Yhwh's battle against chaos in Ezekiel: the transformation of Judahite mythology for a new situation
In addressing the theological crisis of the exile, Ezekiel relies on the mythology of the divine king who goes out to battle against the forces of chaos, commonly referred to as the Chaoskampf. This article explores how Ezekiel employs this imagery to reconfigure Yhwh’s relationships with Babylonia,...
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| Format: | Article |
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Society of Biblical Literature
2013
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42013/ |
| _version_ | 1848796400364552192 |
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| author | Strine, C.A. Crouch, C.L. |
| author_facet | Strine, C.A. Crouch, C.L. |
| author_sort | Strine, C.A. |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | In addressing the theological crisis of the exile, Ezekiel relies on the mythology of the divine king who goes out to battle against the forces of chaos, commonly referred to as the Chaoskampf. This article explores how Ezekiel employs this imagery to reconfigure Yhwh’s relationships with Babylonia, Egypt, and Judah. In lieu of the now-defunct Judah, Ezekiel identifies the king of Babylon as Yhwh’s earthly agent for establishing order; Egypt is (re)confirmed as the exemplary human chaotic force, opposing Yhwh and his Babylonian agent; and Judah’s status is rendered a variable predicated on its political allegiances. Ezekiel’s scheme allows the native Judahite Chaoskampf theology to remain intact, at the expense of drastic changes to the relationship between the Judahite monarch and his patron deity, Yhwh. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:47:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-42013 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:47:23Z |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| publisher | Society of Biblical Literature |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-420132020-05-04T16:40:31Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42013/ Yhwh's battle against chaos in Ezekiel: the transformation of Judahite mythology for a new situation Strine, C.A. Crouch, C.L. In addressing the theological crisis of the exile, Ezekiel relies on the mythology of the divine king who goes out to battle against the forces of chaos, commonly referred to as the Chaoskampf. This article explores how Ezekiel employs this imagery to reconfigure Yhwh’s relationships with Babylonia, Egypt, and Judah. In lieu of the now-defunct Judah, Ezekiel identifies the king of Babylon as Yhwh’s earthly agent for establishing order; Egypt is (re)confirmed as the exemplary human chaotic force, opposing Yhwh and his Babylonian agent; and Judah’s status is rendered a variable predicated on its political allegiances. Ezekiel’s scheme allows the native Judahite Chaoskampf theology to remain intact, at the expense of drastic changes to the relationship between the Judahite monarch and his patron deity, Yhwh. Society of Biblical Literature 2013-12-31 Article PeerReviewed Strine, C.A. and Crouch, C.L. (2013) Yhwh's battle against chaos in Ezekiel: the transformation of Judahite mythology for a new situation. Journal of Biblical Literature, 132 (4). pp. 883-903. ISSN 1934-3876 Kings Oracles Kingship Mythology Theology Psalms Weapons Divinity Sheep herding Swords https://doi.org/10.2307/42912472 doi:10.2307/42912472 doi:10.2307/42912472 |
| spellingShingle | Kings Oracles Kingship Mythology Theology Psalms Weapons Divinity Sheep herding Swords Strine, C.A. Crouch, C.L. Yhwh's battle against chaos in Ezekiel: the transformation of Judahite mythology for a new situation |
| title | Yhwh's battle against chaos in Ezekiel: the transformation of Judahite mythology for a new situation |
| title_full | Yhwh's battle against chaos in Ezekiel: the transformation of Judahite mythology for a new situation |
| title_fullStr | Yhwh's battle against chaos in Ezekiel: the transformation of Judahite mythology for a new situation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Yhwh's battle against chaos in Ezekiel: the transformation of Judahite mythology for a new situation |
| title_short | Yhwh's battle against chaos in Ezekiel: the transformation of Judahite mythology for a new situation |
| title_sort | yhwh's battle against chaos in ezekiel: the transformation of judahite mythology for a new situation |
| topic | Kings Oracles Kingship Mythology Theology Psalms Weapons Divinity Sheep herding Swords |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42013/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42013/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42013/ |