Editing Book of Ezekiel (section)

== Themes ==
[[File:Yad Vashem Memorial to survivors by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|left|Monument to [[Holocaust survivors]] at [[Yad Vashem]] in [[Jerusalem]]; the quote is Ezekiel 37:14.]]

As a priest, Ezekiel is fundamentally concerned with the ''[[K-B-D|Kavod YHWH]]'', a technical phrase meaning the presence (shekhinah) of [[YHWH]] (i.e., one of the [[Names of God in Judaism|Names of God]]) among the people, in the Tabernacle, and in the Temple, and normally translated as "glory of God".{{sfn|Sweeney|1998|p=91}} In Ezekiel the phrase describes God mounted on His throne-chariot as he departs from the Temple in chapters 1–11 and returns to what Marvin Sweeney describes as a portrayal of "the establishment of the new temple in Zion as YHWH returns to the temple, which then serves as the center for a new creation with the tribes of Israel arrayed around it" in chapters 40–48.{{sfn|Sweeney|1998|p=92}} The vision in chapters 1:4–28 reflects common Biblical themes and the imagery of the Temple: God appears in a cloud from the north – the north being the usual home of God in Biblical literature – with four living creatures corresponding to the two [[cherubim]] above the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant and the two in the Holy of Holies, the innermost chamber of the Temple; the burning coals of fire between the creatures perhaps represents the fire on the sacrificial altar, and the famous "wheel within a wheel" may represent the rings by which the Levites carried the Ark, or the wheels of the cart.{{sfn|Sweeney|1998|p=92}}

Ezekiel depicts the destruction of Jerusalem as a purificatory sacrifice upon the altar, made necessary by the abominations in the Temple (the presence of idols and the worship of the god [[Tammuz (deity)|Tammuz]]) described in chapter 8.{{sfn|Sweeney|1998|pp=92–93}} The process of purification begins, God prepares to leave, and a priest lights the sacrificial fire to the city.{{sfn|Sweeney|1998|p=93}} Nevertheless, the prophet announces that a small remnant will remain true to Yahweh in exile, and will return to the purified city.{{sfn|Sweeney|1998|p=93}} The image of the valley of dry bones returning to life in chapter 37 signifies the restoration of the purified Israel.{{sfn|Sweeney|1998|p=93}}

Previous prophets had used "Israel" to mean the northern kingdom and its tribes; when Ezekiel speaks of Israel he is addressing the deported remnant of Judah; at the same time, however, he can use this term to mean the glorious future destiny of a truly comprehensive "Israel".{{sfn|Goldingay|2003|p=624}} In sum, the book describes God's promise that the people of Israel will maintain their covenant with God when they are purified and receive a "new heart" (another of the book's images) which will enable them to observe God's commandments and live in the land in a proper relationship with Yahweh.{{sfn|Sweeney|1998|pp=93–94}}

The theology of Ezekiel is notable for its contribution to the emerging notion of individual responsibility to God – each man would be held responsible only for his own sins. This is in marked contrast to the [[Deuteronomist]]ic writers, who held that the sins of the nation would be held against all, without regard for an individual's personal guilt. Nonetheless, Ezekiel shared many ideas in common with the Deuteronomists, notably the notion that God works according to the principle of [[retributive justice]] and an ambivalence towards kingship (although the Deuteronomists reserved their scorn for individual kings rather than for the office itself). As a priest, Ezekiel praises the [[Zadokite]]s over the [[Levite]]s (lower level temple functionaries), whom he largely blames for the destruction and exile. He is clearly connected with the [[Holiness Code]] and its vision of a future dependent on keeping the Laws of God and maintaining ritual purity. Notably, Ezekiel blames the Babylonian exile not on the people's failure to keep the Law, but on their worship of gods other than Yahweh and their injustice: these, says Ezekiel in chapters 8–11, are the reasons God's [[Shekhinah]] left his city and his people.{{sfn|Kugler|Hartin|2009|p=261}}