The third book of the major prophets according to the masoretic order. Ezekiel lived in the time of the destruction of the First Temple, was exiled to Babylon with King Jehoiachin (c. 597 BCE) and settled at Tel Abib on the Chebar River. His prophecies related to the Babylonian exile and the people of Judah, and are filled with symbolism and wondrous visions.
The book can be divided into four major sections: chapters 1 to 24 – the call of the prophet and the prophecies of doom and destruction of Jerusalem; chapters 25 to 32 – prophecies of doom against corrupt foreign nations who will be punished in the first phase of the redemption of Israel; chapters 33 to 39 – prophecies of solace on the rebirth of the Jewish people and the reunification of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah; and chapters 40 to 48 – a description of complete restoration, details on the new Temple to be built, the prescribed order of work to be carried out in the Temple, the role of the president of the Sanhedrin, the laws of the priests and the division of the land to the tribes of Israel.
Ezekiel strengthened the morale of the nation in the days of the exile, and it was possibly primarily due to him that during this period the Mosaic law and teaching became the Jews' only religion, vanquishing all pagan cults. The elders among the exiles used to visit his home to learn from him of God's word. Many later scholars believe these meetings to be the precursor of the synagogue.
Ezekiel believed that despite the exile and destruction of the Temple, the nation would be restored to its land (the prophecy of the dry bones – chapter 37 – and other prophecies).
He foresaw a moral restitution of the nation and a just leadership for it in the future. With precise architectural detail he described the future Temple and delineated all details of its administration.
During the period of the codification of the Bible, there were attempts to exclude the Book of Ezekiel, whose writings on the status of priests and sacrificial animals were seen to be at variance with the Torah. On the other hand, several laws which are not overtly described in the Torah can be learned from Ezekiel (Ta'an. 17).
In the same detailed manner in which he described the Temple, he wrote of the physical manifestation of God (chapter 1). In fact his descriptions formed the basis of the later esoteric tradition regarding the nature of God (Merkabah mysticism). Because of these very descriptions he became the object of additional criticism from talmudic sages, who claimed that he had revealed too much. They proposed Merkabah mysticism be studied only by scholars well versed in Torah and Jewish wisdom, and not by the public at large.
Traditionally, Ezekiel is believed to be buried in Kafr el-Kifl in Iraq. Jews and Arabs have, through the ages, made pilgrimages to the grand building above his grave.
