Voices from the Ruins
Rebekah Eklund
Theodicy and the Fall of Jerusalem in the Hebrew Bible
Foreword by Dale C. Allison Jr.
Dalit Rom-Shiloni
A reception history of the Beatitudes, from the first century to the present day “It is not an overstatement to describe Rebekah Eklund’s book as stunning. Clearly written. Delightful to read. Erudite while being open-hearted and openhanded. I learned something new (and old) on every page. This will become the new standard work on the Beatitudes.” — JONATHAN T. PENNINGTON
“Voices from the Ruins is a descriptive theology of the traumatic events of a period in the history of Israel—the Babylonian conquest of Judah and the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple—that affected Judean/Jewish history and thought forever after. Rom-Shiloni presents a thorough methodological and masterful discussion of various biblical texts that relate to these events, constructs a tapestry of the topics raised, and uncovers the different—often antagonistic—views which allowed doubt and fierce protest yet still persisted in taking part in the talk about God.” — SARA JAPHET
author of The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing
“Like a scribe trained for the kingdom of heaven, Rebekah Eklund brings out of the treasures of the Beatitudes what is new and what is old. Her impressive reception history attunes the heart and mind to interpret these oft-quoted and well-loved Scriptures with the very virtues they seek to inculcate: humility and wisdom, including a discerning appreciation for the theological and ethical concerns these texts raise.” — MARIANNE MEYE THOMPSON Fuller Theological Seminary
“Rebekah Eklund’s heart is large, and her imagination broad; her eye for detail is sharp, and her curiosity winsome; her energy to pursue an unlikely hypothesis is generous, and her patience to unearth an esoteric source unending; her passion for truth is relentless, and her joy in Christ’s upside-down kingdom infectious. Blessed are those who read every word of this book and treasure it: for the glory and playfulness of God’s good future are theirs.” — SAMUEL WELLS
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
“The fall of Jerusalem is the pivotal event in the history of ancient Judah. It triggered a plethora of theological interpretations that became very influential for the formation of the Hebrew Bible. In this wide-ranging study, Dalit Rom-Shiloni vividly and meticulously describes different biblical approaches to theodicy and develops a descriptive theology of Hebrew Bible texts from the sixth century BCE.” — KONRAD SCHMID University of Zurich
“Everyone interested in the theology of the Hebrew Scriptures will benefit from Rom-Shiloni’s magisterial work. Taking on the thorniest theological problems presented in the Scriptures, she adroitly acknowledges prior contributions even as she makes her own compelling argument for how to think about God and trauma and the traditional problem of theodicy. How we think about God matters for how we live, and Rom-Shiloni is an able guide to thought-provoking new ways of doing so.” — JACQUELINE E. LAPSLEY
vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London
“Hardly anyone has done such extensive and thorough research on the Beatitudes as Rebekah Eklund. She has provided insight on the biblical text and a wide purview on the impact of the Beatitudes throughout the centuries. In the process, with each Beatitude she provides a walkthrough of church history, an exercise in devotion, and an invitation to consider the nature of Scripture, the tensions in interpretation, and the significance of the Beatitudes for living. If you are studying the Beatitudes, you will find real and impressive help here.”
BIBLICAL STUDIES
The Beatitudes through the Ages
Princeton Theological Seminary
“The subject of this wonderful book—the justice of God—is as timely today as it was in the biblical period. After developing a framework for descriptive Hebrew Bible theology, Rom-Shiloni explores a large variety of biblical texts, highlighting the many biblical views concerning theodicy and the multivocal voices of the Bible more generally. Her exploration of the implications of the different metaphors used of the biblical God in these contexts is especially enlightening.” — MARC ZVI BRETTLER Duke University
— KLYNE R. SNODGRASS author of Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus
Rebekah Eklund is associate professor of theology at Loyola University Maryland, where she teaches Scripture, theology, and ethics. She is the author of Jesus Wept: The Significance of Jesus’ Laments in the New Testament and coauthor, with Samuel Wells and Ben Quash, of the second edition of Introducing Christian Ethics. 978-0-8028-7650-8 | Jacketed Hardcover | 352 pages | $35.00 US | $46.99 CAN £27.99 UK | Available
toll free 800 253 7521
Dalit Rom-Shiloni is associate professor of Hebrew Bible at Tel Aviv University, Israel. She writes extensively on Hebrew Bible theology, group-identity conflicts, and the formation of sixth-century BCE literature. Rom-Shiloni serves as editor-in-chief of the Hebrew-language journal Beit Mikra: Journal for the Study of the Bible and Its World and is the initiator and editor-in-chief of the Dictionary of Nature Imagery of the Bible project. 978-0-8028-7860-1 | Hardcover | 580 pages | $70.00 US | $94.99 CAN | £55.99 UK Available May 2021
www.eerdmans.com
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
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