Abstract
In a revised version of her PhD thesis, Rochester seeks to explore factors related to the ministry of Hebrew prophets by comparing and contrasting the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Rochester opts for the term ‘ministry’ in order ‘to indicate service of a subordinate to a divine superior where divine purposes and commands carry authority for the shaping of each man’s life and work’ (p. 1).
After a brief introduction, the work unfolds in four chapters. Each section follows the same pattern: Jeremiah is discussed, then Ezekiel, and then the two are compared. First, Rochester contrasts the motifs of word/vision and nearness/distance in the prophets' call narratives (Jer 1:1–19; Ezek 1–3). Second, she discusses the ‘worker images’ associated with each prophet (Jer 6:27–30; 18:1–12; Ezek 33:1–20). The dual role of assayer and potter for Jeremiah requires him to work intimately with his materials, while the watchman image associated with Ezekiel implies distance in his alertness for faraway threats. Third, the relation of each prophet to the temple is explored (Jer 7:1–15; Ezek 8–11); Jeremiah’s audience places excessive trust in the temple building, while Ezekiel’s audience imagines the terrible departure of Yahweh’s presence. Finally, Rochester examines the castigations of ‘deviant prophets' in each book (Jer 23:9–32; Ezek 13). The ‘lifestyle’ of a prophet is important to both Jeremiah and Ezekiel as they warn against deceptive, arrogant, and self-serving messages of peace. A brief conclusion summarises the position that variance between the prophets’ ministries stems from their different theological contexts.
Much of Rochester’s exegesis is sound, but why compare ‘prophetic ministry’ in the two books? One often gets the sense that Rochester’s insights could be gained from reading each book individually. Furthermore, ‘ministry’ is a vague term that receives little critical or methodological attention beyond the definition in the opening paragraph (cited above). Rochester clarifies early on that ‘implications for contemporary communities of faith are not delineated in this study’ (p. 10), but one gets the sense that this was her abiding interest in discussing ‘ministry’ in the first place.
Some questionable assertions are cause for concern. She opines that ‘Jeremiah and Ezekiel have ministries that are radical and unpopular’ (p. 153)—radical in what way and unpopular with whom? She claims the divine council motif ‘is generally accepted to have a more metaphorical and less mythological role in the OT than it has in other ANE material’ (p. 190), while a chorus of scholars who would disagree go un-cited. She asserts, ‘It is significant that there are no accounts of divination being used by Ezekiel or by any other OT prophet’ (p. 190), but is apparently unaware that prophecy is a form of divination by definition.
Critical discussion could have ventured beyond the well-worn trails of commentary literature more often. Overall, the composite parts of the work are generally unobjectionable for those interested in the ‘careers’ of the classical prophets, but the whole does leave something to be desired.