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In Ezekiel's extensive vision reports, reality is combined with the supra-mundane world in a way which resembles modern surrealism, especially as a literary art form. The comparison with surrealism helps to get a better understanding of the visions. The combination of realistic and surrealistic images has a shocking affect and revolutionizes human understanding and experience. In this way, the audience is challenged to remodel its understanding of reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Contextual Biblical Interpretation: A Theological Necessity" argues that contextual biblical interpretation is desirable from a hermeneutical and ecumenical perspective. It emphasizes the importance of considering the contextual location of the reader and its impact on the background of the longing for a good life. The document addresses the contextual interpretation of the Bible from a theological perspective, emphasizing the need to listen to and take seriously the voices from other contexts in order to obtain a more complete and accurate interpretation of the biblical texts. It maintains that contextual biblical interpretation is a desirable form of exegesis that does justice to both the text and the reader. [Extracted from the article]

In the view of the ancient Israelites, as expressed in the Hebrew Bible, death is good or at least acceptable (1) after a long life, (2) when a person dies in peace, (3) when there is continuity in the relation with the ancestors and the heirs, and (4) when one will be buried in one's own land. Death is experienced as bad when (1) it is premature, (2) violent, especially when it is shameful (e.g., when a man is killed by a woman), (3) when a person does not have an heir, and (4) when one does not receive a proper burial. It is remarkable that in the literature of ancient Israel common elements like the cult of the dead and the belief in retribution after death, are not explicitly mentioned and therefore do not function as a comfort for death. Also, from a theological point of view emphasis is placed on this life. A positive attitude towards martyrdom is missing. This results in a way of coping with death which has many 'modern' elements or which may help modern people to face death. Keywords: Death; Cult of the dead; Gender; Martyrdom; Israelites: Old Testament

This paper argues that contextual biblical interpretation is not only desirable from the point of view of more general hermeneutical considerations, or because Western cultural hegemony needs to be questioned, but also that themes and topics pertaining to one's understanding of the character of the scriptures, the notion of tradition and the understanding of the church, all three classical doctrinal 'loci,' can be seen as making contextual biblical interpretation a particularly legitimate enterprise, also for ecumenical reasons. The sketch that this essay provides amounts to the claim that, from a Christian theological perspective, contextual biblical interpretation is the most desirable form of biblical exegesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]