A Comment on Ehud Ben Zvi's Total Exile, Empty Land and the General Intellectual Discourse in Yehud
The Judeans of the pre-late-Persian period could not interpret the empty land myth other than in an inclusive manner. This approach is also reflected in Ezra-Nehemiah, according to Ehud Ben Zvi. This interpretation is clear from his social memory analysis of the penta-teuchal, Deuteronomistic hist...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
SA ePublications
[2017]
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| In: |
Old Testament essays
Year: 2017, Volume: 30, Issue: 3, Pages: 592-608 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Ezra, Biblical person
/ Nehemiah Biblical character
/ Ideology
/ Myth
/ Reconstruction
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| IxTheo Classification: | FD Contextual theology HB Old Testament HD Early Judaism KBN Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | The Judeans of the pre-late-Persian period could not interpret the empty land myth other than in an inclusive manner. This approach is also reflected in Ezra-Nehemiah, according to Ehud Ben Zvi. This interpretation is clear from his social memory analysis of the penta-teuchal, Deuteronomistic history and prophetic literature. The logic in his argument is so persuasive that it compels a review of one's stance on the exclusivity of Ezra-Nehemiah. After some engagement with Ezra-Nehemiah, this paper offers the argument that Ezra-Nehe-miah is exclusive, and that the empty land myth is applied in an exclusive manner. Of great concern, however, is the fact that Ben Zvi's argument comes at a time when Africans are engaged in a quest for a biblical paradigm for a theology of reconstruction that is cur-rently contemplated. Of more concern is that some scholars suggest Nehemiah as a paradigm for a theology of reconstruction in Africa, just as Moses and the Exodus, propound a theology of liberation. For historical reasons, this paper rejects Nehemiah as a biblical para-digm for a theology of reconstruction in Africa. This paper therefore engages with Ben Zvi's paper titled Total Exile, Empty Land and the General Intellectual Discourse in Yehud against this background. |
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| ISSN: | 2312-3621 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Old Testament essays
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.17159/2312-3621/2017/v30n3a4 HDL: 10520/EJC-da565f88c |