RBL 01/2012 Tooman, William A., and Michael A. Lyons, eds. Transforming Visions: Transformations of Text, Tradition, and Theology in Ezekiel Princeton Theological Monograph Series Eugene, Ore.: Pickwick, 2010. Pp. 350. Paper. $42.00. ISBN 1556352859. William R. Osborne Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Kansas City, Missouri Were the Old Testament prophets innovators or transmitters? According to Transforming Visions: Transformations of Text, Tradition, and Theology in Ezekiel, the answer is both. This collection of essays, edited by Michael Lyons and William A. Tooman, seeks to mark aspects of transition and transformation in the prophetic material of Ezekiel. The study recognizes the value of the traditions (textual, ideological, and theological) that shaped the prophet and his interpretation of those traditions within the specific context of the Babylonian exile. It also offers a helpful summary of recent research in Ezekiel, while raising questions for future study. Michael Lyons opens the work with his discussion of the Holiness Code (H) in Ezekiel. Drawing on his earlier work From Law to Prophecy: Ezekiel s Use of the Holiness Code (T&T Clark, 2009), Lyons presents several intertextual methods that offer needed linguistic guidance for the difficult task of determining the direction of literary dependence. Once having found evidence of literary borrowing through shared lexemes, he identifies modifications or changes and then seeks to account for these changes by contextual clues, incongruities, or conceptual dependence. Lyons builds on this method by offering five techniques of modification (12). According to Lyons, Ezekiel rhetorically transforms his tradition in order to: (1) bring accusation against his fellow
exiles, (2) turn the conditional covenant punishments of Lev 26 into descriptions of present or imminent judgment (16), (3) provide authoritative instruction, (4) reveal God s concern for his own reputation, and (5) instill hope by giving a transformed picture of restoration built on divine initiative. Lyons s conclusions are sensible, well-argued, and clearly observed in the text. Next, Tova Ganzel examines the textual and traditional relationships between Ezekiel and Deuteronomy. Acknowledging the assumed relationship between Ezekiel and the pentateuchal Priestly tradition, Ganzel turns to examine the textual and traditional relationships between Ezekiel and Deuteronomy. His study focuses specifically on the language of idolatry employed by the prophet and highlights lexical similarities between the two books, especially Deut 4 and Ezek 8 and 20. Ganzel s examples, while not overwhelming, are substantive and prove strong enough to support his modest thesis: Ezekiel drew from both Priestly and Deuteronomic sources in communicating idolatry to his fellow exiles. Perhaps the greatest contribution of the article is Ganzel s concluding proposal that Ezekiel blended the Priestly concept of impurity with the Deuteronomic concept of exile and divine abandonment to present a theology of idolatry that polluted the land and explained the exiles current state in Babylon. William A. Tooman s Transformations of Israel s Hope: The Reuse of Scripture in the Gog Oracles proposes that the Gog oracles (Ezek 38 39) reflect a compositional method, that is, thematic pastiche, commonly employed in Second Temple Judaism and therefore are to be recognized as the product of a later author. In support of his thesis, Tooman seeks to demonstrate that the vocabulary of the Gog oracles is similar to the rest of the book, but ultimately he reveals only an imperfect imitator. These imperfections are subtle (i.e., same locutions used in slightly different contexts) so subtle that Tooman sees them where many may not. The oracles themselves are filled with innerbiblical allusions to other texts in Ezekiel, the Psalms, Isaiah, and Genesis. These texts grounded largely in other prophetic and/or international passages are transformed to fit within the universal scope of the Gog oracles and address the issue of Yahweh s involvement in the future of the nations. While Tooman offers many insightful intertextual connections between the Gog oracles and other biblical texts, several of his locutionary connections seem vague and authorially unintentional. In his introduction to an exhaustive appendix of intertextual cross-references he writes: [T]his chart does not distinguish between deliberate reuse and simple sharing of language that might be common to a genre, social class, or school. It serves only to illustrate [the Gog oracles ] linguistic overlapping with other scriptural texts (93). Unfortunately, this disclaimer seems to apply to more than just the appendix. Since the idea of a thematic pastiche requires the cognitive activity of a compiler, the appearance of unintentional literary borrowing makes Tooman s proposal less compelling.
Turning from antecedent texts to transformations in tradition, Jill Middlemas argues for an overlooked rhetorical feature in the book of Ezekiel: aniconism. Examining the prophet s portrayal of idols, cities, and Yahweh himself, Middlemas argues that, [b]y distancing divinity from things occurring in the natural order, Ezekiel also accomplished an important preliminary step towards the creation of an aniconic ideal (122). This ideal is ultimately relayed in the restoration of the temple in chapters 40 48, where there is no description of Yahweh and [t]he image of Yahweh is transformed into the word of Yahweh (136). Middlemas rightly recognizes the central role of idolatry in the book and offers helpful comments on the imago dei and personified cities in Ezekiel. However, as Middlemas acknowledges, a paradox (127) remains in the fact that Ezekiel the aniconic prophet uses more detailed imagery in his visions of Yahweh than any other biblical prophet. Paul Joyce s contribution addresses Ezekiel and Moral Transformation. Like his previous study Divine Initiative and Human Response (JSOT Press, 1989), Joyce argues in this essay that Ezekiel does not present a heightened moral view of the individual. Passages such as Ezek 18, which have led some to see Ezekiel as a transition from corporate to individual morality, need to be interpreted in light of the larger context of a community in exile. Joyce does not dismiss all notions of individualism, only that they must be tempered by their rightful place in the community. He goes on to argue that Ezekiel s moral transformation is instead exhibited in his strong theocentric position. Highlighting theocentric language such as you shall know that I am YHWH, in the sight of the nations, and for the sake of my name, Joyce writes, [I]t would seem that the primary purpose of YHWH s activity is the vindication of his reputation (154). Ezekiel s portrayal of future restoration is contingent not upon human activity but on divine initiative and divine self-interest. Such God-centeredness combined with powerful imagery of sin, judgment, and salvation may be less than palatable to some, but Joyce presents a reasoned argument that such was the view of the prophet. Next, Thomas Kruger offers a detailed examination of Ezekiel s perspective on Israel s history with Yahweh. Krüger begins his work with a commentary on the chapter highlighting what he believes are contradictions revealing a varied compositional strata. Krüger argues that Yahweh s no-good laws in verse 26 demonstrate a change in Israel s perception of how they are to react to the divine word. He writes: [N]ot every statute and ordinance of Yahweh is good and supports life, and for Israel it is not always good simply to do what Yahweh says (181). The tradition-critical stance of Ezekiel 20 (178) is a transformation from earlier supposed obedience- and tradition-driven postures recorded in the Hebrew Bible and Ezekiel. Throughout its history with Yahweh, Israel was to grow and develop in its heart and spirit (Ezek 11:19 20; 36:26 27) in order that Israel might determine whether or not divine directives propagated life, freedom, and
justice. According to Krüger, The god of Ezekiel 20 would not have praised Abraham for his readiness to kill his child, but blamed him for not having shrunk back from such a horrible act (178). Such a theological perspective is truly a radical transformation, but the question could be asked as to whether or not that perspective is actually present in Ezek 20. Krüger s libertarian exegesis appears strained when dealing with such a strong deterministic text. His tripartite hermeneutical and ethical construction of human life, freedom, and justice seems like a remote interest to a text driven by Yahweh s concern for his own glory. Krüger hints at the possibility of irony in the text but settles on a rigid interpretation that all but ignores any rhetoric or irony found in Ezekiel s history lesson. Paul Raabe s article on Ezekiel s oracles against the nations offers a summary of chapters 25 32, focusing on the content and rhetoric of these passages. Recognizing that Ezekiel s theocentric perspective produces an internationally sovereign Yahweh, Raabe posits two reasons for the judgment of these foreign nations: (1) the conduct of the nation, and (2) the pride of the nation. According to Raabe, the first reason is demonstrated in the because therefore sequence observed in Ezekiel s oracles against the nations, with lex talionis functioning as the standard for judgment. The second reason is observed in Ezekiel s rebuke of the prince of Tyre (28:1 10, 17), Pharaoh (29:1 16), and the king of Assyria (31:1 18). Despite these two efficient causes (198), the final cause (198) for Yahweh s acting toward the nations is the recognition formula. Raabe goes on to argue that the rhetorical purpose for the prophet proclaiming these oracles against the nations are also twofold: to warn the people not to envy these foreign nations, and to hope in a future where these enemies will be dealt with by Yahweh. Perhaps the most interesting contribution of Raabe s essay is his rationale for the preservation of these oracles. He writes: Ezekiel s oracles were probably meant to be taken in a typological way. The announced judgment against these particular nations typified divine judgment against all nations (204). Raabe s work is clear and accurate; however, its rudimentary nature makes the chapter appear slightly out of place in the present volume. In Transformation of Royal Ideology in Ezekiel, Daniel Block examines the past, present, and future perspective of the prophet s portrayal of Israel s monarchy. Block recognizes that, when referring to the leaders of Israel, Ezekiel appears to prefer the Hebrew word נשׂיא ( prince ) over מלך ( king ). He argues that in the prophet s mind נשׂיא the [latter] expression carries overtones of independence and arrogance, while expresses, more appropriately, the king s status as a vassal of YHWH (212). Block describes Ezekiel s view toward Israel s contemporary leaders by focusing on chapters 17, 18, and 19. His interpretation of these passages posits that the prophet is addressing the last four kings of Judah in their historical order. Ezekiel demonstrates his transformative tendencies when he begins to speak of Nebuchadnezzar actually delivering the people from their own wicked rulers. According to Block, Ezekiel s negative portrayal of the
Davidic line served to destroy any false assurance maintained by the people when hearing of Yahweh s impending and sustained judgment. He writes: Ezekiel declared that Jerusalem should not be viewed as a pot protecting the people from danger, but as a trap holding them for the outpouring of divine fury, and the exile should be interpreted not as a sign of divine rejection, but of election (233). When Ezekiel s programmatic restoration comes to an end in chapters 40 48, the נשׂיאים are recognized as cultic and religious leaders, not political figures. Block s article offers a compelling argument for the prophet s understanding of the monarchy that fits well within the overall message of restoration communicated throughout the book and demonstrates the sometimes significant changes Ezekiel exerted on established traditions. The third major division of the book focuses on the textual transformation of Ezekiel and begins with Timothy Mackie s essay on Ezek 7. In this work Mackie builds upon the work of text-criticism giants such as Tov and Lust by asserting that the Old Greek of the LXX preserves an earlier, shorter Vorlage of the Hebrew text of Ezekiel. Thus, the study seeks to understand the rationale behind the later Hebrew expansions of the MT. Mackie focuses his attention on three discrepancies between the LXX and the MT found in Ezek 7: 12c, 13b, and 13c all of which make reference to a horde of the.צפירה He argues that The additions about the sẹphirah are an attempt to identify the agent of judgment in Ezekiel s oracle as the insolent king in Daniel s visions (Dan 8:23); he is the one who will carry out the destruction of the temple described in Ezek 7:21 24 (264). Therefore, the purpose of the expansion is to show that the oracle of judgment recorded in Ezek 7 actually spoke to a later historical phenomena portrayed in the latter chapters of Daniel. Mackie s real contribution lies in his insistence that textual insertions referencing later historical events were not merely a community s response to history but, more precisely, a response to an emerging corpus of literature held to be sacred Scripture by its tradents (267). The purported emendations of the MT reflect an early community interpreting its Scripture alongside its history. Mackie s study proves to be a helpful exemplar for future research seeking to examine the textual history of Ezekiel. The proposed literary relationship between Ezekiel and Daniel, if true, presents an interesting glimpse into the interplay between the fields of text criticism and canonical theology. However, much of.הצפירה Mackie s study hangs on his tenuous interpretation of The final contribution of the collection, Beate Kowalski s examination of the intertextual relationship between Ezekiel and Revelation, seeks to contribute to the extensive research previously published on the topic by offering a more comprehensive analysis that tries to understand the hermeneutical and interpretive principles guiding John s use of Ezekiel. According to Kowalski, the book of Revelation is rightly considered to be a mosaic built from OT texts (284). He points to John s use of Old Testament texts (Exod 3:14; 15:1 9), institutions (e.g., twelve tribes, temple, Zion theology), characters, and geographical
traditions as deliberate signals (291) that the apostle s Jewish-Christian audience would have recognized. Kowalski kindly provides his linguistic criteria and working definitions for what he calls a citation, an allusion, a mixed allusion, and contextual and noncontextual usage (293 94). One can debate his rationale and definitions, but including them provides a helpful level of objectivity to the study. Kowalski claims that his study has confirmed that John s use of Ezekiel cannot be compared with the rules of rabbinic exegesis and that, on the whole, it reflects a continual contextual usage of the Old Testament text (294). Denying a typological approach to the New Testament s use of the Old Testament, Kowalski concludes that John s overall use of Ezekiel could best be described as A relecture of the OT the light of Christ (300). John s rereading and use of Ezekiel highlights the similarities of experience both prophets had in speaking to estranged and persecuted communities waiting on an eschatological restoration. As illustrated above, the overall academic quality of Transforming Visions is apparent. While the debate on the prophets relationship to their traditions will continue, this volume has made it clear that Ezekiel cannot properly be understood as purely an innovator of texts, ideas, or theology. Despite being a compilation of essays, the book exhibits a high level of continuity and reads easily from start to finish; as with every collection of essays, each reader will value certain articles more than others. However, provided the breadth of the present volume, any serious student of prophetic literature and especially Ezekiel will find Transforming Visions an informative and helpful contribution to current discussions and research in the study of Ezekiel.