studies of Old Testament ethics: the close relation between ethics and social situation. Mein has shown how a detailed examination of one prophet in the light of sociological theory can take us a considerable way in understanding this. * Theology * In this very fine study Andrew Mein both stimulates our interest in the work of the prophet and makes a major advance in the study of Old Testament ethics. * Theology *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Scholars and students interested in biblical studies, moral theology and philosophy, Jewish history, and the cultural implications of exile.
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
442 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-929139-7 (9780199291397)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Andrew Mein
Ezekiel and the Ethics of Exile
Book
11/2001
Oxford University Press
€100.40
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Andrew Mein is Tutor in the Old Testament, Westcott House, Cambridge.
Content
Introduction ; 1. Moral Worlds: Ancient Israelite Ethics in a Social Context ; 2. Ezekiel and the Exiles ; 3. The World of Politics ; 4. The Politics of Cult ; 5. Ritual and Ethics ; 6. The 'Domestication' of Ethics ; 7. From Responsibility to Passivity ; Conclusion: Ezekiel and the Ethics of Exile