In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

2 A Mysterious Man The Interpreting Angel in Ezekiel 40–48 The interpreting angel motif appears for the first time in the temple vision of Ezekiel 40–48. Here a mysterious “man” (‫)איש‬ guides the prophet through a tour of a future temple in Jerusalem. The text describes this man in terms reminiscent of the supernatural beings described in Ezek. 1:26-28 and 8:2-3, specifically as one “whose appearance was like the appearance of copper” (Ezek. 40:3a; compare with Ezek. 1:26-28; 8:2). But whereas the figures in Ezekiel 1 and 8 are closely identified with Yahweh as hypostases (‫יהוה‬ ‫אדני‬ ‫;יד‬ Ezek. 8:1) or visible manifestations of the divine presence/glory (‫כבוד־יהוה‬ ‫דמות‬ ‫;מראה‬ Ezek. 1:28), the guide in Ezekiel 40–48 is clearly distinguished from Yahweh (Ezek. 43:6-7).1 The actions of the guide in Ezekiel 40–48 also correspond closely to typical behavior of interpreting angels in later texts, such as Zech. 2:1-5; 1 Enoch 17–36; 61; 72–82; Rev. 21:9—22:7. These actions include most notably 1. The “man” in Ezek. 8:1-4 does not say anything to the prophet, and the speeches in 8:5-18 are given in the first person from Yahweh’s perspective, thus suggesting either that the “man” is Yahweh (as in 1:26-28) or that he merely transports Ezekiel, while Yahweh speaks to him directly. Moreover, v. 1 states that “the hand of the Lord YHWH fell upon me,” and in v. 3 the “man” stretches out his hand and seizes the prophet by the hair, thus suggesting that he (or his hand) is the ‫יהוה‬ ‫אדני‬ ‫יד‬. See also G. A. Cooke, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Ezekiel (ICC; Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1936), 89–90; Ronald M. Hals, Ezekiel (FOTL 19; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), 51; Paul M. Joyce, Ezekiel: A Commentary (LHBOTS 482; London: T&T Clark, 2007), 97–98; Nancy R. Bowen, Ezekiel (AOTC; Nashville: Abingdon, 2010), 45; James Robson, Word and Spirit in Ezekiel (LHBOTS 447; London: T&T Clark, 108–11; Daniel I. Block, The Book of Ezekiel, Chapter 1–24 (NICOT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 279; Horace D. Hummel, Ezekiel 1–20 (Concordia Commentary; St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 246. But cf. Walther Zimmerli, Ezekiel 1: A Commentary on the Book of Ezekiel, Chapters 1–24, trans. Ronald E. Clements (Hermeneia; Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1979), 236; Joseph Blenkinsopp, Ezekiel (IBC; Louisville: John Knox, 1990), 200. 29 guiding the seer through a tour of a cosmic or eschatological scene, taking measurements of various features of the vision, explaining the significance of those features, and answering the questions of the seer.2 On the other hand, whereas angelic mediation (including interpretation) is the dominant form of revelation in apocalyptic literature—and also one late prophetic book, Zechariah 1–8—it comprises only a small portion of the book of Ezekiel. Even within Ezekiel 40–48, which many scholars regard as a late addition to the book, angelic activity and revelation comprise less than half of the text (40:3-37, 43-49; 41:1—43:5; 44:1-4; 46:19—47:12).3 Large portions of Ezekiel 40–48 consist of revelations ostensibly received directly from Yahweh (Ezek. 43:6-27; 44:2-3, 5-31; 45:1—46:18; 47:13—48:35).4 The guide, while clearly an otherworldly being, is never explicitly identified as an angel (‫)מלאך‬, but rather as a “man” (‫)איש‬.5 2. Within discussions of apocalyptic literature, this motif of an angel-guided tour (usually of heaven, hell, or the cosmos) is closely associated with the apocalyptic subgenre of the “otherworldly journey” (John J. Collins, The Apocalyptic Imagination: An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic Literature [2nd ed.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998], 6–7). In her two groundbreaking studies of the tour motif in apocalyptic literature, Martha Himmelfarb traces the motif back to the book of Ezekiel, especially chs. 40–48 (Martha Himmelfarb, Tours of Hell: An Apocalyptic Form in Jewish and Christian Literature [Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1985]; Martha Himmelfarb, Ascent to Heaven in Jewish and Christian Apocalypses [Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993]). There is significant overlap between the angel-guided tour motif and the interpreting angel motif, and angelic interpretation is a typical element of these guided tours. Nevertheless, the interpreting angel motif is not restricted to tour literature and appears frequently in other types of literature (e.g., Dan. 7–8). 3. On a late dating of Ezekiel 40–48, see John J. Collins...

Share