Dive into our standalone season finale of ‘The World and Words of the Prophet Jeremiah’ as we undertake an intricate journey of disentanglement and reordering. This episode seeks to reveal the internal chronology of the book of Jeremiah, a task that scholars have puzzled over for centuries due to the apparent lack of chronological arrangement.
Our methodical approach begins with acknowledging the chaos, the tangled narrative threads spread across a 40-year period, from the 13th year of Josiah (627 BCE) to the 11th year, fifth month of Zedekiah (586 BCE). Guided by the subtle cues hidden in the texts, we embark on an ambitious journey to construct a more logically ordered narrative of Jeremiah’s prophetic messages.
We dissect the chronology, starting by attributing the chapters to their corresponding rulers: Josiah, Jehoahaz/Shallum, Eliakim/Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin/Jeconiah/Coniah, Zedekiah, Gedaliah, and events following Gedaliah’s assassination. Using an innovative visual guide crafted by our Creative Director Seth Nichols, we progressively slot each chapter under its respective king, thus setting the stage for a more refined ordering.
Our next stage involves meticulously rearranging these chapters based on additional textual cues and identifying the fact that many chapters incorporate events from different periods. The result? A comprehensive guide designed to present the Book of Jeremiah restored as closely as possible to chronological order.
While some chapters still remain unassigned (2, 4-21, 23, 30-31), rest assured that we are diligently exploring potential leads to appropriately place them within the revised Jeremiah narrative. This episode offers a sneak peek into our ongoing analysis of a few of these chapters.
Consider this class as your introduction to a groundbreaking project, a promising first step in producing a more detailed work. As we continue to decipher the cryptic narratives of Jeremiah, stay tuned for more insights in our upcoming comprehensive guide to the Prophet’s Tangled Texts.
➤Download and Print John “Baruch” Perry’s Teaching Notes
➤Download and Print the Guide Jeremiah: Chronological Clarity
➤Learn about the book, A Synoptic Harmony of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles With Related Passages from Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezra – Edited by James D. Newsome.
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