The Ekphrasis of Pain and Jeremiah’s Body (of Text)
Abstract
This article argues that the book of Jeremiah uses ekphrasis to evoke for its audience the pain Yhwh causes the prophet Jeremiah. This pain functions to manifest Yhwh’s presence with the prophet and, by extension, the audience who sense it via the text’s vivid descriptions. The book of Jeremiah further supports the notion of Yhwh’s presence being experienced through its text by establishing a direct line of transmission from the prophet to his scribe Baruch to the scroll. Descriptions of how Baruch and the scroll are attributed with divine authority likewise make use of ekphrasis to draw the audience’s attention to the book of Jeremiah as a ritualized material artefact.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Biblical Studies and Interpretation
Visual Culture and Art Theory
Classical Antiquity Studies
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Postscripts The Journal of Sacred Texts Cultural Histories and Contemporary Contexts
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 271–292
- Publication date
- 12 January 2026
- Language
- EN