Battle of the gods : : the god of Israel versus Marduk of Babylon : a literary/theological interpretation of Jeremiah 50-51 / / Martin Kessler.

• Superior document: Studia Semitica Neerlandica, 42
• Author: Kessler, Martin, 1927-
• Place / Publishing House: Assen : : Van Gorcum,, 2003.
• Year of Publication: 2003
• Language: English
• Series: Studia Semitica Neerlandica 42.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (x, 263 pages).
• Other title: Preliminary Material /; Abbreviations /; Preface /; Introduction /; History of Scholarship /; From Genres to Motifs /; Literary Commentary – Introduction /; Literary Commentary on Jeremiah 50 /; Literary Commentary on Jeremiah 51 /; Literary Summary /; The Jeremian Oracles against Babylon in Context /; Jeremiah 50-51 against the Background of Babylonian History /; Summarizing Conclusion /; Bibliography /; Authors /; Published in the series STUDIA SEMITICA NEERLANDICA /
• Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• ISBN: 9004358722
• ISSN: 0081-6914
• Hierarchical level: Monograph
• Statement of Responsibility: Martin Kessler.

This monograph is a literary study of the oracles against Babylon in Jeremiah chapters 50-51. They form the climax of the foreign oracle collection in the book of Jeremiah. Included are a survey of early scholarship on these chapters, a discussion of genres and motifs, verbal components, and a succinct survey of the historical context. However, the major emphasis is directed to the dynamic of these oracles as a literary creation with a message. That message is directed to Judah and Israel, who are urged to flee a doomed city with its idolatrous civilization, and to return to their homeland, to Jerusalem, to enter a permanent covenant with YHWH the God of their fathers. Throughout, the literature is discussed in its natural contexts: within the oracle collection in Jeremiah, in comparison with the Isaian oracles against Babylon, and within the canonical book of Jeremiah, demonstrating the climactic position of these oracles.