Collectieve en individuele verantwoordelijkheid : een beschrijving van corporate personality naar Ezechiël 18 en 20

Abstract

It was in 1935 when Henry Wheeler Robinson presented his later much questioned thoughts on the Hebrew conception of corporate personality. The main goal of the conception was to provide a framework to alleviate - or perhaps even to remove - the tension between individual and collective aspects that can be found side by side in texts from the Old Testament. The book of Ezekiel provides examples - used by Wheeler Robinson - of the tension mentioned. So, texts taken from the book of Ezekiel can be used to put Wheeler Robinson’s conception to the test. Chapters 18 and 20 are classical examples of such texts. Chapter 18 appears to be oriented towards the individual, while chapter 20 is collective oriented. After stating the view on the book of Ezekiel the MT of chapters 18 and 20 is reviewed at a text-critical as well as at a structural level. Chapters 18 and 20 (with some marginal emendations) provide a sound basis for further inquiry. The analysis of the Hebrew conception of corporate personality shows a heavy dependency on the anthropological theories of Lévy-Bruhl, especially concerning the primitive mentality and its ‘law of participation’. Wheeler Robinson formulates four basic aspects of the conception: ‘extension’, ‘realism’, ‘fluidity’ and ‘individuality within the corporate conception’. The core of the conception is the third one: the fluidity. The fluidity facilitates rapid and unmarked transitions from the one to the many, and from the many to the one. The fluidity is highly influenced by the theories of Lévy-Bruhl, especially the ‘law of participation’. Discussion on the conception however was forthcoming, while it was being used in different fields of inquiry. A pivotal role in the discussion can be ascribed to Rogerson (1970). Rogerson is focusing on the basic principles of the conception. He concludes his examination by proposing to abandon the use of the conception completely because of its ambiguity and its outdated anthropological principles. While Rogerson’s conclusions relating to the ambiguity of the conception and the outdated basic principles are to be followed, his proposal to abandon the use of the conception categorically is too far-reaching in my opinion. A new anthropological theory, such as the ‘multimodal framework’ by Samuel, offers the possibility of preserving the valuable aspects of the conception while obviating its shortcomings. Ezekiel 18 and 20 will be described from this perspective. Ezekiel 18 and 20 are described with the relation between individual and collective in view from the internal logic of these ideas in the texts. Other scholarly disciplines such as anthropology, sociology and psychology are used besides to obtain a fuller insight into the relation between individual and collective, as reflected in these texts.