The Rhetorical Function of the Book of Ezekiel

This study analyses the book of Ezekiel as a tool of communication, arguing that the book was designed to shape the self-understanding of the exilic community.
A discussion of the historical context precedes a chapter that deals with the basic thrust and literary arrangement of Ezekiel. A detailed examination of individual rhetorical techniques (use of the watchman motif, legal traditions, emotional language, and others) and of crucial passages (especially 24:15-27 and 37:1-14) follows. The final chapter explores the book's suitability for the situation for which it was designed.
This work gives readers the opportunity to study the book of Ezekiel as a whole and to explore some of its intricacies. Its methodology is an example of the fruitful integration of traditional critical methods and more recent literary and sociological approaches.

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Thomas Renz, Ph.D. (1997) in Biblical Studies, University of Bristol, England, teaches Old Testament and Hebrew at Oak Hill College, London.