Chapter 48 Yahweh Draws Utopia

Even the majestic king of Babylon and the mightiest king of Persia (on whom the Jews seem to have secretly pinned their hope of final emancipation)-became unconsciously servants of only God, whose will is the will of all. law. In any case, this God was not a violent God who hated heathens.On the contrary, he extended his love and compassion even to those who lived in darkness and who had never heard his name. Not to be thought of as someone who is hiding behind a mysterious cloud of his own perfection.Whoever has eyes can see him, and whoever has ears can hear his words clearly.He is the loving father of all, the shepherd who seeks to drive the unwilling flock to the safe havens of peace and justice.

Such a language is far ahead of its time. So the average exile feels deeply disturbed by it. For the statement that God loves all living things is of no help to such a small community of Jews in exile in Babylon: their existence depends as much on daily bread as on daily hatred, and they pray without ceasing In vengeance, the Lord would destroy the wicked Babylonian captor. They therefore turned eagerly to some other mouthpiece, one who must carefully adhere to the strict doctrines of the old days; Constantly prophesying the day when all other nations will prostrate themselves at the feet of the victorious master of the New Jerusalem.

Among the prophets who have won the favor of such exiles, Ezekiel stands at the forefront with rocklike strength. He was born in his home country. His father was a priest, and he had grown up in a heavily religious Jerusalem, where he no doubt heard Jeremiah preach. Later, he also became a prophet. He seems to have been a rather important young man in his neighbourhood, since he was among the first to be driven out of the capital a few years before the mass exiles began, when the Babylonians had just conquered Judah. He received definite news of the fall of Jerusalem at the village of Tel-Abi (on the south bank of the Euphrates), where he made his home.

He lived there until his death. The literary value of his work is far inferior to that of the unknown author's "Isaiah".His writing style is stiff.This man lacked the character that attracted us to so many of the old Jewish leaders, he was too imprudent. Often he would enter a hallucinatory state of true trance, in which he would see visions and hear mysterious voices. But on the whole he was also a man with a great deal of realistic feeling. Like Jeremiah, he never ceased to contradict misguided zealots who believed that Jerusalem, precisely "the capital of God's chosen people," was impregnable.

He warned them that faith without action would never save a nation. When the city of Jerusalem fell and many of the unfaithful despaired of their nation's future, Ezekiel stood up as a successful advocate for a better future. He never ceased to predict the joyous day when the Temple would be rebuilt and the blood of the sacrificed bull would once again be sprinkled on the altar of the Lord. However, (according to his point of view) the rebuilt state will not survive unless the Jewish state is really willing to actually carry out the actual reforms, which Ezekiel then describes extensively.

Here he temporarily assumes the role of his Greek neighbor Plato. According to his own views on life, he described a "Utopia" to us.He was to strengthen and restore several pagan forms of worship in the Mosaic Law which had formerly been able to be intermingled in the holy worship of Yahweh. In a nutshell, he advocated the reconstruction of the Kingdom of David and Solomon, the temple is not a palace, but must become the center of national life and activities. According to the prophet, the temple was "the house of the Lord," and the court was simply the home of the sovereign.

This distinction should be etched into the hearts of the people. In addition, ordinary people must have a deep reverence for the holiness of God and must be taught that God lives apart from ordinary people. Therefore, in Ezekiel’s Utopia, the temple should be surrounded by two semi-circular walls and should stand in a vast courtyard, so that the people at the entrance of the wall can always maintain a view of the temple. A respectful distance. Everything related to the temple is sacred. Foreigners are not allowed to enter this circle anyway. Even Jews, except priests, were only allowed to enter under a few circumstances.

Priests form close-knit federations or associations. Only the descendants of Zadok would aspire to such honor. As had been planned by Moses, the influence of the priests was increased day by day until they became the true rulers of the country. In order to strengthen their control over the people, the number of festivals and festivals will be greatly increased, and the focus will be on the sacrifice of atonement. It is necessary to firmly establish the belief that a person is guilty throughout his life in the hearts of the people. Private altars are discouraged. Everything connected with the liturgy of the Holy of Holies is to be done in the name of the whole people.

The king at this time is the symbol of the state in the liturgy. In addition, the king is just a nominal king for display, without any real power. Historically, both David and Solomon were given the privilege of ordaining all priests. The current king (referring to the king in the "Utopia" - translation annotation) is deprived of this authorized power. The priesthood would become a self-perpetuating entity, treating the king as a servant of its own, no longer meant to be its own master. Finally, the best lands in the countryside around Jerusalem were to be dedicated to the priests, so that they could have a decent income justly, without having to be granted permission by applying to any law or regulation.

The above is indeed a very peculiar scheme. But for Ezekiel's contemporaries, there are good enough reasons for it.Such a strictly ecclesiastical state was envisioned once the Temple was rebuilt and the exiles were allowed to return to their native country. That day came sooner than most exiles expected. Farther out in the mountains to the west, a cruel young chief is training his knights, who will be the savior of the Jews from the foreign yoke that binds them. His Persian subjects called him Kurus. And we know him by the name Cyrus.