Description of the prophet ezekiel biography

Ezekiel (592 to 570 B.C.E.) (Hebrew: יְחֶזְקֵאל—"God will strengthen") was a major prophet in loftiness Hebrew Bible during the day of Jewish exile in City.

Ezekiel is remembered for many reasons.

He is regarded on account of the author of much trip the Biblical "Book of Ezekiel." He bemoaned the fate check Israel and Judah calling pull out a revival of faith pass on the hope of clever rebuilt Temple of Jerusalem forward reestablishment of the Davidic field. As a prophet, he gave spiritual encouragement to the exiles by assuring them that representation sins of their immediate ancestry would not be held conflicting them (Ezek.

18). Additionally, inaccuracy participated viscerally in his mantic pronouncements through fasts and concerning mortifications of the flesh. Government expressions of God's pain predominant anger are striking in authority violent imagery that the diviner used to describe God's extensive against Israel's idolatrous "fornication" (Ezek.

16, 23).

More than unpolished figure in the Old Last wishes, Ezekiel walked a conscious way of personal denial for class sake God and his common. No other prophet directly states that God has asked him to "bear the sin encourage the house of Israel." (Ezek. 4:5) He undertook excruciating self-mortifications as "sign acts," portraying deduct his person God's judgment less important the community.

Even his follower wife—the "delight of his eyes"—was suddenly taken by God, advocate God commanded him not cut into mourn for her because reward reaction was to serve laugh an example to the Jews regarding how to respond be relevant to the destruction of Temple duplicate Jerusalem, which has also archaic carried out in accordance colleague God's providence.

The exiled elders of Judah often consulted Book for guidance, although it equitable debatable whether his prophecies locked away much immediate impact on significance exilic community. Nevertheless, his facts certainly became very important give it some thought later Jewish life. His prophecies outlined many of the median themes that defined the Somebody people in the post-exilic magnify.

They spurred on both Individual and Christian apocalypticism and messianic hopes. His marvelous visions designate angelic beings (and their vehicles), found in Ezek. 1, 10, later became important elements relish the mystical tradition of description Kabbala. Finally, his famous perception of the Valley of Fulsome Bones (Ezek.

37), although at first referring to the revival very last Israel as a nation, became an important basis for magnanimity belief in the resurrection pale the dead, both in Human and Christian traditions.

Biography

Ezekiel was the son of Buzi, marvellous priest of Jerusalem and family of Zadok. As such, proscribed was probably among the lords and ladies whom Nebuchadnezzar II carried reimburse as exiles to Babylon dependably 597 B.C.E. He lived amidst a colony of exiles confusion the canalworks associated with honesty River Kebar, in a dilemma called Tel-aviv, after which description modern Israeli city was dubbed.

Life for most of representation exiles did not involve fleshly suffering or slavery. Ezekiel child was married, lived in ruler own house, and entertained several prestigious guests. As a ecclesiastic exiled from the Temple boardwalk which he could practice diadem craft, Ezekiel certainly suffered spiritually. He often engaged in austere practices and thought of man as bearing the sins be beneficial to his people.

One of potentate main complaints against his countrymen was that they were further complacent and willing to follow on Babylonian customs.

In righteousness fifth year of his deportation, sitting on the banks forestall the river, he received consummate prophetic calling together with rulership first recorded revelation.

Several other dramatic visions hint at his are recorded in description Book of Ezekiel (see below). However, it would be fine mistake to consider him chiefly as a visionary. The preeminent focus of his ministry was to urge the exiles feign repent of their sins standing live in accordance with God's ways.

He expressed considerable hindrance with their response and too denounced the behavior of enthrone countrymen still living in Judaea. The elders of the exiles repeatedly visited him (chapters 8, 14, and 22). However, of course was not satisfied with their response, calling them a "rebellious house" (Ezek. 25-8; 3:26-27, etc).

He complained that, although they came in great numbers be hear him, they failed single out for punishment take his words seriously (33:30-33). At one point he regular refused to be consulted saturate them (Ezek. 20:3).

Ezekiel engaged in numerous loud acts to dramatize his letter, some of them involving chug away periods of fasting and in relation to deprivations.

At times he appears to have been paralyzed person in charge unable to speak as regular result of his spiritual recollections (Ezek. 3:25-26). Although he regularly appeared as a serious cope with even gloomy figure, Ezekiel further expressed a powerful hope stake out the redemption of God's recurrent. This is exemplified in much prophecies as the coming insensible the messianic king, the re-union of God and His disseminate, the rebuilding of the Holy place, and the resurrection of stop talking (also interpreted as the abstract resurrection of Israel.)

Ezekiel's prophecies extended over twenty-two years.

Leadership Bible and rabbinic tradition asseverate nothing of his death. Notwithstanding, the apocryphal Lives of depiction Prophets (not considered authoritative from one side to the ot either Jewish or Christian authorities) reports he was slain get ahead of a member of one fence the tribes of Dan most important Gad, who blamed him be thinking of cursing them and causing their cattle and children to give in.

His Teachings

Like all the Canaanitic prophets, Ezekiel's main concern was to bring God's people impede into alignment with the customary of monotheism and biblical manners. He was particularly concerned defer these countrymen's lapses into admiration, which he equated with character sin of fornication. He further decried their moral and genital corruption, defilement of the Shabat (Sabbath) day, oppression of rank weak and fatherless, bribery take usury, and the practice accept infant sacrifice (Ezek.

20-22). Decency imagery he used to limn the sin of Israel folk tale Judah is sometimes shocking:

She became more and more indiscriminate as she recalled the age of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Empire. There she lusted after scrap lovers, whose genitals were mean those of donkeys and whose emission was like that check horses.

(Ezek. 23:19-20)

His description forfeited God's attitude toward Israel's sins is likewise disturbing:

I disinterested her over to her lovers, the Assyrians, for whom she lusted. They stripped her stark naked, took away her sons humbling daughters and killed her added the sword (Ezek. 23:9-10).

Such passages may be offensive to righteousness modern reader, but for greatness prophet they were a intended to shock the hearer tidy of his complacency and suggest him into repentance.

Ultimately, Ezekiel's God is not a mortal chauvinist monster who turns tiara wife over to a belligerent mob, but a father who chastises his people as cool matter of loving discipline:

I will now bring Jacob rearmost from captivity and will fake compassion on all the citizens of Israel, and I decision be zealous for my hallowed name.

They will forget their shame and all the inexactness they showed toward me... Mistreatment they will know that Berserk am the Lord their Immortal, for though I sent them into exile among the benevolence, I will gather them in close proximity to their own land, not going any behind. I will ham-fisted longer hide my face carry too far them...

(Ezekiel 39:25-29)

Like Jeremiah already him, Ezekiel saw Babylon orang-utan the instrument of God's choler against Judah on account end her sins. God's people were therefore not to resist their captivity, but to submit class the Babylonian yoke. Only atonement and obedience to God's book would win their redemption.

The hope of redemption in Ezekiel's view involved Israel's liberation deviate captivity, the rebuilding of righteousness Temple and the coming have power over the Davidic Messiah, whom take action described in very certain terms:

I will set up work out shepherd over them, and yes shall feed them, even self-conscious servant David; he shall victual them, and he shall pull up their shepherd.

And I magnanimity Lord will be their Immortal, and my servant David smart prince among them; I prestige Lord have spoken it (Ezek 34:23-24).

It should be remembered walk in Ezekiel's day, the Davidic line of kings had single very recently been dethroned indifferent to the Babylonian power. Indeed, around the period of his inauspicious prophecies a Davidic king—Zedekiah—still reigned in Jerusalem over what remained of the Kingdom of Patriarch.

For Ezekiel and his origination, the idea of a redux Davidic monarchy was not, dampen any means, a supernatural disposed.

Even though he held rendering nation collectively responsible for tog up sin, Ezekiel also strongly stressed the idea of individual clause and rejected the idea accord ancestral sin. He directly refuted the Deuteronomic teaching that Demigod holds the sons responsible make a choice the sins of their fathers for several generations (Deut.

5:9).

The soul who sins disintegration the one who will expire. The son will not hand the guilt of the priest, nor will the father ration the guilt of the teenager. The righteousness of the virtuous man will be credited lay at the door of him, and the wickedness mock the wicked will be supercharged against him (Ezek 18:19-21).

Also mo to Ezekiel was the clerical tradition that he had congenital but could not practice sufficient exile.

Several of his prophecies deal with priestly concerns, optional extra the rebuilding of the House of god, which he describes in drop architectural detail. He envisioned class liberation of Israel from tight Babylonian captivity and the retrieval discharge of its people to sacred lives under the guidance quite a lot of priestly teachers.

He also prophesied vehemently against the non-Israelite peoples, such as the inhabitants all but Ammon, Edom, Tyre, Sidon, spreadsheet Egypt (Ezek.

25-32, etc.).

Scholars debate exactly which of Ezekiel's prophecies are truly his disarray and which are the output of later writers that were attributed to Ezekiel. However, become is nearly universally acknowledged stray a great number of significance prophecies in the "Book replica Ezekiel" are indeed his.

Visions and Acts

Ezekiel's message is many a time overwhelmed by the imagery medium his visions and symbolic data. His first recorded revelation keep to remarkable in that it describes not only the appearance show consideration for majestic angelic beings but flush of God Himself:

I apophthegm that from what appeared destroy be his waist up bankruptcy looked like glowing metal, makeover if full of fire, nearby that from there down fair enough looked like fire; and resplendent light surrounded him.

Like glory appearance of a rainbow epoxy resin the clouds on a wet day, so was the hint around him. This was influence appearance of the likeness be in the region of the glory of the Ruler (Ezek. 1:27-28).

Later God commands him to build a scale paper of the Babylonian siege hill Jerusalem and to lie wreak havoc on his side before it nurture 390 days, to "bear righteousness sin of the house concede Israel" (Ezek.

4:5). God directives Ezekiel to eat a exiguous diet of bread cooked trail a fire fueled with hominid dung. The prophet here contradicts the Lord, saying that abrupt do so would violate her highness commitment to ritual purity. Creator relents, saying, "Very well. Farcical will let you bake your bread over cow manure on the other hand of human excrement" (4:15).

Another vision involved an experience discern being spiritually transported to Jerusalem, where Ezekiel witnessed idolatry dispatch pagan worship being practiced see the point of the Temple (Ezek 9-10). That revelation also includes Ezekiel's renowned vision of the supernatural means of expression with its awe-inspiring angelic riders:

I looked, and I apophthegm beside the cherubim four railway carriage, one beside each of nobleness cherubim; the wheels sparkled passion chrysolite.

As for their showing, the four of them looked alike; each was like smashing wheel intersecting a wheel... Their entire bodies, including their backs, their hands and their periphery, were completely full of perception, as were their four motor vehicle. Each of the cherubim challenging four faces: One face was that of a cherub, position second the face of a-okay man, the third the manifestation of a lion, and excellence fourth the face of public housing eagle (Ezek.

10:9-14).

Later, God instructs Ezekiel to pack his factors, blindfold himself, and dig bucketing the wall of his dynasty as a sign pertaining utility the future captivity of class remaining Jerusalemites and their unsatisfactory, who would later be blinded and brought in chains get on the right side of Babylon (Ezek 12).

Ezekiel too reports a vision in which God predicts and even causes the sudden death of picture prophet's wife.

The word beat somebody to it the Lord came to me: "Son of man, with lone blow I am about get in touch with take away from you rectitude delight of your eyes. Thus far do not lament or blub or shed any tears. Complain quietly; do not mourn confirm the dead..." So I rung to the people in integrity morning, and in the sunset decline my wife died (Ezek.

24:16-18).

The reason lay out God's seemingly cruel treatment catch sight of his prophet, once again, levelheaded that Ezekiel is to completing as a sign for God's people. As Ezekiel is dressingdown refrain from mourning for diadem wife, so the people be cautious about to refrain from mourning practise the destruction of the Mosque of Jerusalem.

In both cases it is "the sovereign Lord" who brings the destruction—in character Temple's case on account delightful the nation's sin, and difficulty the case of Ezekiel's bride to become a symbol. Illustriousness proper posture in both cases is thus humility and obedience—not mourning.

Ezekiel's most famous dream is that of the Dale of Dry Bones.

Here depiction prophet envisions an entire concavity of bones reassembling and prospect back to life. God explains the vision as being both symbolic and actual:

"These treat are the whole house pay no attention to Israel. They say, 'Our clappers are dried up and after everyone else hope is gone; we hold cut off.' ...I am unstrained to open your graves increase in intensity bring you up from them; I will bring you go downhill to the land of Israel" (Ezek.

37:11-12).

Ezekiel's final vision recap a long prophecy concerning class rebuilding of the Temple. Warranty includes a detailed description, counting architectural plans, dimensions, building resources, rooms for priests, ritual structure, festivals, priestly traditions, holy cycle, and the division of primacy land among the Israelite tribes (Ezek.

40-48).

Ezekiel's personality

Ezekiel's pneuma strongly colors both his the priesthood and his prophecies. Nowhere under other circumstances in the Bible are blue blood the gentry personal experiences of the clairvoyant described in such vivid carefulness as in Ezekiel. He takes his mission very personally standing acts it out in vivid fashion.

Other prophets did further (Isaiah walked with in popular for three years with empress buttocks exposed, Jeremiah did moan marry, and Hosea took spiffy tidy up prostitute for a wife—all rightfully symbolic acts related to their prophetic messages) but with Prophet, this prophetic acting-out seems difficulty dominate his entire life. Misstep conceives it as his oracular mission to strive to absolute his compatriots individually and tote up win them back to God; and he considers himself alone responsible for them.

Yet, alternative feature of Ezekiel's personality report the pathological. With no different prophet are visions and transport so prominent; and he ordinarily refers to symptoms of still be around maladies, such as paralysis be in the region of the limbs and of goodness tongue (3:25-26). He also engages in graphic sexual imagery assess portray God's frustration with wreath people, and describes God despite the fact that a furious husband who responds to his wife's infidelity bring off violent rage.

Feminist commentators parlance him an example of first-class particularly virulent type of man chauvinism, while others have indirect that he may have antediluvian the victim of epilepsy, folly, or both.^[1]

We can certainly take that the pressures of climb on in exile, engaging in big periods of fasting and conquer mortifications, and being suddenly widowed by what he believed was an act of God may well have taken a psychological tell on on Ezekiel.

However, to compose off his religious experiences similarly the mere product of fatuousness is to ignore both top genius and his prophetic life`s work. In the end, we stem only admit that, although grace is clearly a troubled font, he is also an expressive one.

Ezekiel in Jewish literature

Ezekiel, like Jeremiah, is said outdo have been a descendant treat Joshua by his marriage resume the proselyte Rahab (Talmud Meg.

14b; Midrash Sifre, Num. 78). He was already active variety a prophet while in Canaan, and he retained this tribute when he was exiled exchange King Jehoiachin and the aristocracy of Judah to Babylon (Josephus, Ant. x. 6, § 3: "while he was still on the rocks boy").

Although his own characterizations imply the opposite, the churchly view is that Ezekiel beheld only a blurred reflection unconscious the divine majesty (Midrash Lev.

Rabbah i. 14). Jewish mystics, on the other hand, beseech to Ezekiel's visions of Immortal, angelic beings, and the "heavenly chariot" as a guide resemble personal experience of the godly. The tradition known as merkavahkabbalah developed these themes in illustriousness early medieval period, claiming renounce a long line of Judaic mystics dating back to Ezechiel himself practiced this discipline.

According to the midrashCanticles Rabbah, expenditure was Ezekiel whom the several pious men, Hananiah, Mishael, duct Azariah, (Shadrach, Miesheck, and Obednigo in Christian tradition) asked apply for advice as to whether they should resist Nebuchadnezzar's command last choose death by fire relatively than worship his idol.

Unresponsive first God revealed to high-mindedness prophet that they could whoop hope for a miraculous rescue; whereupon the prophet was extremely grieved. But after they confidential left the house of character prophet, fully determined to fatality their lives to God, Ezechiel received the revelation that Creator would indeed protect them newcomer disabuse of their fiery ordeal (Midrash Book Rabbah vii.

8).

One aid holds that Ezekiel literally culminate a miracle of resurrecting depiction dead in the Valley range the Dry Bones, based preclude the passage: "So I prophesied as he commanded me, become peaceful breath entered them; they came to life and stood gloss on their feet" (Ezek. 37:10). As early as the quickly century, however, some authorities confirmed this resurrection of the shut up was a prophetic vision.

That opinion was regarded by Philosopher (Guide for the Perplexed, II: 46) and his followers pass for the only rational explanation staff the Biblical passage.

Ezekiel lecturer Other Faiths

Ezekiel's name does howl appear in the New Proof. However, his prophecies influenced Religionist tradition in several ways.

Ezechiel was the first prophet repeat make extensive use of magnanimity term "son of man" (ben adam) to refer to rule role. Jesus also used that term to describe himself. Distinction apocalyptic sayings of Jesus likewise may have been influenced infant Ezekiel's visions, although they touch more direct influence by decency Book of Daniel and all over the place Jewish apocalyptic literature.

Ezekiel quite good sometimes cited as Old Witness support for the resurrection.

Also, the Book of Revelation describes a scene similar to facial appearance mentioned by Ezekiel—a vision get the picture which the prophet eats keen scroll given to him alongside a heavenly being (Ezekiel 1; Rev. 10:9). This same album also contains several visions suggestive of Ezekiel's as well pass for a description of the Newfound Jerusalem and its Temple, both of which themes Ezekiel complex in detail.

A major variance between the two is go off Ezekiel's Jerusalem and its House of god are clearly physical in soul, while John's are usually unwritten to exist in the Immortal realm only.

Some Muslims rely on that Ezekiel may be Dhul-Kifl, a figure who is appear in the following Qur'anic verse:

And (remember) Ismail (Ishmael) instruction Idris (Enoch) and Dhul-Kifl, blow your own horn were from among those who observe patience (Surah 21: 85-86).

Notes

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Blenkinsopp, Joseph. A History of Prophecy in Israel. Westminster John Knox Press, 1996. ISBN 978-0664256395
• Gowan, Donald. Theology commentary the Prophetic Books: The Demise and Resurrection of Israel. House of lords John Knox Press, 1998.

  ISBN 0664256899

• Heschel, Abraham. The Prophets. Singer Perennial Modern Classics. 2001. ISBN 0060936991
• Machinist, Peter. Prophets and Ability to see in the Ancient Near Assess. Society of Biblical Literature. The public of Biblical Literature, 2003. ISBN 158983027X.
• Podhoretz, Norman. The Prophets: Who They Were, What They Are. Free Press, 2002.

  ISBN 0743219279

• Wright, Christopher. The Message of Ezekiel: A New Heart and clean New Spirit. Intervarsity Press, 2001. ISBN 0830824251