|
| |
Ezekiel 37:1-14
You can
sponsor this page
of The Text This Week
 | Reading the Text:
|
| Historical References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
 | "Eternal
Life," Comparative World Scriptures from United Communities of
Spirit. |
|
Chapter LII,
The First Apology of Justin
Martyr. (c 150) |
|
V.XV.1,
V.XXXIV.1, Adversus
Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons.
(c. 180) |
|
Chapter
XXIX-XXX, On the Resurrection of the Flesh, Tertullian
(c. 211) |
| From the Geneva Notes.
 | "He shows by a great miracle
that God has power and will deliver his people from their captivity,
in as much as he is able to give life to the dead bones and bodies
and raise them up again." |
|
| From
Matthew Henry's
Commentary.
| "The wind was an emblem of the
Spirit of God, and represented his quickening powers." |
|
| From
Wesley's
Notes.
| "Of all the bones of all those
numerous slain, not one was missing, not one missed its way, not one
missed its place, but each knew and found its fellow. Thus in the
resurrection of the dead, the scattered atoms shall be arranged in
their proper place and order, and every bone come to his bone, by
the same wisdom and power by which they were first formed in the
womb of her that is with child." |
|
| From the
Commentary on the Whole Bible
(Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
| "bones came together--literally,
"ye bones came together"; as in Jer
49:11 (Hebrew), "ye widows of thine shall
trust in Me." The second person puts the scene vividly before
one's eyes, for the whole resurrection scene is a prophecy in
action to render more palpably to the people the prophecy in
word (Eze
37:21)." |
|
| "Come
from the Four Winds, O Breath; Ezekiel 37:9," Charles H. Spurgeon, 1892.
| "Now, first, in using this
text, as I have said, for practical purposes, I am going to make
this remark upon it: WE ARE NOTHING WITHOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT." |
|
|
| Contemporary Commentary, Studies and Exegesis:
|
Comments
(commentary) and
Clippings
(technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican
Diocese of Montreal. |
|
Ezekiel 37:1-14 (Pentecost), Studies on Old Testament texts from Series B, Ralph W.
Klein, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. |
|
The Old Testament Readings: Weekly Comments on the Revised Common
Lectionary, Howard Wallace Audrey Schindler, Morag Logan, Paul Tonson, Lorraine Parkinson, Theological Hall of the Uniting Church,
Melbourne, Australia.
| "...He must prophecy to the dry
bones, which are clearly symbolic of the defeated people of Israel." |
|
|
Commentary, Background, Insights from Literary Structure, Theological
Message, Ways to Present the Text. Anna Grant-Henderson, Uniting Church
in Australia.
|
"The dryness of the bones emphasises the desolation and the miracle
which will be wrought by Yahweh in bringing life to this people.
This people who would have been feeling deserted by God, with no
hope for the future are being reassured that God has the power to
resurrect them." |
|
|
Desert Scribblings, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Geoff McElroy, 2008. Reflection
and commentary.
|
"Ezekiel’s vision is not one that is regulated strictly to some
distant time past, but one that speaks in the face of all places of
spiritual and emotional exile and death. Restoration is possible,
but true restoration will only occur when the spirit of God moves
and is put within the communities and circumstances that need it." |
|
|
"I Felt the Lord's Power," Paul Bellan-Boyer,
I heard of a city called Heaven.
|
"A modern Ezekiel might be taken to a small town on the prairie,
where the local business are dried up and the next generation is
exiled to another land..." |
|
|
"Can These Bones Live?" Pastor Sharron R. Lucas,
Stewardship of Life Institute,
Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg.
|
"Our dry bones do live—they live to praise God, serve others, and to
walk in faith and light." |
|
|
"The Death Penalty," Resources for Prophetic
Worship, Speaking to North Carolina Justice Issues, North Carolina Council
of Churches, 2006. |
|
"Resurrected Hopes," Craig Barnes, The Christian Century,
2002.
|
"How foolish this must have looked. The Lords prophet, standing in
the middle of a pile of dead bones, is telling them not to give up
hope." |
|
|
"These Bones Shall Live," Walter Wink, The Christian Century,
1994.
| "God is at work in our malaise
today." |
|
|
Haftarah for Chol Hamoed Pesach, Ezekiel Chapter 37:1-14,
Union of American Hebrew Congregations Family Shabbat Table Talk.
| "Rabbi Gunther Plaut suggests that
because Israel lives again as a nation, the dead of former generations
are, so to speak, revived as well. In what ways have you validated the
religious hopes of your ancestors and assured their immortality?" |
|
|
"Spirit-Renewed Life," Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com:
A Catholic Resource for This Sunday's Gospel.
| "While it might seem impossible, like
the reconstituting flesh or reanimating a body, God could revive a people
and give them a purpose. He could give them hope!" |
|
| Environmental/earth-centered
reflections, Nan Stokes, from the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota Environmental Stewardship
Commission.
| "So we have come full circle since Ash
Wednesday, when we were reminded that we were but dust, and now we know
what the Lord can do with a pile of bones and dust -- we can live and be
part of the Lord's vast multitude. " |
|
|
| Articles & Background:
|
| Articles in
ATLAS Journals. (Direct link when you are
subscribed and logged in to
ATLASerials online collection of Religion and Theology Journals.):
| Barnes, Craig, "Resurrected Hopes,"
The Christian Century, 2002.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Callahan, Allen Dwight, "Perspectives
for a Study of African American Religion from the Valley of Dry Bones,"
Nova Religio, 2003.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Horn, Ann, "Come from the Four Winds,
O Breath," The Christian Century, 2001. (Poetry)
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Lemke, Werner E., "Life in the
Present and Hope for the Future," Interpretation, 1984. (Section
on this text begins on p. 177)
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Olyan, Saul M.,
"'We Are Utterly Cut Off': Some Possible Nuances of ngzrnw lnw in
Ezekiel 37:11," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2003.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Qubti, Shadia, "Ezekiel 37: 'Can These Bones Live?
God, Only You Know,'" Review & Expositor, 2007.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Seitz, Christopher R., "Ezekiel 37:1-14, Expository
Article," Interpretation, 1992.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Taylor, Barbara Brown, "Can These Bones Live?" The
Christian Century, 1996.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Wink, Walter, "These Bones Shall Live," The
Christian Century, 1994.
Image Browse -
PDF |
|
| Sermons:
|
"Making Skeletons Dance," Pastor Edward F.
Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle,
Washington - Sermons from Seattle. |
|
Pentecost Sermon, 4 June
2006, Jim Mueller, Göttinger Predigten im Internet: Every Sunday Sermons based on the
RCL by a team of Lutheran theologians/ pastors. |
|
Easter Vigil, the Rev. Dr. A.K.M. Adam,
Flesh and Bones, 2001.
(Entire book of sermons is one long pdf file. Slow connections will require
long download times.) |
|
| Reviews: |
| With Children:
|
"Ezekiel,"
Illustrating the Story (lessons, children's sermons),
coloring pages, activity sheets, crafts, children's songs. MSSS Crafts. |
|
"Dry Macaroni - Dry
Bones," Children's Time, in Sermons and Liturgies. Richard J. Fairchild.
(Scroll down in liturgies to find Children's Time.) |
|
"Like a Puppet on a String,"
Talks to Children, Rev. Donald
McCorkindale, Dalgety Parish Church, Fife, Scotland. |
|
"Come from the Four Winds, O Breath," Sunday School
Lessons: Family Bible Study, art projects, music, stories, etc. |
|
| Drama:
|
| Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
|
Clip Art, Ezekiel
37:12, Fr. Richard Lonsdale, Resources for Catholic Educators. |
|
| Hymns and Music:
|
| Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's
Art Index:
|
| Movies Listed at The Text This Week's
Movie Concordance:
|
| Study Links and Resources for the
Book of Ezekiel |
|
