2023-11-08 16:34:14
By the rivers of Babylon
by Michael O’Brien
Salvator, 396 pp. €21.90
Who was Ezekiel, prophet, exiled to Babylon after the destruction of Solomon’s temple? The Canadian Michael O’Brien, an internationally renowned Catholic writer, devotes his latest novel to him, focusing on the childhood of this simple and shy shepherd, native of the area around Bethlehem, future priest in the service of the temple. His moving and gripping story shows the bustling city of Jerusalem, the activity of the temple and those who serve it, and Jewish life in the 6th century BC.
Exile by the rivers of Babylon
Then it is the threat that weighs, becomes clearer with the siege of the Babylonians, but also with the divisions of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, their quarrels… “The truth is that the majority of people live in sin, ignoring the warnings of the prophets (…). They are steeped in infidelity”his cousin Levi explains to Ezekiel, as the trauma of the sacking of the city and the temple looms.
The time of exile comes, on the banks of the rivers of Babylon, during which Ezekiel strengthens himself, and puts his ardor into remaining faithful to the Covenant, far from the temple, to rally his people to God and to save them above all else. of internal destruction. “Though I could never offer a burnt offering or a firstfruits oblation, yet I would offer due praise and thanksgiving and teaching to the house of the Lord, for the sake of all my people»rises the prayer of Ezekiel, on whom the anointing oil of the priesthood has just flowed, in the heart of the Babylonian exile.
An eschatological approach to life and the world
As in his previous novels, including his bestseller Father Elijahit is his search for God, his eschatological approach to life and the world, and the decisive battle between good and evil, that Michael O’Brien stages through the life of Ezekiel, in a fascinating story. The corruption within the priests of the temple of Jerusalem, and the general apostasy of the people denounced by Ezekiel?
The author explains, in an interview with the magazine Catholic World Report, note many parallels with our time, and with the scandals affecting the Church, and see a deep link between the destiny of the people of Israel in exile and that of today’s Christians. With hope: in the midst of calamities, the search for beauty and faith transcends darkness.
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