Prophetic Discourse in a Crisis of Exile brings into light the interpretation of purity in the context of exilic crisis with reference to prophet Ezekiel. Using sociological approach with classical exegetical methods, the book explores how the idea of purity plays an important role in drawing a distinction between the exiles and those who remained in Judah during the sixth century BCE. It shows that identity crisis caused by exilic experience and intergroup relationships during the period of enhanced group identification in which purity played a significant role as a boundary marker between groups of Israelites. The book demonstrates that the prophetic literature evolved as a response to social interactions and group relationships of his time. Contents Foreword Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction 1. Group Identity Models: Social Identity, Boundary Mechanisms and Purity in Intergroup Relationships 2. Socio-Historical Situations of the Isrealites in the Exilic Age: Intergroup Relationships, Group Identification, and Boundary Construction in the Exilic Literature 3. Purity in the Book of Ezekiel 4. Purity and Group Identity in the Book of Ezekiel 5. Judgment of God on the Inhabitants of the Homeland (Ezekiel 22:1-16) 6. Restoration and Purification of the Exiles (Ezekiel 37:15-28) 7. The New Tample Community (Ezekiel 44:1-16) Conclusion Bibliography Index of Subject Index of Authors