THE CALL OF JEREMIAH by DAVID TUDOR ... - David T Williams

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the language goes far beyond that of liturgical lament (Von Rad
1975b:202). He feels that each confession of Jeremiah relates to a
particular experience (p204).
In this Von Rad is reiterating the earlier assessment, based upon the
denial that the canonical prophets were cultic. Rowley, although he
sees some oracles based on liturgy (eg Is 40f or Joel), believes it is
doubtful if cultic liturgies form any large part of the canon (cf also
Crenshaw 1968:213). In particular, it is:
....even more difficult to think of Jeremiah fitting into the
service as an official ministrant (Rowley 1956a:357).
E W Nicholson notes the relationship to lament psalms. Whereas
elsewhere in the book he frequently rejects Jeremianic authorship,
here he remarks:
....the intensely personal note...the knowledge we have
of Jeremiah's sufferings...the fact that (they) embody
responses of God so obviously addressed to Jeremiah
as an individual, all render such a cultic interpretation of
them untenable (Nicholson 1973:112).
Bright (1970) examines Reventlow's ideas in detail and rejects his
picture of Jeremiah as a cultic functionary, bringing the word and
interceding (p192). In particular, he notes that the intercession of
Jeremiah is not in a cultic setting, prayer in such a setting usually