The Book of Ezekiel: Patterned after a Mesopotamian City Lament?

This dissertation is a comparison of the book of Ezekiel wit the well-known city lament genre of ancient Mesopotamia. Nine shared features are analyzed and explained. These features derive from the work of Dobbs-Allsopp and his comparison of biblical Lamentations with city laments of Mesopotamia. This material provides a fruitful point of comparison; one that is more than coincidental given Ezekiel's geographical location in Nippur (the provenience of one of the five historical city laments). Compelling comparative evidence reveals that the lament genre is reflected in the book of Ezekiel and was used for its compilation. Ezekie's usage of the city lament genre is, perhaps, the key to understanding the organizational structure of much of the book along with many of its various themes.Ph