The Dialogues of Jeremiah

An emerging consensus maintains that the exile was not as extensive as the Old Testament claims. However, that it held singular importance for the book of Jeremiah is beyond question. Mitchel Modine argues that Jeremiah represents something of a range of options for understanding and responding to the events leading up to and following the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. Not all possible ideas are covered, but a wide variety may be found. Modine seeks to uncover the rudiments of an important dialogue going on about the reasons for, the character of, and the prospects for new life after the exile. Though what remains in Jeremiah is likely not the actual words of anyone, a way through the messy results of redaction after redaction can be had by considering what perceptions the book assigned to whom. Modine demonstrates that all of the varied perceptions in Jeremiah, and even many more besides, contribute to the emerging collective memory of ancient Judah. That the perceptions of the exile were so varied as to defy coherency is surely a testimony to the vibrancy and importance of a document like Jeremiah. Along the way, by claiming that Israel’s God was in control of the events of world history, the book makes a profoundly defiant stand against the power of the empire.