The life of the prophet Jeremiah has long been under scholarly scrutiny—whether historically (e.g., Skinner), literarily (e.g., Polk), or intertextually (e.g., Seitz). Especially considering the Deuteronomistic feature of the book of Jeremiah (cf. Thiel), the Mosaic typology/lineage/resemblance of Jeremiah’s prophetic office has been extensively discussed (e.g., Seitz, Longman, Yates, Benedetta; cf. Holladay). Converging two research interests—(i) the life and character of the Jeremianic figure and (ii) the intertextual connection between Deuteronomistic and Jeremianic literature, this paper conducts an intertextual-thematic character analysis of the Jeremianic persona in the prophetic book against the Greatest-Commandment rubric delineated in the Shema (Deut 6:4–5; cf. 11:13–21; Matt 22:36–37; etc.). The analysis will show that the literary life of Jeremiah fully conforms to the Shema rubric. This intertextual interpretive lens will thus enrich the understanding of the Jeremianic character not only within the prophetic book, but also within the broader Deuteronomistic and canonical contexts: besides his well-recognized vocational legitimacy as a “prophet like Moses” (cf. Deut 18:14–20), Jeremiah also models an embodied paradigm of the Shema as an ideal “everyperson.”
Methodologically, this study follows a synchronic literary approach to character analysis, which is “thematic” (focusing on selected “themes”) and “intertextual” (“themes” drawn from an intertext). The analysis proceeds in three major sections. The first section analyzes the Shema commandment in Deut 6:5, focusing on four key lexemes (each constituting a “theme”): “love” (אהב), “heart” (לבב), “soul” (נפש), and “might” (מאד; alongside the recurring modifier “all” [כל]). It will argue that the language of “love” is one of passionate and loyal obedience (cf. Moran, Lapsley) and that the tripartite commitment encompasses an unreserved whole person—from the inside out and beyond (cf. McConville). In light of the immediate literary context, it further establishes the connection between the divine “word(s)” (דבר) and human devotion: linking the internalized “word(s)” with the “heart” (Deut 6:6; cf. Jer 15:16), and the (audibly/visually) externalized “word(s)” with the “soul” (Deut 6:7–9; cf. Jer 13:1–7).
The second and third parts of the analysis focus on the literary life of Jeremiah and the people in the book of Jeremiah, respectively. Tracing the four analytical “themes” in the narratives about and direct discourse by the characters, the study will test their respective literary life against the Shema rubric established in the previous section. It will then argue that whereas the Jeremianic character represents a paradigmatic embodiment of the Shema rubric, the people’s way of life is anything but conforming to the Shema.
The paper concludes with a summary and theological reflection. In addition to the implications of the Shema and of Jeremiah’s embodiment thereof for the covenantal way of life and divine-human relationship, it will also address the challenge and danger of embodying the divine word and enacting divine instructions in a world where following the Shema is radically counter-cultural—just as it is in the literary world of the prophetic book, where the conflict between Jeremiah and the people is never-ceasing.