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Jeremiah had had the task of trying to keep the true faith in
Jerusalem. Yet even after the first invasion, by Nebuchadnezzar in
596, people did not seem to understand that it was the hand of
God. They still sinned, and even had idols in the temple. The had
a really superstitious faith in having the temple.

Ezekiel wrote from exile between the first and second invasions
(586). Even then it was a task to keep people from sin and even
false worship. They even went so far as to accuse God of charging
them with the sins of their ancestors (18.2).And they felt they
were safe as long as they had the temple Inn exile they cherished
hopes, aided by false prophets, of a quick return from exile.

When Solomon dedicated the great temple, God told him if he was
faithful He would keep His presence there forever- if not, He
would scatter them over the face of the earth. More recently, God
gave the same warning through Jeremiah 9.12-16. But they were
still too rebellious to understand.

Acceptance of this book by Jews was not immediate. Chapter 1 at
first was banned from reading in the synagogue and from study in
the schools. It had sparked the unfortunate Merkabah (chariot)
mysticism that ran for centuries. The strenuous accusations of
hardness made the Rabbis unhappy, and they feared it would provide
ammunition for the christians. We note especially 5.5, saying
Jerusalem "has rebelled against God's commands more than the pagan
nations."

The rabbis also noticed that some things in the future temple
prescriptions in 40-48 contradicted those of Mosaic law. Efforts
to reconcile the two led even to saying Elijah would come to
explain it, or to simply admitting hopeless contradictions. (We
will examine these points in detail later).

There were other serious problems: it seemed God was about to
restore Israel gratis, or that God acts not because of repentance
but because of His own prior Holiness and <hesed.>

St. Jerome reports that the rabbis did not allow anyone under age
30 to read the book. (Epistle 53. 7,.To Paulina).

The picture of the activities of Ezekiel is often unclear, so much
that a few commentators have said he did not go to Jerusalem
physically at all, only in visions.