Jeremiah and Falsehood

This thesis proposes that falsehood within Jeremiah is the culminating socio- theological development of a string of habitual and willful degradations done to Judah’s agency by its collective religious and public parties. Jeremiah’s inherent historical context being imbedded within the ancient Near East, and his intentional cross-comparison of Judah’s prophets with that of Samaria, calls for a reconsideration of Jeremiah’s standard reading to one that includes non-Israelite divination, prophecy, and ideas on the divine presence. Judah’s prophets and priests are specifically mentioned repeatedly throughout the text as being the encouragers of and sustainers of Judah’s idolatry, immoral behavior, false prophecy, and self-deception regarding YHWH’s protection. As such, the vernacular of בל , רקש , and איבנ are used as keywords within these issues, and together form an argument against Judah as a corrupted collective agent. Using a literary critical method, I will first establish a brief history of the exploration falsehood and prophecy in Jeremiah have had within recent years, of which the research of James Crenshaw, R. W. L. Moberly, Thomas Overholt, and Douglas Knight will be heavily reflected upon and discussed. Next, I will look at the ancient Near Eastern background Jeremiah is situated within and show the function and purpose divination, prophecy, and the divine presence held across the ancient Near East. At that point I will show the parallels and connections Jeremiah either intentionally or naturally makes between Judah’s prophets and those of the ancient Near East, and how these connections give credence to a theological injection of non-Israelite divination, prophecy, and ideas of the divine presence into Judah’s religious circles. I will define and examine the vernacular of בל , רקש , and איבנ as they emerge in Jeremiah 23, and how they work together to form a cohesive argument against Judah as a corrupted agent. Ultimately, my goal within this thesis is to explore falsehood within Jeremiah 23, through the inclusion of divination, prophecy, and agency.