Abstract

In this article the relationship between Ezekiel 47:22–23 and Malachi 3:5, on the topic of the status of the immigrant in postexilic Judaism, is examined. The research has two focal points: the prophetic eschatological context of both prophetic pronouncements and the normative impact of the Law of Moses on both, although the first is guided by the ‘Holiness Code’ and the last by the ‘Deuteronomic Code’. This requires a discussion of the relationship between both ‘codes’ and an evaluation of their teaching on the status of the immigrant. This is followed by an examination of the literary and theological context in which the immigrant appears in both the texts examined. This article contends that Malachi 3:5, denoting the present time in prophetic eschatology, should be read against the background of Ezekiel 47:22–23, denoting the future time in prophetic eschatology. Compliance with the Law of Moses is in both cases a covenantal obligation anchored in the redemptive past.

Highlights

  • IntroductionIn the postexilic prophetic literature, the gēr occurs only in Zechariah 7:10 and Malachi 3:5, bracketed together with the orphan and the widow as in pre-exilic literature (see Awabdy 2011; Bosman 2018; Carroll 2013; Friedl 2016; Gowan 1987; Onishi 2017; Van Houten 1992; 2012; Wünsch 2014; Zehnder 2017)

  • In the postexilic prophetic literature, the gēr occurs only in Zechariah 7:10 and Malachi 3:5, bracketed together with the orphan and the widow as in pre-exilic literature. Some relate this limited number to the postexilic ethnic exclusivity as found in Ezra–Nehemiah. This did not create a welcoming climate for people coming from outside to settle in the closely-knit, small community of native-born Jews, who had just returned from exile, fighting to survive the dire circumstances of Persian Yehud (Brett 1996:11; Smith-Christopher 1996:124)

  • The gēr is explicitly mentioned in Ezekiel 47:22–23

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Summary

Introduction

In the postexilic prophetic literature, the gēr occurs only in Zechariah 7:10 and Malachi 3:5, bracketed together with the orphan and the widow as in pre-exilic literature (see Awabdy 2011; Bosman 2018; Carroll 2013; Friedl 2016; Gowan 1987; Onishi 2017; Van Houten 1992; 2012; Wünsch 2014; Zehnder 2017). The covenantal love for God (áhab) should motivate the people to show compassion for the native-born, but for the immigrant as well with whose position they were familiar due to their experiences in Egypt (Dt 10:12, 18–19) This basic confession of faith had to be foundational throughout Israel’s history in the promised land; the emphasis on the teaching ministry at home and in the temple needed to keep the Shema alive in their communal and personal memory. In the priestly structured worldview of Ezekiel, the focus on God’s holiness is never discussed without paying attention to the ethical purity of his people in ‘his land’ in which the immigrant one day would receive a portion equal to that of the native-born This full integration is perceived as an eschatological event that should be anticipated in the present according to the Law of Moses. The warning against ‘forgetting’ the Law of Moses (Dt 4:9; 8:11, 14), includes the instructions about the treatment of the immigrant

Conclusion
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