Across Hilary Term, the Vicar (Will Lamb) and I (Annie Calderbank, DPhil student in Hebrew Bible) will be leading a bible study looking at a series of passages from the Book of Ezekiel.

We will consider the events of the Babylonian exile, events which shaped Ezekiel’s prophecies and provide a central historical context for much of the Old Testament. The trauma of exile occasioned reflection on a number of fundamental theological issues - sin, judgement, repentance. By exploring the diverse voices within the Book of Ezekiel, our bible studies will have the opportunity to discuss these themes and to reflect on the nature and interaction of divine and human agency.

In his eponymous book, Ezekiel is the recipient of striking visions and prophecies from God. For one of our sessions, we will explore Ezekiel’s role as prophet and the nature of prophecy, the roles of speech, silence, and writing, and what makes prophecy true or false. Ezekiel’s visions of God and Temple are full of rich and intricate description. We will seek to interpret this imagery by placing it in a wider biblical and ancient near eastern context. Ezekiel’s visions give us pause to reflect on how we can both see and speak of the divine, and this visionary imagery becomes influential for later Christian and Jewish tradition, something we see already among the Dead Sea Scrolls.

I very much look forward to exploring the Book of Ezekiel with St Mary’s this term.