Some Considerations on Ezekiel’s Exagoge

The fragmentary state of Ezekiel’s Exagoge unfortunately prevents its readers from formulating firm theses about the play’s cultural function and general significance. However, it remains possible to formulate well-reasoned hypotheses and thereby stimulate further research on this fascinating text. This article discusses the political significance of the Exagoge through the exploration of five different hypotheses stemming from as many possible historical scenarios of the mid-second cent. B. C. E. within which Moses, the tragic hero of the play, could have acquired particular relevance. The “Mosaic constituencies,” whose political interests Ezekiel may have addressed by writing his play, are either the Oniads or the Samaritans or the Hasmoneans.