Trauma and Zion: Narrative Healing

Abstract

Interfacing the work of Paul Ricoeur on time, narrative, and identity with that of Judith Herman on trauma, this paper explores the ways in which the prophetic book of Ezekiel and the pseudepigraphal book 4 Ezra spoke to the needs of ancient Jews in times of crisis by offering a realm in which readers could symbolically play out their trauma, experience catharsis, and reconfigure the greatest hopes of Israel.