In 2003, I made a study trip to the southern part of Poland. Together with a group of students under the guidance of prof. Simon Schoon, we had an encounter with Jewish life in Poland after the Shoah. Above all a visit to the extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau was unforgettable. The experiences during this study trip were crucial for my field of study.
Deeply touched by the harsh reality of the Holocaust, I started my study of the book of Ezekiel. I saw an analogy between the Holocaust and Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones, which he received in the sixth century BCE in Babylon. In the summer of 2007 I finished my Master thesis with a study entitled: “The restoration of Israel, a text critical and exegetical study of Ezek 36:16–37:28” (This study has been written in Dutch). Since then I have been looking for answers to the question on what follows the vision of dry bones in Ezek 37.
A year later on a trip to Jerusalem and a visit to the famous Wailing Wall, I was impressed by the raw beauty of its massive sustaining walls constructed around the pristine temple mountain. The history and architecture of this huge structure fascinated me. How did it originate and continuously expand and would a temple ever be rebuilt on this very spot, I wondered. So I decided to investigate the history and architecture of the Jerusalem temple. It soon became apparent that the Jerusalem temple was not an isolated phenomenon. This temple is closely linked to the temple building cult in the entire ancient Near East.
My study shows that the plan and arrangement of the first and second temple in Jerusalem in many respects resembled architecture in the Ancient Near Eastern region. First I investigated Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Canaanite temple building. Subsequently I compared it with Israel’s Tabernacle, Solomon’s, Zerubbabel’s and Herod’s temple in Jerusalem. After that I examined Ezekiel’s envisioned temple on the basis of Ezekiel’s vision account. My research shows that there are many similarities but also great differences, with both temple building in the ancient Near East and also preceding Israelite sanctuaries.
It was quite a challenge to investigate biblical and archaeological sources as well as religious concepts relating to temple building in the ancient Near East. A comparison of these data with the enigmatic temple of Ezekiel gives rise to new insights with respect to the plan and arrangement of Ezekiel’s envisioned temple.
The title of the dissertation, “Visualising the Vision”, indicates that imagination is essential for a proper understanding of Ezekiel’s vision account. Text and images together create an overall picture of Ezekiel’s temple. The vision account of Ezekiel has been written as a kind of builder’s specification and the distant reader needs illustrations to get a better grip on a text with many difficult architectural terms. Pictures bring vital evidence to light. The illustrations in my dissertation constitute an integral whole with the text. It has given me a better understanding of temple building in the ancient Near East in general and the description of Ezekiel’s temple in particular.
During my study of the temple vision I realised that it can be related to the story of the three bricklayers and a person who happened to be passing by. The passer-by asked the first bricklayer: What are you doing? He answered: “I am stacking up bricks”, the second bricklayer replied: “I am building a wall”, and the third cried out: “I am building a cathedral for the glory of God”. When I started my examinations of the text I was stacking stones, halfway there arose walls and at the end I became aware that in the vision account of Ezekiel the contours of a cathedral become visible.
It is a privilege at the end of this project to acknowledge those who have contributed to the encouragement, preparation, inspiration, undertaking and completion of the task.
My thanks go to my supervisors, prof. Klaas Spronk, prof. Dineke Houtman and prof. Eveline van Staalduine-Sulman under whose tutelage I have learned so much. I am indebted to them for their inspiring and critical supervision but also for their generosity and friendly support. They have supported me during the progress of writing my doctoral dissertation and helped me to navigate between the many pitfalls on my way. They also encouraged me in taking advantage of my professional expertise.
In the last stage of my MA study I was already mentored by prof. Klaas Spronk during the period of writing my master thesis. After finishing my MA he challenged me to carry on studying, so I started my PhD study. In the last stage of the PhD trajectory prof. Eveline van Staalduine Sulman took over from prof. Dineke Houtman. I am very grateful for her help and supervision in completing my examination. My former fellow student Nelleke Yakubu-Jackson helped me by correcting my English and Hebrew texts. Her support and translation proposals were indispensable. I am most grateful for the help of them who made it possible to publish my dissertation. My friend and partner in dialogue Richard Steunenberg took on the responsibility of the design and imprint of my dissertation and Cora Steunenberg-Bischop helped me with scanning pictures and photographs. Without their help I would not have been able to complete the book. I would also like to mention Jascha Niehof who has helped me when digital problems arose.
I wish to express my gratitude to the former Theological University at Kampen which provided me with a good basis for the biblical study of the Old Testament. The lectures in biblical Hebrew by dr. Jan-Wim Wesselius were a prerequisite for the study of the Old Testament and the examination of the book of Ezekiel in particular. Warm memories I preserve of the discussions on Old Testament issues at the house of prof. Cees Houtman and prof. Eveline van Staalduine-Sulman. I will never forget their hospitality, cakes and soup.
Besides my supervisors and Nelleke Yakubu, many people have contributed to the completion of my dissertation with their remarks, suggestions and critical comments. I am very grateful to the members of a number of study groups. They were the permanent link between the university and me. As an external PhD student I greatly appreciated them as a sounding-board and source of inspiration. I also would like to thank the members of the PhD Seminar Biblical Studies, part of the NOSTER curriculum of the Netherlands School for Advanced Studies in Theology and Religion (Nederlandse Onderzoeksschool voor Theologie en Religiewetenschap). This seminar provided the platform to present the first drafts of my research. My special thanks go to prof. Archibald van Wieringen who responded to my final presentation during the Spring PhD Conference in 2016. Likewise my thanks go to prof. Henk Bakker and the members of the Baptist Seminary’s Research fellowship (Kenniskring) who read the first drafts of the chapters of my dissertation and related items. With their critical remarks they helped me to keep my focus. In this small-scale church family I felt at home, their encouraging support meant a lot to me.
Finally, thanks are due to my foster mother Johanna Maria Fousert-Bijloo who offered me a home, guided me through difficult times and paved the way to my future. My deepest thanks go to my wife Martha for her consistent love and support over the years. During my studies she never doubted that I would finish successfully. She always stimulated and encouraged me to continue working on my research. My two daughters Franka and Rita, my four grandchildren and my church family in Almelo have been my greatest fans counting the days of the completion of this project.
Above all I thank God, my heavenly Father who never lost sight of me and granted all I needed. Soli Deo Gloria.