Israel in Exile

Overtures to Biblical Theology #6

by Ralph W. Klein

Israel in Exile, A Theological Interpretation by Ralph W. Klein The author points to a theological blueprint of hope for modern exiles in coping with challenges to faith. 154 pages plus index

Genres: Theology

176 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1979

Reviews

[Jeremy Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another "while at work waiting for the phone to call" read. Klein beautifully takes one through the exile literature. And points to a few beautiful things that are lovely to read in the midst of quarantine and life upheaval. Every chapter reminded me of how beautiful and yet so difficult poetry of a thousand years ago is to be read and understood through editing for specific purpose without editors' notes.
He looks at promise, hope, track record, reason and action in the midst of revolution. He looks at what the Jewish nation had been told over and over again, and then through poetry and lament and political leading - where they had found themselves, taken away by larger powers only to be "saved" by another power.
What I think this book refers to when sitting at home during quarantine is - irrelevant of the hope you cling to, hope is huge. Jewish literature is one of the greatest libraries to point to terrible times being survived by a people because of stories and a belief system that formed close-knit communal ties. And in the midst of these times for us there can be hope. Even in the face of hopelessness. We can find things to anchor to, or people to cling to or old school unchanging, stubborn belief systems as of old. I liked this book. I loved his conclusion after some very straight forward proof chapters.
Good reminder. That I am still a nerd.

[Joey Hyatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deals with literature classically conceived of as written during the exile and discusses the theologies of how to endure and overcome those that exile. Treats the exile as a historic event that impacted theology, but concludes that the exile also became a theological concept itself, an idea or a system for reinterpreting life. It’s a good, quick overview of some major texts but ignores other important ones like the Book of the Twelve or Chronicles. Concludes with some theological reflections on viewing life today as a sort of exile, which are as apt now as when they were written nearly fifty years ago.