The Matter of Violence

Abstract

This article analyzes violence against the body of Woman Jerusalem in Ezek. 16 and 23 from a New Materialist perspective. As a methodology, New Materialism forges new paths when considering the female body and agency: namely, literal and literary bodies possess the ability to transform their literal and literary worlds, even when—especially when—these bodies become entangled in violent acts. This article therefore considers Woman Jerusalem’s violated body from two perspectives. The first is the perspective of Ezekiel-the-exiled-priest and the centrality of Woman Jerusalem’s body in his theological project of identity building. The second is the perspective of Ezekiel-the-iconoclast and the ability of Woman Jerusalem’s body to survive his acts of violence and reemerge as an intercessor. Such continuity has profound significance for the evolving Zion tradition, which follows the body of Woman Jerusalem to the other side of exile and there reconsiders the relationship between Yahweh, Jerusalem, and her human inhabitants.