cheerful Hebrew. One of the so-called twelve Minor Prophets of whom little is known about his place of origin and his genealogy, although some believe that he was born in Babylon. He is the first prophet after the exile, and he exercised his ministry for four months, around 520-519 BC, having begun two months before the prophet Zechariah, chap. eleven.
Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 BC. C. and allowed the Jewish captives to return to their homeland. The first group made it with Jesbasar, prince of Judah, at the head, to whom Cyrus returned the utensils of the Temple of Jerusalem, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken Ezra 1, and began the reconstruction of the temple in the same place where the king had been. destroyed Esd 5, 16, but could not complete the work, only raised the altar of burnt offerings, due to the obstruction exerted by the neighboring enemies and the Jews who were not in exile. When Darío acceded to the throne, 522 a. C., he named Zerubbabel governor of the province; This one, along with Jesúa, high priest, encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zacharias, finished the construction of the temple between 520 and 515 BC. c.
A. Like Daniel, Zechariah and Malachi, he is one of the last prophets of the OT, and already speaks clearly about the Messiah, the Desire of all nations, when he exhorts the people to rebuild the House of the Lord, in which the Messiah will preach the good new chap. 2, 8. This prophecy was admitted, like us Christians, by the rabbis who wrote the Talmud. The book of A. contains four prophetic discourses about the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, once the Jews returned from exile in Babylon: 1st Exhortation to rebuild the temple 1, 1-15. A. It expresses here that the calamities of the town are in the negligence in resuming the factory of the temple. 2nd Glory of the new temple 2, 1-9. Although this second temple will not have the splendor of Solomon’s, the oracle of Yahweh says that its greatness will be greater because it will make the nations bring their wealth to the temple and in this place it will give peace. 3rd Consultation with the priests 2, 10-19. A. He consults the priests about purity and impurity, to imply that the important thing for the Lord is the good interior disposition and not the only material reconstruction of the temple, in this way good times, peace, prosperity and prosperity will come. good harvests. 4th Promise to Zorobabel 2, 20-23. The entire book of A. revolves around the Messiah, for this reason and because Zerubbabel led the rebuilding of the temple and organized the people returned from exile, titles of Desire of all were attributed to him, but the prophet did not expect the arrival of the Messiah so soon . In Zerubbabel Yahweh’s promise to protect Israel from future calamities and from all her enemies is given; Zerubbabel becomes a link, “ring”, in the chain that leads to the Messiah, according to the promises made by the Lord to the house of David.
Digital Bible Dictionary, Grupo C Service & Design Ltda., Colombia, 2003
Source: Digital Bible Dictionary
Prophet of the time immediately after the Captivity, who proclaims, after the year 520 BC, trust in Yaweh, who loves his people and does not abandon him. He encourages the Israelites, returned from Babylon, to rebuild and care for the Temple of Jerusalem, as a sign of alliance with Yahweh who has forgiven his people. His book contains four prophetic speeches, with different meaning.
In catechesis he lends himself to presenting his exhortations to fidelity in religious duties, to the defeat of superstitions in worship and to the cultivation of respect for faithful priests.
Pedro Chico González, Dictionary of Catechesis and Religious Pedagogy, Editorial Bruño, Lima, Peru 2006
Source: Dictionary of Catechesis and Religious Pedagogy
Haggai, one of the twelve minor prophets, is the first of the so-called “reconstruction prophets”, along with Zechariah and Malachi. Brief sections of his book are dated between August and December 520. We know little of Haggai. In 538, Cyrus’ edict of liberation had allowed the Jews deported to Babylon to return to the homeland. But there they found nothing but destruction. At the same time violent disorders broke out in Persia, between 529 and 520, ending only in the time of Darius. The dominant theme of the book is the rebuilding of the Temple. In 1,1-15 we have the exhortation to Zerubbabel and Joshua (respectively governor of Judah and high priest): in 2,1-9, an eschatological announcement of salvation: the promise of the future glory of the Temple: in 2,10- 19, promises of agricultural prosperity: in 2,20-23 we find a clear perspective of eschatological hope, related to the figure of Zerubbabel. Ageo resolutely maintains the need to rebuild the Temple, in order to obtain the Lord’s blessing and remain faithful to the covenant that Yahweh has never renounced. Ageo is the sentinel that watches for the demands that the coherence of the people presents to his faith: he is the man of unwavering confidence.
G.Lorusso
Bibl.: L. Alonso SchOkel – J L. Sicre, Prophets, II, Christianity, Madrid 1980, 11291140; J L. Sicre. Prophetism and “Israel, Verbo Divino, Estella 1992.
PACOMIO, Luciano, Encyclopedic Theological Dictionary, Divine Word, Navarra, 1995
Source: Encyclopedic Theological Dictionary
( Party).
Hebrew prophet in Judah and Jerusalem during the rule of Zerubbabel and the reign of the Persian king Darius Hystaspes. (Hag 1:1; 2:1, 10, 20; Ezra 5:1, 2)
Jewish tradition holds that Haggai belonged to the Great Synagogue. Based on Haggai 2:10-19, some have thought that he may have been a priest. His name appears alongside that of the prophet Zechariah in the headings of the following Psalms: 111 (112) in the Latin Vulgate; 125 and 126 in the Syriac Peshitta Version; 145 in the Septuagint, the Syriac Peshitta Version, and the Latin Vulgate, and 146, 147, and 148 in the Septuagint and the Syriac Peshitta Version. Haggai was probably born in Babylon and returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel and the rest of the Jews in 537 BC. CE, but little is actually known about this prophet, since the Scriptures do not reveal his tribe or other personal information about him.
Haggai, the first post-exilic prophet, joined about two months later by Zechariah (Hag 1:1; Zec 1:1), stoked the zeal of repatriated Jewish exiles to resume rebuilding the temple after an interruption. of a few years due to enemy opposition, but prolonged by the apathy of the Jews and their selfish pursuit of personal interests. (Ezra 3:10-13; 4:1-24; Hag 1:4) The four messages from God that he delivered over a period of about four months during the second year of Darius Hystaspes (520 BCE) , and which he recorded in the biblical book that bears his name, were especially effective in initially prompting the Jews to resume work on the construction of the temple. (Hag 1:1; 2:1, 10, 20; see HAGGAI, BOOK OF.) Haggai and Zechariah continued to urge the people to continue with the work undertaken, until the temple work was completed by the end of the sixth year of Darius, that is, in 515 BC. CE (Ezr 5:1, 2; 6:14, 15)
Source: Dictionary of the Bible
Ag 1-2
Summary: 1. The person and the time. II. The writing: Particular texts.
60
1. THE PERSON AND THE TIME.
Haggai (in Hebr. Haggaj: “born on a holiday†™) is one of the twelve minor prophets, the first of the so-called “prophets of reconstruction, along with Zechariah and Malachi. The brief sections of this book date from the month of August to the month of December of the year 520 BC About the person of the prophet we know only what we can deduce from reading his writing. Due to the qualification of † œprophet † given in the title, one can easily think that he was dedicated to worship, that is, to the official liturgy in the temple (where in the year 538 the altar of holocausts had been erected).
Political events cooperated in the religious awakening of this period. When Cambyses, son of Cyrus, died in 522, violent disorders broke out throughout the Persian empire; only in Babylon three impostors appeared successively as pretenders to the succession; but there were others in the provinces until 520, when Darius took the reins of the empire solidly in his hands. The prophet Haggai sees in these upheavals not only the premonitory signs of the end of the empire, but also the signs of the great and decisive rebirth of the Jews. And above all, before the imminence of the inauguration of Yhwh’s reign, the temple must not be lacking. Next to Haggai appears the prophet Zechariah, and, thanks to the exaltation of messianic hopes, the reconstruction of the temple continues.
But at the same time tensions with the Samaritans are heightened. On the other hand, the satrap of the Trans-Euphratine province wants to see clearly in these subversive movements, which seem to him linked to the rebuilding of the temple. He goes to Jerusalem; the Jews appeal to the authorization of Cyrus (from 538), and he issues a report to Darius (Ezr 5:3-17). Respecting the will of Cyrus, Darío approves the reconstruction and demands that sacrifices be offered in the new temple and prayers be offered for him and his children. However, the Persians took the precaution of removing all descendants of David’s royal family from the rule of Judea, although we do not know how they succeeded; perhaps Zerubbabel was deposed, or upon his death they did not give him a successor of royal blood. What is clear is that the last oracle of Zechariah, in November 518, mT already speaks of Zerubbabel, despite Haggai’s promise in December 520. It is known that from August 520 to March 515 the temple was finished , without realizing the great hope of liberation and salvation. The vicissitudes of the temple and the political and social situation, as well as the activity of Haggai, are further illustrated by his contemporary, the prophet Zechariah (cc. 1-8), who began his mission two months later (October-November 520). , and by the book of Ezra (5,1; 6,14), which expressly mentions the two prophets.
The book refers only to the brief period (just four months) when Zerubbabel and the high priest Joshua were at the head of the “returned” from the Babylonian exile.
61
II. THE WRITING.
Haggai’s very brief text can be divided into five sections:
– Ag 1,1-11: exhortation to Zerubbabel -governor of Judea- and Joshua, so that they carry out the reconstruction of the temple (whose foundations had been laid in the year 537; Ezra 3,8; Ezra 5,16). Slowness, says the prophet, is the cause of the situation not going well: money is being thrown into a bag with holes.
– Ag 1,12-15: response of Zerubbabel, Joshua and the people to the call of the prophet, and resumption of reconstruction work.
– Ag 2,1-9 (October 520): prophecy addressed to the two chiefs and to the people: the glory of this second temple will surpass that of the first, since by virtue of an imminent political transformation…