Book of Ezekiel

The Book of Ezekiel is the twenty-sixth book in the Old Testament. The Book of Ezekiel contains the visions, revelations, and warnings given to the prophet Ezekiel by Yahweh during the exile of the people of Judah away from their homeland in the land of Babylon. The pervasive theme throughout Ezekiel is the judgment of Judah by God through Babylon as his agent and Judah's eventual spiritual and geopolitical restoration. Secondary themes include the judgment of surrounding nations (through Babylon), the glory of God as manifested in both Heaven and on Earth in Jerusalem and Ezekiel's responsibility for his proclaiming God's truth to Judah.

Authorship
The various messages and prophetic messages were probably written at the time of their revelation/origination and were later compiled into one book by the prophet Ezekiel. Various revelations from God are dated at different times ranging from 593 to 571 B.C. To a large extent, the content of Ezekiel appears out of chronological order- showing greater concern for the thematic arrangement of its contents over a historical one. It is possible that some portions of Ezekiel were written at later times than their corresponding date and that some portions were written specifically to tie content together.

Ezekiel is the primary author of the book's contents. The author refers to himself in third person once in the book's introduction as "Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi" and then also refers to himself in the first person. Ezekiel's name is recorded one other time in the book in a word-for-word recording of one of Yahweh's messages to Judah. Throughout the majority of the book, Ezekiel refers to himself in the first person. In both historical sections and revelatory messages, the author refers to himself in firsthe t person as the recipient of the events/messages.

It is possible, though not necessary, that Ezekiel could have been compiled into its current form by a later writer under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the authenticity of Ezekiel's content is not challenged, but it could have been arranged in its present form later on.