
Between Heaven and Earth
Divine Presence and Absence in the Book of Ezekiel
- 200 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
With the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple and the exile of members of the Israelite community to the land of its enemies, whose gods were represented as divine statues, the prophet Ezekiel faced a challenge: how to respond to the enemies' taunts that Israel's God was absent, whereas the foreigners' gods self-evidently were present. Thus, to ask the question, "Where is God" was to face several complex and tangled problems. How is God to be represented? How is Yahweh to be differentiated from other deities? What is Yahweh's relationship to Israel in exile?
Kutsko sets out to answer these questions within the theme of divine presence and absence, particularly as it relates to the kabod theology in Ezekiel. He shows that God's absence becomes, for Ezekiel, an argument for his presence and power, while the presence of idols indicated their absence and impotence. Ezekiel extends this proposition into a corollary: God's presence is not consigned to sanctuary, for God is a sanctuary. In this regard, absence from the Temple is a message of judgment and the precursor to a message of restoration. If God can become a sanctuary, his presence in exile becomes a message of victory even over imperial powers. This conceptualization of Yahweh, then, ends up defining the power and position of Israel's God in distinctively universal terms. In this contribution, the book of Ezekiel plays a central and previously unappreciated role in the development of Israelite theology, and monotheism in particular.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Front Cover
- Series Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- Chapter 1: The Inquiry and Its Background
- Chapter 2: Idolatry and Theodicy:
- Chapter 3: Idolatry and Theophany: Legitimate Expressions of God’s Presence
- Chapter 4: Idolatry and Theonomy: The Power of God’s Presence
- Chapter 5: Summary and Conclusion
- Appendix
- Indexes