Old Testament Essays (Jul 2018)
THE PRESECNE OF YHWH IN EXILE ACCORDING TO THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL
Abstract
Ezekiel was the only Hebrew prophet mentioned in the Hebrew Bible who is called in the Exile. The kernel of his message was that hope for Israel would exclusively be realized through the exilic community. The readers of his book are urged to distance themselves from the past and orientate themselves on the future. In his second vision wherein the prophet sees the glory of YHWH departs the Temple he receives a promise for the exilic community that YHWH will be for them a מִקְדָּ֣שׁ מְעַט. This expression can be understood both as a little and a temporal sanctuary. In the Exile the prophet himself and the oracles of hope he receives mediate the presence of YHWH for the exilic community. Especially with the final vision of the return of the glory of YHWH to a completely new and purified Temple Ezekiel the prophet Ezekiel functions as a priest. This vision gives hope to the exiles in their present condition. It also makes clear that when it will be fulfilled, a מִקְדָּ֣שׁ מְעַט will be finally belong to the past. It is temporal character is than proved and the presence of YHWH will no longer be a reduced presence.
