R. E. Clements

Jeremiah was a prophet-priest who rose to authority in the temple of Jerusalem toward the end of the 7th century BC. An extensive literary effort in editing the prophecies of Isaiah and Micah was taking place, perhaps as a result of Jeremiah attentions. The northern kingdom had already been wholly absorbed into the Assyrian imperial system, which in turn was collapsing in the final decades of the 7th century. Jerusalem had survived the Assyrian threat posed by Sennacherib in 701 BC. Jeremiah witnessed the Babylonian imperial expansion, and destruction of the temple at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldean Babylonians. The destruction of the temple in 587 BC came to appear as an event that challenged the foundations of faith in God. Clements describes it "Something unthinkable had happened. God had disowned his own sanctuary ! " 46.

It is possible that this collection of poetry, lamentations, and sermons would include messages he was attempting to give to a fractured society. In addition, it is likely that Jeremiah wise attempting to influence, even to lure, Nebuchadnezzar himself. The Babylonian King had a well-known appreciation for the oral and written literature. He did destroy the temple, and conquer and enslave Israel, but he also preserved the priesthoods who were literate slaves for his court. Clements emphasizes that the question of who would read this book is "as important to understanding it, as is the question of who wrote it". Preface.

I approach all studies of the Jewish prophets with the same caution as I approach study of the Gospels. Both Christian and Islamic scholars use these texts against the Jews. While pretending worship of the same God, much is made of the fact that Israel and Judah were annihilated, and their destruction is taken as judgment of God upon a forewarned and sinful people. The Quran expressly points out that the Jews have disobeyed and even killed their own prophets. Jeremiah clearly condemns Israel, idolatry, and laments their inescapable fate. Ch. 2, 3, highlights and indictment of Judah and Jerusalem, ch 4.3-6.30. Jeremiah points out that a prophet's enemies include members of his own house, ch. 11.18-12.6. Those critics of Jews miss the point . Rather than piling on, both Christians and Muslims should learn the lessons for themselves, which the Prophets taught. We suggest that at this point on the pile of rubble, all humans are forewarned.

Clement points out in his introduction that the main body of prophetic literature of the "Old Testament" (repeating the ironic use of an anti-Jew refusal even to name their Tanak literature) relates primarily to the onset of Assyrian domination in the 8th century (Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah) and the first half of the 6th centuries BC (Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Nahum, Habbakkuk, and Zephaniah).At 3. Clement acknowledges that the Hyksos invasion is not described by Jeremiah in declaring that the foe will come from the north. While the view was once widely popular, it must now be dismissed altogether that the prophet had in mind the Asiatic horsemen, the Scythians, who were otherwise unrecorded in the Old Testament books. At 20.

Under King Nebuchadnezzar, Babylonian power was asserted over Judah from 605, BC. It is the genius of the Jews to find a message of Hope in the destruction . Unlike the hundreds of other communities in the region, the literature of the Judaic people alone has been preserved with the people to this day.

Clement is among the scholars who receive scripture with the understanding that books are often composed in response to competing beliefs. Jeremiah contrasted true and false worship. Temple sermon 7.1 - .15, at 46-47. Clement highlights Canaanite traditions of worshiping the consort of Baal, or the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar, the Queen of heaven, or popular gods fulfilling the role of fertility for crops, herds, and families in mother-goddess. " Most probably the destruction of the temple in 587 BC had encouraged a revival in this popular and seductive form of religion." Jeremiah condemns it outright. " The apparently innocent sounding activity of making cakes for the Queen of heaven certainly would have contained links with deeply detested forms of fertility ritual even if only by association. Such associations had shown themselves time and again in Israel's history to lead to ritual activities of a crudely sexual kind. The semi-magical expectations of engaging in ritual to induce life and fertility had in reality only led to the confusion and destruction of life within the family group. Religion had in fact been used to promote immorality through the pages of the Old Testament. No other single issue concerning the right understanding of religion is given greater emphasis than this repudiation of the baalistic sexual rituals. " 47. There you have it. With no evidence either in text or archeology Clement juxtaposes a religion essentially "moral and protective of the family social order" and the other essentially "the pursuit of a semi-magical life-force through rituals involving sexual acts disguised in the mythology of death and rebirth." At 47. Neither Clement nor Jeremiah nor any other scholar has shown that contemporary Marriage was divinely "sacred". In most of the scriptural stories couplings were based on consent of the father in a transaction of property, followed by rape. Children were the possession of the father and could be sold as slaves.

Jeremiah speaks of morals without specificity or definition. The Sin of Israel and Judah was worshiping other other gods with competing religious rituals and raping their women, their priestesses. Clement does not acknowledge that almost all women storied in Scripture are labeled as prostitutes, and almost all of those are actually priestesses of competing religions.

Clement discusses the fraud of religion elliptically. At 45, " The element of popular deception arises in Israel's nursing of the conviction that the presence of the temple in Jerusalem would ensure their welfare and protection in time of war. Only God himself could offer such an assurance and this necessarily entailed a right relationship with him. Such a relationship is morally conditioned to exclude anyone who is guilty of theft, murder, adultery or false testimony in a legal assembly. chapter 7 :9. This was not how the populist generally regarded the temple and the religion practiced there. Undoubtedly, the religion of Israel had embodied a positive moral element since its inception, but it was contained within and at times overlaid by very ancient and deep-rooted assumptions about the efficacy of religious rights and observances. Central to these was the notion of divine blessing (cf. Jay Scharbert, pp. 279-308)." Throughout history of all religion, the human mind readily. Regards the benefits available to men and women apart from their own integrity and conduct. Jeremiah's Temple sermon insists that this is not the case and to believe that it could be so is to trust in deceptive words. Clement points out that this distorts and falsifies the very nature of Faith itself.

Jeremiah declares that the fate of the people is inescapable. " Therefore, I will give their wives to others and their fields to conquerors. The enemy will come and devour the land and all that fills it, the city and those who dwell in it. I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a lair of jackals and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant". See 8:10, .16, 9:11. What is lacking in the way in which these prophecies have been preserved? Is any detail of their exact date or any indication of the reasonings leading the profit to make such dire warnings of coming Doom. Claremont states that such pronouncements are the central core of the entire section, 8:4-10:25. He notes that the work of later editors amplified the ad monetary comments and were concerned to provide a larger background of interpretation. The editor knew these events had been realized. And do not all of us ask how can the Lord be God if he allows such things to happen? Jeremiah asked "Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not in her?" 8:19, echoed in Ps 48:3.

Clement draws attention to the fact that the collapse of Judah was brought about by the ill-considered and foolhardy attempt of johaiah Kim to withhold from Nebuchadnezzar his allegiance. This rebellion sealed judah's fate in 601-598. Resulting in ruination for Judah only indirectly can we infer how sharply Jeremiah must have been opposed to the king's diplomatic moves. " The weight of blame is placed on the long-term religious faults and failings of Judah and Israel rather than upon the more immediate, but short-lived political misjudgments and defections that brought disaster to Judah.". Curiously, Clement blames the people instead of the Kings, and it is the people who suffer. Clement notes the indictments of Israel and Judah, but fails to point out that it is these reproaches which are thrown into the face of the Jews in the monstrosity of anti-Semitism today. Clement appears to distinguish the Jews as people who failed to turn back to a better and more upright way of life. " All people make mistakes but most afterwards regret them and turn away from such conduct. This was precisely what Israel had failed to do. Such turnaway turning away from right conduct should customarily lead by way of reaction to a turning back to a better and more upright way of life. But Israel had never done this and was showing no inclination whatsoever to do so. In the present. Her bad behavior had passed over unregretted and unmodified into still worse conduct. (V. 6.) In this fashion Jeremiah insists that Israel's conduct had not simply been sinful, a truth which could be said of all people, but it had had been a consistent pursuit of evil without a tinge of regret. This people had become as uncontrollable in their determination to do wrong as a horse galloping into battle". At 55.

Clement characterizes this book as containing a message of Hope "set against the background of political disaster and immense human suffering". At 3. The unknown scribes and compilers did their work with a view to assisting people who have been overtaken by tragedies. Jeremiah assists us in responding courageously and to look for Hope in spite of even the most extreme circumstances.

In fact, the events we now read in the does reveal a more true motive on the part of Jeremiah. After all, why was he weaving such a powerful story in poetry? Why were the editors preparing such powerful literature in a collection taken to Babylon? We know today that the kings of Babylon created the largest library of literature in the world. They collected scrolls and priests, although they were themselves illiterates. They understood the power of a Divine narrative over people. We find in history that tyrants always turn to religion to lock up loyalty and unite fractious people. Jeremiah can be interpreted as an attempt to lure Nebuchadnezzar. The prophetic message was written to Nebuchadnezzar, to those who seek power.… (altro)

This is a short commentary on Deuteronomy written by a noted scholar in the area. It is targetted at preachers rather than scholars, and so lacks the features of a scholarly work - no referencing and just the briefest of bibliographies at the beginning. Nevertheless it draws on a great deal of scholarship.

Clements locates the composition of Deuteronomy in the Exilic period, and hence argues that the laws, and in particular the blessings and curses need to be seen in the context of Israel's coming to terms with the disaster of the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile.

Clements does not gloss over some of the dificulties of the text - such as the harshness of some of the punishments and the seemingly horendous instructions surrounding warfare, but tries to discover what the underlying purpose of these texts is.

His comments for preachers are generally brief but insightful.

Overall this is a very useful little book to have on the shelf. My only real quibble is the lack of refernces when Clements refers to scholarly debates… (altro)