Habakkuk
Habakkuk חֲבַקּוּק | |
---|---|
Toyserkan, Iran Kadarim, Israel | |
Feast | January 15 (Roman Catholic) December 2 (Orthodox) |
Attributes | Prophet |
Major works | Book of Habakkuk |
Habakkuk,[a] or Habacuc,[1] who was active around 612 BCE, was a prophet whose oracles and prayer are recorded in the Book of Habakkuk, the eighth of the collected twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible.[2] He is revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
Almost all information about Habakkuk is drawn from the book of the Bible bearing his name,
Name
The name Habakkuk, or Habacuc,
The etymology of the name is not clear,[2] and its form has no parallel in Hebrew.[12] The name is possibly related to the Akkadian khambbaququ (Akkadian: 𒄩𒄠𒁀𒄣𒄣, ḫâmbaququ) the name of a fragrant plant,[2] or the Hebrew root חבק, meaning "embrace".
Life
Almost nothing is known about Habakkuk, aside from what is stated within the book of the Bible bearing his name, or those inferences that may be drawn from that book.[3] No biographical details are provided other than his title "the prophet".[4]
For almost every other prophet, more information is given, such as the name of the prophet's hometown, his occupation, or information concerning his parentage or tribe.[13] For Habakkuk, however, there is no reliable account of any of these.[14] Although his home is not identified, scholars conclude that Habakkuk lived in Jerusalem at the time he wrote his prophecy.[15] Further analysis has provided an approximate date for his prophecy and possibilities concerning his activities and background.
Beyond the Bible, considerable conjecture has been put forward over the centuries in the form of Christian and Rabbinic tradition, but such accounts are dismissed by modern scholars as speculative and apocryphal. [5][6]
Biblical account
Because the book of Habakkuk consists of five oracles about the Chaldeans (Babylonians), and the Chaldean rise to power is dated circa 612 BC, it is assumed he was active about that time, making him an early contemporary of Jeremiah and Zephaniah. Jewish sources, however, do not group him with those two prophets, who are often placed together, so it is possible that he was slightly earlier than these prophets.
Because the final chapter of his book is a song, it is sometimes assumed that he was a member of the Tribe of Levi, who served as musicians in Solomon's Temple. [9]
Tradition
Habakkuk appears in
Habakkuk is also mentioned in the Lives of the Prophets, which also mentions his time in Babylon.[16]
According to the Zohar (Volume 1, page 8b)[clarification needed] Habakkuk is the boy born to the Shunamite woman through Elisha's blessing:
And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace (חֹבֶקֶת – ḥōḇeqeṯ) a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, [thou] man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.
— Bible, Kings 4[17]
Works
The only work attributed to Habakkuk is the short book of the Bible that bears his name. The book of Habakkuk consists of five oracles about the Chaldeans (Babylonians) and a song of praise to God.
The style of the book has been praised by many scholars,[18] suggesting that its author was a man of great literary talent. The entire book follows the structure of a chiasmus in which parallelism of thought is used to bracket sections of the text.[19]
Habakkuk is unusual among the prophets in that he openly questions the working of God.[20][21] In the first part of the first chapter, the prophet sees the injustice among his people and asks why God does not take action: "O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you "Violence!" and you will not save?"[22]
Tombs
The final resting place of Habakkuk has been claimed at multiple locations. The fifth-century Christian historian Sozomen claimed that the relics of Habakkuk were found at Cela, when God revealed their location to Zebennus, bishop of Eleutheropolis, in a dream.[23] Currently, one location in Israel and one in Iran lay claim to being the burial site of the prophet.
Tomb in Israel
The burial place of Habakkuk is identified by Jewish tradition as a hillside in the Upper Galilee region of northern Israel, close to the villages Kadarim and Hukok, about six miles southwest of Safed and twelve miles north of Mount Tabor.[24] A small stone building, erected during the 20th century, protects the tomb.[25] Tradition dating as early as the 12th century AD holds that Habakkuk's tomb is at this location,[26] but the tomb may also be of a local sheikh of Yaquq, a name related to the biblical place named "Hukkok",[27] whose pronunciation and spelling in Hebrew are close to "Habakkuk".[28] Archaeological findings in this location include several burial places dated to the Second Temple period.
Persian shrine
A
The surrounding shrine may date to the period of the
Commemoration
Christian
On the
Habakkuk has also been commemorated in
Islam
Ali al-Ridha debate at al-Ma'mun's court
Although not mentioned by name in the Qu'ran, Habakkuk (
In the court of
Further evidence of prophethood
Although the Quran only mentions around twenty-five
Some medieval Muslim scholars even provided commentaries on the biblical Book of Habakkuk, with the primary purpose of showing that the prophet had predicted the coming of
The famous and revered
See also
Notes
- ^ (/həˈbækək/ ⓘ or /ˈhæbəkʊk/ ⓘ; Hebrew: חֲבַקּוּק, Modern: Ḥavaqūq, Tiberian: Ḥăḇaqqūq; also spelled Habacuc)
- ^ The spelling "Habacuc" is the one used in the Douay–Rheims Bible, an official translation of the Roman Catholic Vulgate into English[7] that was completed in 1610. Most other English translations use the spelling "Habakkuk".
- ^ While has been stated that the feastday of Habakkuk is January 15 in the Roman Liturgy, this is an error arising from confusion with the early Christian martyr Abachum or Abacus, who is recorded in the current Roman Martyrology on January 19, along with Saints Marius, Martha, and Audifax,[34] all of whom are thought to have been martyred in 270 and buried that day or 20 January. Since 1969, these saints are no longer included in the General Roman Calendar.[35]
Citations
- ^ "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Habacuc (Habakkuk)". www.newadvent.org. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
- ^ a b c Hirsch (1906).
- ^ a b Bruce (2009), p. 831.
- ^ a b c Gowan (1976), p. 12.
- ^ a b Brownlow (1961), p. 440.
- ^ a b Henderson (1980), p. 291.
- ^ Leslie (1962).
- ^ Lehrman (1948), p. 213.
- ^ a b Lehrman (1948), p. 211.
- ^ Brenton (1986), p. 1106.
- ^ Weber & Gryson (2007), p. 1408.
- ^ Andersen (2001), p. 89.
- ^ Baker (1988), p. 43.
- ^ Gigot (1910).
- ^ Hailey (1972), p. 271.
- ^ Coogan (2009), p. 298.
- ^ Bible, 2 Kings 4:16
- ^ Irving (1908), p. 52.
- ^ Walker & Lund (1934).
- ^ Bible, Habakkuk 1:3a, 1:13b
- ^ Achtemeier (1993), p. 265.
- ^ Bible, Habakkuk 1:2, ESV
- ^ Sozomen (1855), p. 358.
- ^ Hirsch & Seligsohn (1906).
- ^ MyTzadik.
- ^ Lissovsky (2008).
- ^ Joshua 19:34
- ^ Ben Yosef (2007).
- ^ Toyserkan.com.
- ^ Tehran Jewish Committee.
- ^ McBrien (2001), p. 485.
- ^ Batiffol (1898), p. 265.
- ^ Benedictine Monks (1920), p. 131.
- ^ Martyrologium (2004).
- ^ Calendarium (1969).
- ^ Armenian Church (2011).
- ^ Janson (1963), p. 35.
- ^ Colvin, Blashfield & Hopkins (1903), p. 25.
- ^ Cook (1905), p. 105.
- ^ Bretas (2002), p. 74.
- ^ Kubler & Soria (1959), p. 195.
- ISBN 978-1879402140.
- ^ Cf. Qur'an 16:36
- ^ Qur'an 5:44, cf. Arberry translation.
- ^ Ibn Qutaybah, Dalā'il al-Nubuwwa, XLVII-XLVIIII, cited in Camilla Adang, Muslim Writers on Judaism and the Hebrew Bible (Leiden: Brill, 1996), pp. 269–270
- ^ a b Najm al-Dīn al-Ṭūfī, al-Ta‘līq ‘alā al-Anājīl al-arba‘a wa-al-ta‘līq ‘alā al-Tawrāh wa-‘alā ghayrihā min kutub al-anbiyā’, 381, tr. Demiri, Muslim Exegesis of the Bible in Medieval Cairo, pp. 389–390
- ^ See Walid Saleh (tr. and intro.), In Defense of the Bible: A Critical Edition and an Introduction to Al-Biqai's Bible Treatise (Islamic History and Civilization: Studies and Texts) (Leiden: Brill, 2008), et passim
- ^ Lejla Demiri, Muslim Exegesis of the Bible in Medieval Cairo (Leiden: Brill, 2013), p. 47
- ^ a b Najm al-Dīn al-Ṭūfī, al-Ta‘līq ‘alā al-Anājīl al-arba‘a wa-al-ta‘līq ‘alā al-Tawrāh wa-‘alā ghayrihā min kutub al-anbiyā’, 381, tr. Demiri, Muslim Exegesis of the Bible in Medieval Cairo, p. 391
- ^ Ibn Qutaybah, Dalā'il al-Nubuwwa, XLVII-XLVIIII, cited in Camilla Adang, Muslim Writers on Judaism and the Hebrew Bible (Leiden: Brill, 1996), p. 269
- ^ Camilla Adang, Muslim Writers on Judaism and the Hebrew Bible (Leiden: Brill, 1996), p. 269
- ^ Ibn Qutaybah, Dalā'il al-Nubuwwa, XLVIII, cited in Camilla Adang, Muslim Writers on Judaism and the Hebrew Bible (Leiden: Brill, 1996), p. 269
- ^ Camilla Adang, Muslim Writers on Judaism and the Hebrew Bible (Leiden: Brill, 1996), p. 264
- ^ Ibn Qutaybah, Dalā'il al-Nubuwwa, XLVIII, cited in Camilla Adang, Muslim Writers on Judaism and the Hebrew Bible (Leiden: Brill, 1996), p. 269
- ^ Camilla Adang, Muslim Writers on Judaism and the Hebrew Bible (Leiden: Brill, 1996), p. 269, note 4
- ^ A. Mingana (tr.) of Ali Tabari's The Book of Religion and Empire (London: Bernard Quaritch Limited, 1922), p. 119.
References
- ISBN 0-19-504645-5.
- ISBN 0-385-08396-3.
- Armenian Church. "February 2011 Liturgical Calendar". The Armenian Church, Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- Baker, David W. (1988). Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah. ISBN 0-87784-249-3.
- Batiffol, Pierre (1898). History of the Roman Breviary. Translated by Atwell M. Y. Baylay. London: Longman's, Green, and Co.
- Benedictine Monks (1920). Book of the Saints.
- Ben Yosef, Seffi (2007). "Ein Hokuk and the story of Habakkuk". Ynetnews.com. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- Brenton, Sir Lancelot C. L. (1986) [First published 1851]. The Septuagint with Apocrypha: Greek and English. Hendrickson Publishers. ISBN 0-913573-44-2.
- Bretas, Rodrigo José Ferreira (2002) [First published 1951]. Antônio Francisco Lisboa: O Aleijadinho. Editora Itatiaia, Belo Horizonte.
- Brownlow, Leroy (1961). "Habakkuk". The Old Testament Books and their Messages in the Christian Age. Second Annual Fort Worth Christian College Lectureship. Fort Worth, Texas: The Manney Company. pp. 439–453.
- ISBN 978-0-8010-3631-6.
- Calendarium Romanum. Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis. 1969. p. 113.
- Colvin, E. H.; Blashfield, E. W. & Hopkins, A. A., eds. (1903). Donatello. Masters in Art. Vol. 41. Boston: Bates and Guild Company.
- ISBN 978-0-19-533272-8.
- Cook, Thomas (1905). Cook's Tourist Handbook for Southern Italy, Rome, and Sicily. London: Thomas Cook and Son.
- Gigot, F. (1910). "Habacuc (Habakkuk)". The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company. New Advent. Retrieved 2010-12-19.
- Gowan, Donald E. (1976). The Triumph of Faith in Habakkuk. Atlanta: John Knox Press. ISBN 0-8042-0195-1.
- ISBN 0-8010-4049-3.
- ISBN 0-8010-4217-8.
- Hirsch, Emil G. (1906). "Habakkuk". JewishEncyclopedia.com.
- —————— & Seligsohn, M. (1906). "Hukkok". JewishEncyclopedia.com.
- Irving, T. Johnstone (1908). "Habakkuk". The Biblical World. 31 (1): 51–61. doi:10.1086/474001.
- Janson, H. W. (1963). The sculpture of Donatello. Princeton University Press.
- Kubler, George & Soria, Martín Sebastian (1959). Art and architecture in Spain and Portugal and their American dominions, 1500 to 1800. Penguin Books.
- Lehrman, S. M., Rabbi (1948). "Habakkuk". In A. Cohen (ed.). The Twelve Prophets. London: The Soncino Press. pp. 210–220.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Leslie, E. A. (1962). "Habakkuk". In ISBN 0-687-19271-4.
- Lissovsky, Nurit (2008). "Hukkok, Yaquq and Habakkuk's Tomb: Changes over Time and Space". S2CID 161092240.
- McBrien, Richard P. (2001). Lives of the Saints. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-123283-1.
- Martyrologium Romanum. Typis Vaticanis. 2004. p. 106.
- "The Prophet Habakkuk". MyTzadik.com (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
- Sozomen (1855). History of the Church. Bohn's Ecclesiastical Library. Trans. Edward Walford. London: Henry G. Bohn.
- "Habakkuk the Prophet, Hosting Kermanshah's Jews". iranjewish.com. Tehran Jewish Committee. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- "آلبوم عکسهای تویسرکان". Toyserkan.com (in Persian).
- Walker, H. H. & Lund, N. W. (1934). "The literary structure of the book of Habakkuk". Journal of Biblical Literature. 53 (4): 355–370. JSTOR 3259376.
- Weber, Robert & Gryson, Roger, eds. (2007). Biblia Sacra: Iuxta Vulgatum Versionem (5th ed.). Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft. ISBN 978-3-438-05303-9.
External links
- Works by or about Habakkuk at Wikisource
- Media related to Habakkuk at Wikimedia Commons
- The Prophet Habakkuk at Chabad.org