Ezekiel
About this date: Dates are broad scholarly estimates of composition or final editing, not dates of the events narrated. Traditional attributions and scholarly assessments can differ.
Ezekiel addresses catastrophe and restoration through visions, enacted signs, judgment speeches, and an extended temple vision. Divine glory departs and returns, while new heart, new spirit, and renewed communal life reshape hope after exile.
Historical context
The book locates the prophet among Judean exiles in Babylonia. Its visionary symbolism should not be confused with a literal technical blueprint or a modern timetable.
Key points
- The opening vision presents divine glory beyond Jerusalem.
- The dry bones are explicitly interpreted as the house of Israel before later resurrection reception is considered.
- The temple river links divine presence with life and healing.
Scripture
- Ezekiel 1:1-28 — The vision of glory introduces the prophet's encounter among the exiles.
- Ezekiel 36:22-32 — Cleansing, a new heart, and God's Spirit are promised within Israel's restoration.
- Ezekiel 37:1-14 — The dry-bones vision receives its own interpretation as Israel's restoration.
- Revelation 22:1-5 — Compare the life-giving river with Ezekiel 47; Revelation reworks prophetic imagery rather than supplying a simple architectural copy.
Sources and further reading
- Anglican Thirty-Nine Articles: canonical books and Apocrypha
- Catholic Catechism §120: canon and book list
- Ezekiel 47: the temple river
- Ezekiel: complete public-domain WEB text
- Orthodox Church in America: canon of Scripture
- Orthodox Church in America: Old Testament historical books
- USCCB Bible introductions: historical and literary notes