"No One Will Say Anymore: The Ark of the Covenant of YHWH." Jeremiah 3:16 and Its Significance for the Tradition of the Ark of the Covenant

Abstract

The statement in Jer 3:16–17 about the loss of the Ark of the Covenant and the assertion that there is no further need to think about it is unique in the prophetic texts. Its significance, however, is not the result of this uniqueness, but pf the contents contained in it. The article compares the statistical interest in Ark in various theological circles from the times of the Old Testament. This data, along with an analysis of the potential roles assigned to the Ark, revealed a process in which it gradually lost its significance. The analysis of the potential historical circumstances allowed us to conclude that the state­ment of the prophet Jeremiah does not provide any information about how and when the Ak was lost. Diachronic analysis allows us to classify it as an editorial addition from the late period after the Bab­ylonian exile. As such, it contains information about a significant change in Old Testament covenant theology. In the spirit of the post-exilc tradition of patriarchal promises, to the current vision of return of the diaspora and the renewal of the Kingdom of Israel (Jer 3:14–15, 18), there is now added the an­nouncement of the pilgrimage of the nations to Zion and the inauguration of the universal Kingdom of God on earth.

Wypowiedź Jr 3,16-17 o zaginięciu Arki Przymierza i braku potrzeby dalszego myślenia o niej, jest jedyną w tekstach prorockich. Wyznacza ona istotną zmianę w teologii Starego Testamentu na temat relacji z Bogiem. Autor artykułu wskazuje na fakt, że zachodzi w niej również istotna zmiana w eschatologii starotestamentalnej. Do dotychczasowej – powygnaniowej – wizji powrotu diaspory i odnowy Królestwa Izraela (Jr 3,14-15.18), dochodzi teraz zapowiedź pielgrzymki narodów na Syjon i inauguracja uniwersalnego królestwa Bożego na ziemi (Jer 3,16-17).