Whereas much work on the ethics of the Hebrew Bible addresses the theological task of using the Bible as a moral resource for today, this guide aims to set Ezekiel's ethics firmly in the social and historical context of the Babylonian Exile.

Whereas much recent work on the ethics of the Hebrew Bible addresses the theological task of using the Bible as a moral resource for today, this book aims to set Ezekiel's ethics firmly in the social and historical context of the Babylonian Exile. The two 'moral worlds' of Jerusalem and Babylonia provide the key. Ezekiel explains the disaster in terms familiar to his audience's past experience as members of Judah's political elite. He also provides ethical strategies for coping with the more limited possibilities of life in Babylonia, which include the ritualization of ethics, an increasing emphasis on the domestic and personal sphere of action, and a shift towards human passivity in the face of restoration. Thus the prophet's moral concerns and priorities are substantially shaped by the social experience of deportation and resettlement. They also represent a creative response to the crisis, providing significant impetus for social cohesion and the maintenance of a distinctively Jewish community.

Whereas much work on the ethics of the Hebrew Bible addresses the theological task of using the Bible as a moral resource for today, this guide aims to set Ezekiel's ethics firmly in the social and historical context of the Babylonian Exile.

Leading scholars from the fields of biblical studies and ethics provide a one-stop reference book on the vital relationship between Scripture and ethics.

The book argues that the relationship between Yahweh's ruah and Yahweh's word in the book of Ezekiel is to be understood not so much in terms of the inspiration and authentication of the prophet but in terms of the transformation of the book's addressees.