Ezekiel

Ezekiel is not quoted by any other bible book author, yet the majority of scholars accepts the book of Ezekiel as part of the biblical canon because:

  • The book of Revelations contains allusions to Ezekiel's visions.
  • Some of Jesus teaching may have alluded to Ezekiel's visions, for example Ezekiel 34 or John 10:11-18 which is similar to Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-17, Luke 19:45-46, John 2:13-16 alluding to Ezekiel 40-48 or Luke 13:6-9 may have alluded Ezekiel 15, 17.
  • The Jewish Talmud and Midrash frequently reference passages from Ezekiel.
  • Christian church fathers like Origen, Jerome and Augustine quoted Ezekiel.
  • The Islamic literature like the Quaran refer to Ezekiel as Dhul-Kifl.

Criticism

Rabbi Judah ben Bathyra (2d cent.) was inclined to exclude the Book of Ezekiel from the canon, because of its contradictions to the Torah (Men. 45a); but his opinion was not accepted. -- Singer, I. (Ed.). (1906). The Jewish Encyclopedia. Funk and Wagnalls.

Origen/ (Princ. 4.2.2) expressed reservations about the canonical status of Ezekiel, citing the difficulty of interpreting the book. -- Boda, M. J., & McConville, J. G. (Eds.). (2012). The Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets. InterVarsity Press.

Rabbi Judah ben Bathyra said: 'If I had been present at the time of the prophets, I would have excluded the Book of Ezekiel from the canon, because of its contradictions to the Torah.' -- Epstein, I. (Ed.). (1935-1952). The Babylonian Talmud. Soncino Press.

Incorrect prophecies

  • Ezekiel prophesied that Nebuchadnezzar would destroy Tyre (Ezekiel 26-28). While Nebuchadnezzar did besiege Tyre for 13 years, he didn't destroy it completely. Instead, Alexander the Great conquered the city in 332 BCE.
  • Ezekiel predicted Egypt would be desolate for 40 years and Egyptians would be scattered (Ezekiel 29:1-16). Historical records don't confirm such an event.
  • Ezekiel prophesied that Israel will be fully restored and live in peace (Ezekiel 36-37). This never happened.
  • Ezekiel prophesied about an apocalyptic battle of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38-39). This never happened.
  • Ezekiel provide details of a new temple that would be built. This never happened.

Timeline discrepancies

  • Ezekiel's date of the siege of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 24:1-2) contradicts Jeremiah 52:4.
  • Ezekiel 29:17-20 is dated the 27th year, but it comes after the prophecies dated to the 30th year in Ezekiel 26.

Geographical inaccuracies

  • Ezekiel describes Tyre as an island city (Ezekiel 26:5, 27:32), while a great part of ancient Tyre had a mainland component which was ignored by Ezekiel.
  • The siege tactics described in Ezekiel 26:8-11 has been debated in light of the challenges presented by Tyre's island position.
  • Ezekiel describes a trade route "Tarshish" (Ezekiel 27:12,25) which is absent from historical records.
  • Ezekiel describe the garden of Eden on "the holy mountain of God" (Ezekiel 28:13-14) which contradicts Genesis 2:8-14 that states that Eden was planted by God in the east with four rivers: Pishon, Gihon, Tigris and Euphrates which describes Mesopotamia which is a plain, not a mountain.
  • Ezekiel's location of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38-39) does not correspond to any known ancient nations in that region.
  • Ezekiel describe the boundaries of the restored Israel (Ezekiel 47:15-20), but those boundaries does not match any historical boundaries or other biblical accounts.

Biological inaccuracy

Ezekiel 4:9 describes a bread recipe that the text claims can sustain a person for 390 days, which is nutritionally implausible.

Historical inaccuracies

  • The existence of Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 28:3) does not align with the traditional dating of the Book of Daniel.
  • Some prophecies in Ezekiel is still unfulfilled like the division of land among the tribes of Israel (Ezekiel 47-48).

Theological inaccuracies

  • Ezekiel describes "The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father" (Ezekiel 18:20) which clash with "visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation" (Exodus 20:5).
  • Ezekiel's description of how Israel will be restored (Ezekiel 36-37) clash with the details of similar prophecies in Isaiah and Jeremiah.
  • Ezekiel 46:1 mentions the east gate of the inner court being shut on working days and opened on the Sabbath which clash with all other biblical descriptions of temple practices.