Word of the Day: Jeremiad

The Jeremiad is a rare but ancient form of literature. The eponymous Jeremiah was a Jewish prophet who wrote the biblical book of Jeremiah, condemning his contemporary society while offering long-term hope and redemption. A jeremiad is thus a sustained narrative, discourse, or prophetic utterance which carries at least the following defining characteristics:

1) The author is a traditionalist with a sense that injustice or criminal negligence has occurred, and he suffers from an ability to restrain himself in terms of offering commentary on it, despite the negative consequences of doing so (see Jeremiah 20:8-10).

2) Society is presented as complacent and putting unjustifiable trust in their vision of God and the future (see Jeremiah 4:10-12).

3) God is presented as deliberately withholding His presence despite the continual invocation of His power and name (see Jeremiah 11:14).

4) Doom is presented as inevitable in a strong reversal against traditional outcomes (see Jeremiah 21).

5) The prophet is mistreated and buried in ordure (see Jeremiah 38.)

6) Future redemption is promised, after much suffering (see Jeremiah 29:10-14).

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Notes: Also see the Wikipedia article; and this which is the Princteon WordNet definition.