06_An_Cranz_586-598_coopia_586-598 10/12/15 10:35 Pagina 595 595 RITUAL ELEMENTS IN ZECHARIAH’S VISION OF THE WOMAN 595 demons are banished to the ground which is the land of the dead, while wickedness finds its place in Shinar which is the land of exile 39. It is possible to conclude that Zech 5,5-11 corresponds to Assyro- Babylonian rituals in three ways. (1) Evil is envisioned in a concrete form either in the shape of a demon or as an actual person. (2) The evil is then contained and sealed in a vessel. (3) Finally, the vessel is sent back to its origins or simply as far away as possible where it is given into safeguard- ing. These parallels suggest that Assyro-Babylonian rituals and Zechariah’s vision display conceptual similarities. It now remains to explore how rit- uals and vision differ from one another, and what this can tell us about the manner in which ritual elements are modified before they can play a meaningful part in a prophetic vision. V. The Differences between Vision and Ritual Despite the commonalties shared by Zechariah 5 and Assyro-Baby- lonian exorcisms, it is also important to take note of the differences. As Corinna Körting has shown in her comparison of Zech 5,5-11 to the Priestly Azazel-ritual, the vision intensifies and expands on the purpose of rituals 40. The comparison with the exorcisms highlights the fact that the vision also reverses the ritual mode of communication. For example, the Assyro-Babylonian rituals function on a personalized and individual basis, while the vision serves a broader, more far-reaching goal. In the first two exorcisms (CT 23.15-22+ and CT 23.19-21), the name of the de- ceased person is written onto the figurine. Similarly, the incantation pre- served on a Late Babylonian tablet (W 23287:91-98) includes options for personalization by leaving the name of the supplicant to be filled in (cf. lines 91 and 94). The same exorcism offers an additional possibility for personalization by listing several causes for the demonic possession (lines 96-97). The Assyro-Babylonian exorcisms are personal and function on an individual basis that can be repeated as often as necessary. These rituals are specifically crafted to target the afflictions listed without ruling out that the supplicant will be spared other ailments in the future. The prophetic vision, by contrast, functions as part of a program for cultic and national renewal. In this context, the ephah represents the outward result of sin, namely their iniquity in all the land (#rah lkb ~nw[) 41. Neverthe- 39 For the observation that Zech 5,5-11 contains a spatial division, see BACHMANN, “Frau, im Efa”, 146. 40 KÖRTING, “Sach 5,5-11”, 481. 41 The MT reads ~ny[ which should be translated as “their eye.” Some scholars attempt to retain the MT as lectio difficilior. It is also possible to