Thesis advisor: David S. Vanderhooft / I contend that Ezekiel's portrait of the Glory represents an understanding of Yahweh's earthly presence that is markedly different from how the earthly divine presence is understood in Deuteronomistic Name theology. As formulated in Deuteronomy and maintained in the Deuteronomistic History, "Name theology" understands the divine earthly presence to be restricted to the "one place that Yahweh will choose," which is designated as the Jerusalem Temple. Contrary to traditional scholarly understanding, this does not divorce Yahweh from his Temple and place him in Heaven alone, and does not relegate the Temple to symbolic status only. Rather, Name theology not only affirms the divine presence in the Temple, but views it as the only legitimate location for that presence. From his position of exile, Ezekiel depicts the Glory with no exclusive connection to the Temple or the land; the Glory vacates the Temple to allow for its destruction and appears outside sanctified precincts in Babylonia, where God disputes the Jerusalemites' contention that the exiles are now far from him (Ezek 11:15-16). I maintain that Ezekiel's portrait of the Glory finds its inspiration in the Priestly account of the Exodus wanderings before the Tabernacle's existence; in Priestly tradition, this was the only time the Glory appeared outside sanctified precincts. These appearances occurred outside Israel, amidst dislocation, with no physical sanctuary - a situation homologous to Ezekiel's own. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

A partir da narrativa bíblica, é possível analisar a vida e a atividade profética de Jeremias. Este homem foi um dos responsáveis pela estruturação da religião judaica na diáspora, uma vez que através da sua mensagem aos exilados, uma nova relação com a divindade pôde ser estabelecida. Suas idéias inovaram as condições de relacionamento entre divindade e povo, uma vez que a estrutura anteriormente existente tinha como base uma relação de suserania e vassalagem. Este modelo era encontrado nos tratados realizados entre os governantes dos grandes reinos do Oriente Médio, durante o período da antigüidade. Assim, para se entender as mudanças propostas por Jeremias e suas inovações, foi necessário realizar a caracterização dos modelos de aliança, acima mencionados. A partir disto, estudou-se alianças realizadas anteriormente entre a divindade e o povo de Israel. As palavras de Jeremias serviram para que uma nova forma de relacionamento com a divindade fosse estabelecida pela população judaíta deportada para a Babilônia. Esta nova base permitiu a preservação de uma tradição, cuja origem é muito anterior ao século VI a.C., que hoje denomina-se Judaísmo. / From the Biblical narrative, it is possible to analyze the life and the profetic activity of Jeremias. This man was one of the responsibles for the organization of the Jewish religion in the diaspore, since through its message to the exiled ones, a new relation with the deity could be established. His ideas innovated the foundations of the relationship between deity and people, because the previously existing structure had its base in a relation of suseranity and vassalage. This model was found in the treaties between the kings of the great kingdoms of the Ancient Near East. Thus, in order to understand the changes proposed by Jeremias and its innovations, it was necessary to caracterize the alliance models, mentioned above. From this standpoint, we could study the previous alliances carried out between the deity and the people of Israel. The words of Jeremias allowed the Judeans population deported to Babylon to establish a new form of relationship with the deity. This new base allowed the preservation of a tradition, whose origin goes well before the VI th century B.C., that is called today Judaism.

A partir da narrativa bíblica, é possível analisar a vida e a atividade profética de Jeremias. Este homem foi um dos responsáveis pela estruturação da religião judaica na diáspora, uma vez que através da sua mensagem aos exilados, uma nova relação com a divindade pôde ser estabelecida. Suas idéias inovaram as condições de relacionamento entre divindade e povo, uma vez que a estrutura anteriormente existente tinha como base uma relação de suserania e vassalagem. Este modelo era encontrado nos tratados realizados entre os governantes dos grandes reinos do Oriente Médio, durante o período da antigüidade. Assim, para se entender as mudanças propostas por Jeremias e suas inovações, foi necessário realizar a caracterização dos modelos de aliança, acima mencionados. A partir disto, estudou-se alianças realizadas anteriormente entre a divindade e o povo de Israel. As palavras de Jeremias serviram para que uma nova forma de relacionamento com a divindade fosse estabelecida pela população judaíta deportada para a Babilônia. Esta nova base permitiu a preservação de uma tradição, cuja origem é muito anterior ao século VI a.C., que hoje denomina-se Judaísmo. / From the Biblical narrative, it is possible to analyze the life and the profetic activity of Jeremias. This man was one of the responsibles for the organization of the Jewish religion in the diaspore, since through its message to the exiled ones, a new relation with the deity could be established. His ideas innovated the foundations of the relationship between deity and people, because the previously existing structure had its base in a relation of suseranity and vassalage. This model was found in the treaties between the kings of the great kingdoms of the Ancient Near East. Thus, in order to understand the changes proposed by Jeremias and its innovations, it was necessary to caracterize the alliance models, mentioned above. From this standpoint, we could study the previous alliances carried out between the deity and the people of Israel. The words of Jeremias allowed the Judeans population deported to Babylon to establish a new form of relationship with the deity. This new base allowed the preservation of a tradition, whose origin goes well before the VI th century B.C., that is called today Judaism.

The crux of Jeremiah’s message depicted in the book of Jeremiah is the upcoming Babylonian invasion on Judah as a result of their sins and the unusual call on Judah to yield to the Babylonians. Jeremiah’s prophecy to the Judeans claimed that foreign invasion would result in the destruction of the nation and exile of its inhabitants. For this, he faced grave animosity from the recipients of his message especially the kings and the prophets and he even suffered persecution under them. The reasons for the hostility against him as portrayed in the book are investigated. The book of Jeremiah highlights that after the invasion, the Babylonians showed a special concern to Jeremiah and gave him privilege to choose whether he would go to Babylon or stay behind in Judah. Strangely, the prophet, who emphasized that the nation of Judah should not resist the Babylonian rule and should be exiled to Babylon, when given a choice, chose to stay behind in Judah. This appears to be a strange response of Jeremiah toward Babylonian exile. Also, when the Johanan faction forced Jeremiah to flee from Judah and find asylum in Egypt to escape another suspected Babylonian threat, Jeremiah responds negatively. The various responses of the kings, prophets and Jeremiah toward the destruction and exile require explanation. At the outset, the reason why there was fierce hostility against Jeremiah’s message appears to be Judah’s reluctance to be subdued by a foreign nation as the biblical text portrays. However, the book of Jeremiah appears to use many metaphors to point to the reasons for resentment against Jeremiah and his message. The study of the metaphors in Jeremiah employing cognitive linguistics methodology, using conceptual metaphor theory and conceptual blending theory has shown the interconnectedness of the metaphors and the meanings it implies. The metaphors of “destruction” and “exile” are found to be connected to the concept of shame. Jeremiah’s prediction of the forthcoming destruction of the land, cities, Temple, exile of Judeans, collapse of the Davidic throne and all kinds of calamities that would befall the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah is found to be associated with “shame.” Likewise, the metaphor of “restoration” is found to be connected to the concept of honour. Jeremiah’s prophecy of “restoration” is portrayed as replenishment of land, rebuilding of cities, return of the exiles, and restoration from all kinds of calamities termed as “return of honour.” This shows that the concepts of honour and shame play a key role to explain the antagonistic responses toward Jeremiah’s prophecy of the Babylonian invasion and exile. Also, by using conceptual metaphor analysis, Jeremiah’s reluctance to go to Babylon or Egypt can be explained as his anticipation to witness the restoration of the nation of Judah and return of its honour as Yahweh had promised.

The Old Testament is the story of Yahweh and His Covenant relationship with His people Israel. Many other Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) peoples are mentioned in the context of their relationship to Israel. This Covenant relationship which began with Abraham had a core component, the gift of land (Gen 12:7), the Promised Land. The Covenant was ratified at Mount Sinai where the terms, the Ten Commandments were given to Israel. Core to the terms was the obligation that Israel would serve no other god but Yahweh and without any representative image. Israel must be a monotheistic people. Only then would they retain the Promised Land. The Promised Land was occupied by the Canaanites. The Canaanites though difficult to identify with precision, were a people whose religious cult was the direct opposite of Yahwism. They worshipped Baal the fertility god. The fertility cult was a belief that there is no absolute being but a universal realm with a womb of fertility. This womb is the source of fertility and the gods are the agents. In the land of Canaan, Baal was the agent of fertility. The wealth and fertility of the land, crops, livestock, and humans was attributed to Baal. Baal was worshiped through the fertility cult which had cult personnel like prophets, and temple prostitutes. The fertility cult had festivals in which sympathetic magic was performed to induce the gods into action. This magic involved cultic sex and wine consumption in honor of Baal. The Canaanites were driven out of the land lest they influence Israel to copy their ways. This would violate the Covenant and Israel would be ejected out of the land because the occupation was based on keeping the Covenant. There were no strict conditions of obedience in Baal worship like in the Covenant. Baal offered them release from „Covenant Obedience‟ to indulge in sensuality while enjoying the blessings. In the end, the Baal fertility cult had such a negative impact on the Covenant that Israel was ejected out of the Promised Land and deported into the Babylonian Exile as seen in the book of Jeremiah / Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies / D. Th. (Old Testament)

The Old Testament is the story of Yahweh and His Covenant relationship with His people Israel. Many other Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) peoples are mentioned in the context of their relationship to Israel. This Covenant relationship which began with Abraham had a core component, the gift of land (Gen 12:7), the Promised Land. The Covenant was ratified at Mount Sinai where the terms, the Ten Commandments were given to Israel. Core to the terms was the obligation that Israel would serve no other god but Yahweh and without any representative image. Israel must be a monotheistic people. Only then would they retain the Promised Land. The Promised Land was occupied by the Canaanites. The Canaanites though difficult to identify with precision, were a people whose religious cult was the direct opposite of Yahwism. They worshipped Baal the fertility god. The fertility cult was a belief that there is no absolute being but a universal realm with a womb of fertility. This womb is the source of fertility and the gods are the agents. In the land of Canaan, Baal was the agent of fertility. The wealth and fertility of the land, crops, livestock, and humans was attributed to Baal. Baal was worshiped through the fertility cult which had cult personnel like prophets, and temple prostitutes. The fertility cult had festivals in which sympathetic magic was performed to induce the gods into action. This magic involved cultic sex and wine consumption in honor of Baal. The Canaanites were driven out of the land lest they influence Israel to copy their ways. This would violate the Covenant and Israel would be ejected out of the land because the occupation was based on keeping the Covenant. There were no strict conditions of obedience in Baal worship like in the Covenant. Baal offered them release from „Covenant Obedience‟ to indulge in sensuality while enjoying the blessings. In the end, the Baal fertility cult had such a negative impact on the Covenant that Israel was ejected out of the Promised Land and deported into the Babylonian Exile as seen in the book of Jeremiah / Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies / D. Th. (Old Testament)

No description available.

The narratives about the postexilic Judean community are an ancient biblical account of the socio-economic and political experiences of the Judeans when they were finally restored back to Judah from Babylonian captivity. Although the Judean restoration was celebrated when they were restored by King Cyrus’ decree, real freedom did not prevail in the Persian province of Yehud; corruption, usury, greed, oppression, enslavement and loss of property impacted negatively on the poor. The leadership expropriated from poor citizens land, vineyards, and houses in exchange for food. In addition, the governors also charged heavy interest on money borrowed by poor members of society. Parents and their children were subjected to enslavement. In response to these corrupt practices, Nehemiah challenged the leadership to stop oppressing the poor. Nehemiah went further to provide food to the starving Judeans and other people from surrounding nations which served as a stimulus to strive towards alleviating poverty and starvation among communities. By employing an approach known as hermeneutics of appropriation, this thesis appropriates the experience of the postexilic Judean community to the post-independence Zimbabwean context. Between the years 1999 and 2008 many people lost their lives due to unemployment and lack of income, shelter, nutrition, and access to health-care facilities because of the economic meltdown following the controversial fast-track land reform programme in Zimbabwe. The majority of people are still experiencing the negative impact of the land reform as people strive to make a living in the absence of jobs and income scarcity. Corruption by the leadership has continued to further exacerbate starvation among the poor until today.This study attempts to employ the biblical Nehemiah’s social justice reforms (Neh 5) to challenge the Zimbabwean leadership to focus on rebuilding the country which was ravaged by a decade of both political and socio-economic crises. Lessons drawn from Nehemiah would be used to stimulate the leadership in the Zimbabwean government and members of society at large, to strive towards helping the poor and alleviating poverty. / Old Testament & Ancient Near Eastern Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Biblical Studies)

L’objectif de ce mémoire est de mettre en lumière la mise en forme, la réception et la transmission de 2S 7,1-17 à l’intérieur du débat qui a présentement cours autour de la rédaction deutéronomiste, ainsi que de vérifier le lien possible de ce texte avec l’évolution de la pensée théologique juive issue de l’édition deutéronomiste. Notre recherche commence par établir un texte hébreu de travail fiable grâce à la critique textuelle. L’analyse syntaxique nous permet ensuite de proposer une traduction qui soit la plus fidèle possible au texte hébreu retenu afin de mieux comprendre le sens du texte dans sa langue originale. Nous abordons, dans le troisième chapitre, la question des différentes sources littéraires ayant pu servir à la composition du texte de 2S 7,1-17. L’exploration plus détaillée de quelques pistes qui sont apparues à la suite de la critique des sources et de la réception du texte de 2S 7,1-17 par le(s) Chroniste(s), nous permet de constater qu’à l’intérieur des traditions textuelles hébraïques, la prophétie de Nathan a évolué de façon significative dans le parcours des différentes traditions de relecture. À partir des quatres étapes de recherches, nous dégageons les éléments qui pourraient être mis en lien avec les théories existantes dans le cadre de l’histoire deutéronomiste et mettons en lumière les forces et les faiblesses des solutions proposées. Les résultats de la recherche nous permettent de penser que l’intégration de la prophétie de Nathan dans la trame historique s’expliquerait par la nécessité d’éclairer une suite d’événements selon diverses perspectives théologiques. Ce n’est qu’à partir des conditions exiliques que nous aurions le texte de 2S 7,1-17 le plus tardif offrant une réflexion sur la première histoire d’Israël. Dans ce sens, la prophétie de Nathan prendrait toute sa valeur et son extension bien au-delà de la seule histoire personnelle de David ou de Salomon. / The principal objective of this thesis is to elucidate the source materials, the reception and the transmission of 2S 7,1-17 inside the debate concerning the Deuteronomic History, as well as to verify the possible link of the text with the evolution of the Jewish theology coming from the Deuteronomic edition. Our research begins with textual criticism in order to establish a reliable text in the Hebrew language. Then a syntactic analysis allows us to propose an accurate translation and to better understand the meaning of the text in its original language. Taking into account the results from these two first chapters, we then deal with the question concerning the different literary sources which lie behind the text of 2S 7,1-17. A more detailed exploration of some issues ensuins the source criticism and the study of the reception of 2S 7,1-17 by the Chronicler(s), show that inside the Hebrew literal traditions, the prophecy of Nathan evolved significantly in different traditions. Based on the four steps of research, we identify the elements that could be linked with the theories existing in the debate of the Deuteronomic History, and highlight the forces and the weaknesses of the proposed solutions. The research results allow us to think that the integration of the prophecy of Nathan into history could be explained by the necessity to clarify a sequence of events according to the diverse theological perspectives. It is in the conditions of the Exile that we have the latest text of 2S 7,1-17 offering a reflection on the first history of Israel. In this meaning, the prophecy of Nathan takes all its value and its extension beyond only the personal history of David or of Solomon.

L’objectif de ce mémoire est de mettre en lumière la mise en forme, la réception et la transmission de 2S 7,1-17 à l’intérieur du débat qui a présentement cours autour de la rédaction deutéronomiste, ainsi que de vérifier le lien possible de ce texte avec l’évolution de la pensée théologique juive issue de l’édition deutéronomiste. Notre recherche commence par établir un texte hébreu de travail fiable grâce à la critique textuelle. L’analyse syntaxique nous permet ensuite de proposer une traduction qui soit la plus fidèle possible au texte hébreu retenu afin de mieux comprendre le sens du texte dans sa langue originale. Nous abordons, dans le troisième chapitre, la question des différentes sources littéraires ayant pu servir à la composition du texte de 2S 7,1-17. L’exploration plus détaillée de quelques pistes qui sont apparues à la suite de la critique des sources et de la réception du texte de 2S 7,1-17 par le(s) Chroniste(s), nous permet de constater qu’à l’intérieur des traditions textuelles hébraïques, la prophétie de Nathan a évolué de façon significative dans le parcours des différentes traditions de relecture. À partir des quatres étapes de recherches, nous dégageons les éléments qui pourraient être mis en lien avec les théories existantes dans le cadre de l’histoire deutéronomiste et mettons en lumière les forces et les faiblesses des solutions proposées. Les résultats de la recherche nous permettent de penser que l’intégration de la prophétie de Nathan dans la trame historique s’expliquerait par la nécessité d’éclairer une suite d’événements selon diverses perspectives théologiques. Ce n’est qu’à partir des conditions exiliques que nous aurions le texte de 2S 7,1-17 le plus tardif offrant une réflexion sur la première histoire d’Israël. Dans ce sens, la prophétie de Nathan prendrait toute sa valeur et son extension bien au-delà de la seule histoire personnelle de David ou de Salomon. / The principal objective of this thesis is to elucidate the source materials, the reception and the transmission of 2S 7,1-17 inside the debate concerning the Deuteronomic History, as well as to verify the possible link of the text with the evolution of the Jewish theology coming from the Deuteronomic edition. Our research begins with textual criticism in order to establish a reliable text in the Hebrew language. Then a syntactic analysis allows us to propose an accurate translation and to better understand the meaning of the text in its original language. Taking into account the results from these two first chapters, we then deal with the question concerning the different literary sources which lie behind the text of 2S 7,1-17. A more detailed exploration of some issues ensuins the source criticism and the study of the reception of 2S 7,1-17 by the Chronicler(s), show that inside the Hebrew literal traditions, the prophecy of Nathan evolved significantly in different traditions. Based on the four steps of research, we identify the elements that could be linked with the theories existing in the debate of the Deuteronomic History, and highlight the forces and the weaknesses of the proposed solutions. The research results allow us to think that the integration of the prophecy of Nathan into history could be explained by the necessity to clarify a sequence of events according to the diverse theological perspectives. It is in the conditions of the Exile that we have the latest text of 2S 7,1-17 offering a reflection on the first history of Israel. In this meaning, the prophecy of Nathan takes all its value and its extension beyond only the personal history of David or of Solomon.