Haggai

Haggai
Russian icon of Haggai, 18th century (Iconostasis of Kizhi monastery, Karelia, Russia).

Haggai (play /ˈhæɡiˌ/; Hebrew: חַגַּי‎, Ḥaggay or "Hag-i", Koine Greek: Ἀγγαῖος; Latin: Aggeus) was a Hebrew prophet during the building of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, and one of the twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible and the author of the Book of Haggai. His name means "my holiday". He was the first of three prophets (with Zechariah, his contemporary, and Malachi, who lived about one hundred years later), who belonged to the period of Jewish history which began after the return from captivity in Babylon.

Scarcely anything is known of his personal history. He may have been one of the captives taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. He began his ministry about sixteen years after the return of the Jews to Judah (ca. 520 BCE). The work of rebuilding the temple had been put to a stop through the intrigues of the Samaritans. After having been suspended for eighteen years, the work was resumed through the efforts of Haggai and Zechariah.[1] They exhorted the people, which roused them from their lethargy, and induced them to take advantage of a change in the policy of the Persian government under Darius the Great.

The name Haggai, with various vocalizations, is also found in the Book of Esther, as a eunuch servant of the Queen.

Contents

Haggai and officials of his time

Haggai was a weak supporter of the officials of his time, specifically Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua the High Priest. In the Book of Haggai, God refers to Zerebbabel as "my servant" as King David was, and says he will make him as a "signet ring," as King Jehoiachin was (Haggai 2:23; cf. Jer 22:24). The signet ring symbolized a ring worn on the hand of Yahweh, showing that a king held divine favor. Thus, Haggai is implicitly, but not explicitly, saying that Zerubbabel would preside over a restored Davidic kingdom.[2]

Liturgical commemoration

On the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar, Haggai is commemorated as a saint and prophet. His feast day is December 16 (for those churches which follow the traditional Julian Calendar, December 16 currently falls on December 29 of the modern Gregorian Calendar). He is also commemorated, in common with the other righteous persons of the Old Testament, on the Sunday of the Holy Fathers (the Sunday before the Nativity of the Lord).

Haggai is commemorated with the other Minor prophets in the Calendar of saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on July 31.

See also

References

  1. ^ Ezra 6:14
  2. ^ Coogan, Michael. A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009, p. 346

External links


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • HAGGAI — (Heb. חַגַּי; born on a festival ), prophet who lived in the post Exilic period and whose book is the tenth in the Minor Prophets. The book of Haggai and chapters 1–8 of Zechariah appear to be part of the same redactional effort. Considering the… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • HAGGAI — (or Ḥagga; fl. c. 300 C.E.), Palestinian amora. Probably born in Babylon (TJ, Or 3:1, 63a; TJ, Av. Zar. 3:14, 43c), he went to Palestine, where after initial difficulties (Av. Zar. 68a) he became a prominent member of the academy of Tiberias and… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Haggai — 1 Haggai 2 …   The King James version of the Bible

  • Haggai —   [hebräisch »der am Festtag Geborene«], in der Vulgata Aggäus, einer der zwölf Kleinen Propheten des Alten Testaments; wirkte im Jahr 520 v. Chr. in Jerusalem (nach der Rückkehr der Juden aus dem Babylonischen Exil) und forderte den Wiederaufbau …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Haggai — [hag′ā ī΄, hag′ī΄] n. [Heb Ḣaggai, lit., festal] Bible 1. a Hebrew prophet of c. 6th cent. B.C. 2. the book of his prophecies: abbrev. Hag or Hg …   English World dictionary

  • Haggāi — (Aggäus), einer der kleinen Propheten, um 520 v. Chr., angeblich Mitglied der großen Synagoge, welcher nach der Rückkehr aus dem Exil unter Serubabel den Wiederaufbau des Tempels betrieb, darauf beziehen sich die elf kurzen Weissagungen, in denen …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Haggai — Haggai, jüd. Prophet, trat in hohem Alter zu Jerusalem auf (520 v. Chr.), um den gesunkenen Eifer für den Tempelbau neu zu erwecken. Seine erhaltenen Reden tun dies in schmuckloser, wiewohl rhythmischer Sprache. Vgl. Nowack, Kleine Propheten… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Haggaï — (hebr., »der Festliche«), einer der sog. Kleinen Propheten, weissagte 520 v. Chr. unter Darius I., um die Juden zum Wiederaufbau des Tempels anzutreiben …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Haggai — Haggai, hebr. = meine Veste, lat. Aggaeus, der 10. der 12 kleinen Propheten, weissagte mit Zacharias nach der Rückkehr aus dem babylon. Exil u. genau 520 vor Chr. In 2 Kapiteln spornt H. den Eifer der Juden zum Wiederaufbau des Tempels in… …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Haggai — • The tenth among the minor prophets of the Old Testament Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Haggai — Porté par des Juifs d Afrique du Nord, c est un nom de sens incertain, mais qui devrait être, tout comme Haggiag, une variante de Hadjadj (voir ce nom) …   Noms de famille

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