Jeremiah 50-51 (MT) as Catalyst in the Development of Babylon as a Symbol of Oppressive Empire

Abstract

The figure of Babylon became a symbol of any oppressive empire in Jewish as well as Christian literature. This essay proposes that the particular placement of the oracles against Babylon as attested in the Masoretic Text of the book of Jeremiah was a catalyst in the development of this conception of the figure of Babylon. It is proposed that the oracles against Babylon have been placed deliberately in their present location in Jeremiah MT. As a result, Babylon evolved to represent more than the historical Babylon. When the oracles against Babylon are read in combination with Jer 25, Babylon becomes the ultimate enemy of YHWH, the entity that stands under an almost cosmic judgment. Since the oracles against Babylon occur in the Septuagint in a position to which no importance can be attached, a comparison between the MT and LXX versions of the book of Jeremiah is taken as a point of departure.

Keywords

• Babylon
• Book of Jeremiah
• Oracles against the Nations
• Masoretic Text