Jerusalem Burning: The Terror and Promise of the "Wrath of Love"

The Babylonian attack on Jerusalem in 587 BCE forced upon the Israelite survivors the realization that Yahweh, one of the gods they had venerated, was an overwhelming presence in their affairs. The attack on their city had been devastating, overturning virtually the only world they knew. Such a disaster had been prophesied by several prophets of Yahweh who had warned them against worshipping other gods than Yahweh and ignoring his commandments. These prophets reminded them that in the ancient past Yahweh had established a special relationship with their people, binding them to himself through a covenant in which Yahweh promised to protect and lead their people while they were to honor him as their only god and keep his commandments. The community of survivors living as exiles in Babylon, and their heirs who would return to Judah after 539 BCE, believed that Yahweh had caused the destruction of their society because of the refusal of their people to abide by the terms of the ancient covenant. Indeed, they saw it as an act of Yahweh's love, an appeal for them to honor him as their only god so that he could show them his favor. Anthropologist Robert Canfield examines the process by which this transformation in religious understanding took place, describing it as an example of how human beings imaginatively imbue their affairs with moral significance.

About the Author :
Robert L. Canfield is emeritus professor of anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis.

Review :
"There is no doubt that the fall of Jerusalem and the exile in the sixth century BCE were of pivotal importance for the history, literature, and theology of biblical Israel. In Jerusalem Burning, Robert Canfield brings the events, stories, and personages of the time to life for interested readers. In an informed and highly readable overview, he provides a view of and beyond the disaster that is as timely as it is engaging." --Jill Middlemas, associate professor of biblical theology and Abrahamic religions, University of Copenhagen "In this daring and erudite study of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BCE, Robert Canfield brings clarity to the process of meaning-making and moral imagination in biblical texts grappling with individual and community suffering." --Louis Stulman, professor of religious studies, University of Findlay "Robert Canfield develops a rich and absorbing cultural-historical narrative of the fall of Jerusalem that is meant to help us explore how such a trauma inspired--required?--a distinctively new religious understanding. While the proximate causes were clear enough--one king betrayed another--Canfield has a deeper interest: making sense of God's love in light of tragedy. This is still important today. So, alas, is the great cost of ignoring warnings of impending disaster." --Paul K. Wason, senior director, Culture and Global Perspectives, John Templeton Foundation "By carefully navigating through historical criticism of biblical texts, uncertainty of dates, and divergent interpretations of archeological evidence, this book skillfully analyses a watershed moment in the biblical history: the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC carried out by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. Jerusalem Burning is an indispensable book for students and scholars of biblical studies, archeology of religion, and religious studies broadly construed." --Ashok Kumar Mocherla, Yang Visiting Scholar, Harvard Divinity School "Jerusalem Burning tells the story of how the Israelites made sense of their plight following the Babylonian attack on Jerusalem and how they came to understand their demise as an act of God's love. With a detailed presentation of events, this brilliant book will leave the readers to ponder its relevance to the world that we live in today." --Lihong Shi, associate professor of anthropology, Case Western Reserve University "Jerusalem Burning is an elegantly written and expertly constructed analysis of the meaning and significance of a most terrifying event, the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 587 BCE by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar. This book should interest general readers and those interested in the history of religions, and it is a valuable resource for adoption to the courses on comparative religion and the anthropology religion in colleges and universities." --M. Nazif Shahrani, professor emeritus of anthropology, Middle Eastern, and Central Asian studies, Indiana University "Infused with knowledge and wisdom gained from a lifetime spent in the study of the biblical text, combined with years of anthropological research and university instruction, Jerusalem Burning is an invitation to look deeply into the impact of the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC and the exile of its people to Babylon. I highly recommend this refreshing look at how a people came to make sense of their circumstances and find hope in the midst of great loss." --Katherine M. Johnson, author of Lectio Divina Catholic Prayer Journal Series "Robert Canfield's gift for storytelling and meticulous research brings this history to life, and his use of textual, linguistic, and cultural sources illuminates this history. His explanations of these source materials are crucial, especially for the non-specialist reader. It places a society's experiences and ideologies in their historical reality: what they shared with their neighbors, what made them distinctive, how they interpreted society-altering events, and the lessons they took from the violence and upheaval they experienced." --Laura Cochran, professor of anthropology, Central Michigan University