Ekphrasis in P and in ‘Ezekiel’

This essay compares how ekphrasis is used to draw the image of a god and the godly things around him and how obedience is a key quality in being in the god’s proximity. It argues that in The Priestly Story, ekphrasis creates an objective view of the god, one of beauty, knowledge, and control. It is provided by the god himself and the omniscient narrator. And, centered on the god’s living space, it serves a poetics of deflection. By viewing the Tabernacle, one understands Yahweh. Obedience in building the Tabernacle, maintaining it, and living around it is crucial for its continuity. In The Book of Ezekiel, the subjective character who tells his story after much time has passed engages in ekphrasis. He conveys the experience of facing a god and the godly over the meaning of it. The experience is overwhelming, and it serves to make Ezekiel obedient, as a divine agent should be.