Ezekiel

Ezekiel is one of the major prophets of the Old Testament — a priest-prophet who ministered among the Jewish exiles in Babylon after the conquest of Jerusalem in 597 BC. His book contains visions of extraordinary power, including the vision of the valley of dry bones and the prophecy of the new heart and new spirit — fulfilled in the New Covenant (CCC 715).

His Ministry

Ezekiel was taken to Babylon in the first deportation (597 BC) and received his prophetic call there — in exile, far from the Temple. His early prophecies announced the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the departure of God's glory from the Temple (Ezekiel 8–11). After Jerusalem fell in 586 BC, his prophecies shifted to consolation and restoration (CCC 711–716).

The New Heart and New Spirit

Ezekiel's most significant prophecy for the New Covenant is: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees" (Ezekiel 36:26–27). The Catechism sees this as a prophecy of the Holy Spirit's action in Baptism and Confirmation (CCC 715).

The Valley of Dry Bones

Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37) — in which dead bones come to life through the breath of God — is a prophecy of national restoration for Israel and a type of the resurrection of the dead (CCC 715).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the significance of Ezekiel's Temple vision? Ezekiel 40–48 describes a visionary Temple in extraordinary detail. The Church reads this as a type of the eschatological Temple — the New Jerusalem of Revelation — and ultimately of Christ himself, the definitive Temple (CCC 583, 1197).