06_An_Cranz_586-598_coopia_586-598 10/12/15 10:35 Pagina 597 597 RITUAL ELEMENTS IN ZECHARIAH’S VISION OF THE WOMAN 597 in verse 8 where the angel throws her back into the vessel. Finally, the permanent and definite disposal of wickedness also plays out in front of the prophet without any indication that this banishment of evil depends on external factors. In short, the prophetic author uses ritual elements but redefines the ritual roles in such ways that God is presented as approving the prophet’s message of restoration. The comparing and contrasting of Zech 5,5-11 and Assyro-Babylonian exorcisms illustrate how the prophetic author incorporates ritual elements that might have been carried out in Judah at one point, but are preserved in more detail in the Mesopotamian corpus. However, it also shows that these elements undergo considerable modification by which they are adapted to the concerns and agenda addressed in Zechariah’s vision-cycle. Consequently, the prophetic author rearranges and reinterpretes the ritual elements such that they fulfill a new purpose within Zechariah’s vision of Judah’s future. VI. Conclusion: Zech 5,5-11 and Assyro-Babylonian Exorcisms The Assyro-Babylonian exorcisms with their motif of disposing of an unwanted entity in a vessel may well present the missing link between the prophetic vision and the Hittite parallels which scholars usually utilize for comparative purposes. An additional advantage of making use of dif- ferent comparative material is that it provides a fresh perspective on the prophetic usage of ritual elements. In Zechariah’s vision cycle, the elim- ination of guilt and the expiation of sins are a recurring theme approached from a variety of different angles. The comparison between Zech 5,5-11 and the Assyro-Babylonian exorcisms sheds new light on the manner in which the vision employs ritual elements giving expression to the notion of divine forgiveness. For this purpose, certain characteristics of the ritual are retained while others are altered to fit Zechariah’s message. The con- ceptualization and elimination of guilt as tangible matter, for instance, is a principle found both in Zechariah and in the exorcisms. We also en- counter commonalities of a more specific nature, for example, the visu- alization of evil as encapsulated in a vessel which is dispatched to a remote location. Yet, vision and ritual exhibit certain discrepancies which give testimony to the fact that they serve different purposes. The vision of Zech 5,5-11 is of a utopian nature and proclaims a new era for Judah, one in which the very core of sin has been conquered and banished to a distant land. In this respect, the vision differentiates itself from the As- syro-Babylonian rituals which mitigate only the immediate affliction without addressing the human capacity of committing evil that might have caused the affliction in the first place. On a deeper level the comparison reveals that Zechariah reverses the role of presenter and recipient. While the Assyro-Babylonian supplicants present their gods with material em-