Expectations During Exile and After
In 586 B.C.E. the neo-Babylonian armies of Nebuchadnezzar raided and destroyed the city of Jerusalem, forcing its people to flee. The majority of the Judean leaders and aristocracy were relocated in Babylon, and lived in relative isolation from even their captors. The Exile robbed them of their wealth, their homes, their nation, and even their king; religion offered the only seed of identity for this uprooted people. So it was during this time of Exile that a flourishing of religious texts were written and compiled, in an attempt to explain the causes of their misfortune, and enable the people to comprehend their suffering (Meyers, Haggai xxxviii). In general, the Psalter reflects the true emotions of the ancient Israelites, more so than do most Biblical texts, as it is a compilation of their "troubles and fears, their hopes, aspirations, and reasons for confidence." (Metzger and Murphy 674 OT) In Psalm 137, an Exilic text, a wide range of emotions are shown: longing and mourning for their lost nation (Ps 137:1-3), the sadness and confusion they felt while in the foreign land (Ps 137:4-6), and even the desire for a violent revenge (Ps 137:7-9). The same range of emotions can be seen in Second Isaiah, though this
Metzger, Bruce M. and Roland E. Murphy. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. New York: The Jewish people, besides depicting a skewed view of their future, also disagreed on how that future should be run. While in Exile they were not allowed to have a king for obvious reasons, and due to this power vacuum, the priest was raised in status (Meyers and Meyers, Zechariah 169). Despite the fact that Haggai and Zechariah were contemporaries, and even cohorts, they did not agree on the place of the priest once a king had been restored (Metzger and Murphy 1217OT). Throughout the book of Haggai, the prophet shares all of his visions with both the governor and the high priest, except for his very last oracle. In this oracle, he prophesies the rise of the Jewish king, and the restoration of power to the people. He only addresses this to the governor, and not to the priest, thereby returning the priest to the lesser position that they held pre-Exile. On the other hand, the book of Zechariah alludes to the importance of the priest and the king. "There shall be a priest by his throne, with peaceful understanding between the two of them." (Zech 6:13) While in Exile, the Jewish people held many expectations of their future, not all of which agreed with one another, nor were fulfilled. Returning to the Promised Land was the main focus of Exile, and it evolved into a paradise of sorts, where everything would be perfect. There are visions of God blessing the people restored in their land, and their work being more than fruitful throughout the Exilic texts. "
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Approximate Word count = 1061
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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