The Book of Ezekiel and its Influence

The Book of the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel (6th century B.C.E.) is a book of forceful language and impressive images. Its message is often clear, sometimes mysterious. The book had great impact in Jewish and early Christian literature as well as in western art. This book deals with the intentions of the book of Ezekiel, but also focuses on its use by subsequent writers, editors or artists. It traces Ezekiel's influence in Jesus' teaching about the Kingdom of God, in Paul, the Gospels, and Revelation, and also shows that Ezekiel's imagery, via Jewish mysticism, influenced the visionary art of William Blake. Presenting contributions from leading biblical scholars in Oxford and Leiden, based on their unique collaborative research, this book will be of interest to a wide range of scholars working in the field of biblical studies, including those studying the Hebrew Bible, its early versions, 'inter-testamental' Judaism, New Testament and Early Christianity, and the reception of Biblical literature in later centuries.

Henk Jan de Jonge has taught New Testament exegesis in the University of Amsterdam and, as an ordinary Professor, in the University of Leiden. In addition, he has held a sponsored chair for the history of biblical exegesis in Leiden. He has been managing editor of Novum Testamentum, an international quarterly for New Testament and related studies, since 1979. He has widely published on the origin and history of early Christian ideas, such as the belief in Jesus' resurrection, the expectation of his second coming, and the belief in Jesus' death as a saving event. He has written studies on the origins of the Lord's Supper and on the Imperial Cult as reflected in the Apocalypse of John. Johannes Tromp is Lecturer for Ancient Judaism at the University of Leiden. His main interest is in the development and transformation of traditional Israelite religious concepts in the context of Greco-Roman culture, both in Judea and in Jewish communities throughout the Hellenistic and Roman empires. Furthermore, he is studying the question of how these concepts (and the writings in which they are recorded) came to function in early Christianity. For instance, he has published articles on eschatology and messianism. Apart from that, he is known for his editions of ancient texts, in particular the Assumption of Moses and the Life of Adam and Eve in Greek.