The holy pro-rock Jeremiah, one of the four great vet-ho-for-vet-pro-ro-kov, the son of the priest Khel-kiya from go -ro-da Ana-fo-fa near Jeru-sa-li-ma, he lived 600 years before the birth of Christ-sta-va with the from-ra-il-tsar Josiah and the four reh him-e-n-no-kah. He was called to the pro-ro-th-th-th servant for the 15th of his life, when the Lord revealed to him that the first he defined it to be a pro-ro-com. Jeremiah from-ka-zy-val-sya, pointing out his youth and inability to speak, but the Lord promised to always be with him and ocher - take it out. He skewered the mouth of the scolding and said: "Behold, I hold my words in your mouth; -Rears and kingdoms. According to your-th-th pro-ro-th-th-th word, they will fall and rise "(). Since that time, no two-twenty-three years, yes, the pro-ro-th-thing-shaft Jeremiah, about-tea-Jews for the departure from the Is-tin- new God and the closure of idol-lamas, anticipating disasters and disastrous war. He stayed in the gates of the city, at the entrance to the temple, wherever the people were, and shaft with threats and often with tears. But people from-ve-cha-whether to him laugh-ka-mi, ru-ha-tel-stv-mi and even in-ku-cha-were to kill him.
Taking the slavery of the tsa-ryu va-vi-lon-mu, Jeremiah, according to God's behest, on his own the neck of a dream-cha-la de-vyan-noe, and in the same way, the same yoke, and so it went among-di na-ro-da. Anger-va-yas at the menacing pre-ska-za-za pro-ro-ka, old-rei-shi-ny Jewish bro-si-whether pro-ro-ka Jeremiah in the dark moat, full of evil-noy tine, where he did not die. According to the representative of the bo-bo-yaz-nen-no-go tsa-re-dvor-tsa Av-de-me-le-ha, the pro-rock was taken out of the ditch and not pe-re-sta-shaft pro-ro-che-st-vat, for which he was-sa-wives in the dark. During the reign of the Jewish king Se-de-cii, his prophecy came true: Na-woo-ho-do-no-sor came, he beat him, he took the rest into captivity, and Jeru-sa-lim broke-grab-and-ru-sew. Na-woo-ho-do-no-sor mastered the pro-ro-ka from the dark and allowed him to live, where he would-la-et. Pro-rock, however, remained for the time-li-nah of Jeru-sa-li-ma and lamenting the misfortune of his own fatherland. By pre-donation, the pro-rock Jeremiah took the kov-cheg Za-ve-ta with a table-zha-la-mi and hid it in one of the caves of the mountain Na-waf, so that the Jews could not find him more (). Subsequently, a new Kov-cheg Za-ve-ta was made, but he no longer had the first weakness.
Among the Jews who remained in their homeland, soon after, there were inter-personal collisions: in-place-nickname Na- woo-ho-do-no-so-ra Go-do-lia was killed, and the Jews, fearing anger-va-vi-lon-ho, decided to run to Egi-pet ... The pro-rock Jeremiah turned them away from this n-me-re-niya, pre-saying that ka-ra, which-swarm they are afraid of, on - will overtake them in Egypt too. But the Jews did not heed the pro-ro-ka and, taking it forcibly with themselves, went to Egi-pet and went to go-ro-de Taf- no, no. There, the pro-rock lived four-you-re go-yes and was in-chi-ta-em egypt-cha-na-mi, since he died with his mo-lit-howl cro-co-di-lov and the rest of the ha-dov, on-full of those places. When he began to predict that the king of va-vi-lonsky was down-stitching the earth-li-egy-pet-and un-what-lived in-se-liv-shih- If there are Jews in it, then the Jews killed the prophet Jeremiah. In the same year, the pre-ska-za-si-s-s-ni-el was used. There is a word that after 250 years Alek-sandr Mah-ke-don-sky carries the power of the holy pro-ro-ka Jeremiah to go family of Alec-san-dry.
Pro-rock Jeremiah na-pi-sal book "Pro-ro-chivalry", book "Lament" about the destruction of Jeru-sa-li-ma and Po-slanie. About the time-me-nah, when he lived and pro-ro-th-th-val, he-speaks in the 4th Book of Kings (23, 24, 25), in the 2nd Kni-ge Pa-ra-li-po-me-non () and in the 2nd Book of Mak-ka-ve-ev (). In the Gospel from Matthew, it is indicated that Judas' pre-love is fore-ska-za-but pro-ro-com Jere-mi-her: " tsat silver-ren-i-kov, tse-nu Otse-n-no-go, Ko-to-ro-go oce-ni-whether the sons Iz-ra-i-la, and did they -I gore-shech-no-ka, as the Lord told me "().
See also: "" in the translation of St. Di-mit-rya Rostov.
Jeremiah, the second of the four greatest prophets of the Bible, was born in Anathofa, 4 km from Jerusalem. His father was a Levite, that is, a hereditary priest. Subsequently, Jeremiah was to enter the service in the temple. However, the young man chose a different path for himself - he became a prophet.
Destiny
According to legend, the prophet Jeremiah, whose biography will be briefly presented below, entered the path of piety at the behest of the Lord himself. According to legend, Jehovah first appeared to him at the age of 15. The Lord informed the young man that he had chosen him as a prophet even before he was born. At first Jeremiah rejected God's offer, referring primarily to his tongue-tied language. Then the Lord touched his lips and said: "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth." After that, the young man accepted the gift of the prophet and carried it for 40 years of his life.
Sermons and Instruction
The first meeting of the Lord with Jeremiah took place in about 626 BC, in the thirteenth year of the reign of the righteous king Josiah. Jerusalem was already a very large city at that time, and there was a huge temple in which people gathered for the holidays. great amount professing the Jewish faith.
Apparently, it was in this large religious building, of which nothing remains today, that Jeremiah preached. The Prophet (a photo of the mountain on which he once stood can be seen above), judging by the available information, proclaimed the word of God also in the squares, in the gates and even in the king's house. Unlike all sorts of false prophets who preached in Jerusalem at that time, Jeremiah did not encourage or praise Jewish people... On the contrary, he vehemently denounced his unrighteousness and transgressions. He reproached the high priests with hypocrisy, declaring that since they did not have sincere faith in God in their hearts, the lavish and expensive ceremonies they performed were a waste of time. He denounced the prophet and the crowd, accusing them of idolatry. In those days, many Jews were engaged in carving figurines of foreign gods from wood and stone and praying to them, as well as making sacrifices.
Hostile attitude of compatriots
Jeremiah is a prophet, and this title in Judea has always been considered very high. Such people were usually obeyed and honored. However, despite this, the attitude towards the saint because of his intractability and severity in Jerusalem was not very good. After all, few people will like that he is constantly accused of something and accused of complete lack of faith. Among other things, the prophet Jeremiah also predicted the imminent decline of Jerusalem if the Jews did not repent and turn to God. This, of course, also aroused the hostility of the nobility and the crowd towards him.
In the end, even his family gave up on the prophet. However, all his life he apparently spent not in Jerusalem itself or anywhere else, but in hometown- Anafofe. This place, by the way, has survived to this day. Now it is called Anata. Compatriots in both Anathoth and Jerusalem hated Jeremiah and laughed at him, asking: “Where is the Word of the Lord? When will it come to us? "
Righteous rulers
The death of the pious King Josiah was a real blow to the saint, who foresaw the coming of troubled times. In honor of this event, the prophet Jeremiah, whose life can be an example for both Jewish believers and Christians, even wrote a special lamentation song. Indeed, later on, the country was ruled by a not very pious and intelligent king. True, after Josiah, the rather kind and God-obeying Jochaz also ascended the throne. However, he reigned, unfortunately, not for long - only three months. Jochaz was the youngest son of the deceased Josiah and ascended the throne bypassing his older brother Joachim. It is historically known that he broke off relations with the Pharaoh of Egypt Necho II because of the latter's defeat at the Babylonian city of Harran. Angry at this, the treacherous ruler summoned Johaz to his headquarters in the city of Riblah, ostensibly for negotiations, but captured him and sent him to Egypt, where he later died.
The prophet Jeremiah grieved about this king even more than about Josiah, urging in his next song the Jews "to pity not the deceased, but the one who will never return to their native land."
Terrible prophecy
Many people advised Jews to submit to the will of God. Jeremiah is no exception in this regard. After Johaz, the henchman of Necho II, Joachim, ascended the throne of Judah, vowing to be a loyal vassal of Egypt. The reign of this ruler became a real curse for the prophet Jeremiah. Soon after his accession to the throne, the saint came to Jerusalem and announced that if the Jews did not repent and obey the will of God, turning to the young but rapidly growing state of Babylonia, the city would soon be captured by foreigners, and its inhabitants would be taken captive for 70 years. The prophet also predicted the destruction of the main shrine of the Jews - the Jerusalem Temple. Of course, his words aroused particular discontent among the false prophets and priests. The saint was arrested and presented to the judgment of the people and the nobility, who demanded his death. However, the prophet still managed to escape. His noble friend Akhikam and some other benevolent princes helped him.
The book of prophecy and the king
Some time after these unpleasant events, Jeremiah's disciple Baruch collected all the prophecies he had made in one book and read them before the people in the vestibule of the Jerusalem temple. Having heard about this, King Joachim wished to personally familiarize himself with these records. After he read them, a terrible anger fell on the head of the prophet. Eyewitnesses-courtiers said that the ruler personally cut pieces from the scroll with records of Jeremiah's predictions and burned them in the fire of the brazier standing in front of him until he completely destroyed the book.
After that, the life of the prophet Jeremiah became especially difficult. He and his disciple Baruch had to hide from the wrath of Joachim in a secret refuge. However, here the saints did not waste time in vain and recreated the lost book, adding to it other prophecies.
The Meaning of Jeremiah's Predictions
Thus Jeremiah is a prophet, main thought all the predictions of which was that the Jews should submit to the then young, but rapidly gaining strength of the state of Babylonia. The saint urged the nobility and the ruler to turn away from Egypt and not bring terrible misfortunes on Judea. Of course, no one believed him. Many considered him even a spy of Babylonia. After all, Egypt was the strongest state at that time, and no one could even imagine that some young country would become the cause of the calamities of its vassals. Jeremiah's calls only irritated the Jews and turned against him.
Fall of Judea
The destruction of the scroll with unpleasant predictions for him to the unrighteous king Joachim, who spent all his time in unbridled amusements, did not help. In 605 BC. NS. in the battle of Karkemish, the young Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar inflicted a crushing defeat on the Egyptian troops. The Jews, who did not heed the words of Jeremiah, of course, participated in this battle as vassals of Necho II.
When Nebuchadnezzar approached the walls of Jerusalem, King Joachim had to buy him off with part of the temple treasures and give hostages to the sons of many noble people of Judah. After the Babylonians left, the unrighteous ruler continued his carefree life.
In 601 BC. NS. Nebuchadnezzar launched another campaign against Egypt. However, Necho the Second managed to fight back this time. King Joachim of Judah took advantage of this in order to finally break with Babylonia. The offended Nebuchadnezzar, who by that time had already subdued Ammon and Moab, moved to Jerusalem. In 598 BC. NS. the city was taken by him, its ruler was killed, and the temple was destroyed. Jeremiah's prophecy came true. As he predicted, the Jews driven into captivity in Babylonia subsequently spent 70 years.
Jeremiah is a prophet who, as already mentioned, lived just a few kilometers from the walls of Jerusalem and for many years had the opportunity to admire its majestic outlines. Pictures of the destroyed city and temple deeply impressed him. The prophet expressed all his pain and sorrow in a special poetic text. The latter is officially included in the Bible and is called "Lamentations of Jeremiah".
Death of the prophet
What happened to Jeremiah after Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem is not known for certain. According to the available data, the king of Babylonia generously allowed the saint to remain in his homeland. The governor of Judea, Godoliah, appointed by him, even favored the prophet and defended him in every possible way. However, after the death of this governor, Jeremiah's enemies forcibly took him to Egypt. It is believed that in this country angry Jews killed the saint out of revenge by stoning him.
Relation to the prophet in other religions
Christianity values Jeremiah as the second of the main prophets of the Bible and at the same time reveres as a saint. Approximately the same attitude exists towards him in Judaism. The Jews also consider him the second most important great prophet, but he is not considered a saint. The prophet Jeremiah is not particularly revered in Islam. He is not mentioned in the Qur'an. However, like many other nations, Muslims know about him and respect him as a prophet.
To whom does the prophet Jeremiah liken the Jewish people
Jeremiah's predictions, therefore, are largely associated with political events that took place during his life. However, much attention was paid to the moral side in his sermons and teachings. The Prophet sincerely believed that the only way to avoid future misfortunes was by repenting and submitting to the will of God.
He likens the Jewish people to an apostate who does not know what he is doing. Jeremiah compares all the ancestors of the Jews of that time who abandoned the faith of the faith to a bundle of firewood that would flare up and burn from only one word of God.
The prophet, in spite of everything, assigns a special role to the chosen one of God to the Jewish people. However, he compares it not only to a bundle of firewood that is about to catch fire, but also to an earthen pot. This is evidenced by the significant incident that happened to the prophet. One day, walking through the streets of Jerusalem, he went up to a potter, took one of the pots from him and smashed it on the ground, prophesying about the imminent death of Judah and comparing it to this fragile vessel.
Jeremiah's predictions today
Thus, we have found out what the prophet Jeremiah preached about. First of all, the prophet called to forget about pride and draw closer to God. Currently, he is one of the most revered saints, including in Christianity. The story of his life and the predictions made by him are set forth in the "Book of the Prophet Jeremiah", which will be easy to find and read if desired.
"Lamentations"
Jeremiah is a prophet, especially revered by Christians. His work, known as Lamentations of Jeremiah, as already mentioned, is part of the Bible. This holy book contains only five songs. The first, second and fourth have 22 verses, each of which begins and is designated by a letter of the Hebrew alphabet in order. The third canto contains 66 verses, divided into three groups. The verses in them also begin with letters in sequence.The fifth song also consists of 22 verses, but in in this case they are not ordered by letter numbering.
Jeremiah (the prophet), whose years of life were spent in Anatof and Jerusalem, in the first song of Lamentation, with great sorrow, tells about the withdrawal of the Jews to Babylonian captivity and the death of Zion. In the second, the prophet analyzes what happened, calling the misfortune that happened to the country a deserved punishment of God. The third canto is a manifestation of the saint's highest sorrow. Only at the end of this part does the prophet express hope for the mercy of God. In the fourth part of Lamentation, the prophet calms the bitterness of grief over the lost city by realizing his own guilt before the Lord. In the fifth canto, the saint achieves complete tranquility, accepts what happened for granted and expresses hope for the best.
Thus, you now know to whom the prophet Jeremiah likens the Jewish people and what he preached. This ancient biblical saint lived in troubled and difficult times, but despite this and the sorrows that befell him personally and all of Judea as a whole, he remained faithful to the God of his ancestors. Therefore, it can serve as an example for all Christians and Jews.
Which took advantage of the decline of Assyria and returned the sowing under his rule. regions of the country. In the 13th year of the reign of Josiah (c. 627 BC), the Lord called I. to the prophetic ministry. “And the Lord stretched out His hand, and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: Behold, I have put My words in your mouth” (Jer 1: 9). I. opposed this. “Oh, Lord God! - he prayed, - I do not know how to speak, for I am still young. But the Lord determined his fate: “... before you came out of the womb, I sanctified you: I made you a prophet for the nations” (Jer 1. 5-10). He called I. to the ministry: “Look, I have put you in this day over nations and kingdoms to uproot and destroy, destroy and destroy, build and plant” (Jer 1:10).
In 622 BC, King Josiah carried out a liturgical reform. Forgotten Book the law, which was found in the temple (2 Kings 22. 3-20), was declared sacred to all the people. In accordance with the directions of the book on the reform of Josiah, all the sanctuaries were abolished except for the Temple of Solomon. I. supported these transformations (Jer 11.2), but the priests of Anathoth were unhappy with these actions and began to be hostile towards I. I.'s first sermons were directed against those who relied too much on the political revival of the kingdom. I. preached that the blessing of God will be preserved only if people repent, will sacredly observe the laws of justice and begin to rely on God, and not on earthly strength. But in Jerusalem the words of the prophet were not heard.
King Josiah confronted Egypt. Pharaoh, who fought with the strengthened Babylonian kingdom, and died in the battle of Megiddo (609 BC). Israel temporarily became a tributary of Egypt. King in Jerusalem Pharaoh Necho II installed Joachim (607-597 BC), who was not going to continue the work of his father Josiah.
The prophet describes certain events in the reign of Joachim. Soon after his accession to the throne, on one of the holidays, when many gathered in the courtyard of the temple. praying from all the cities of Judea, I., at the command of God, proclaims to the people that Jerusalem will be struck by a curse, and the temple will suffer the fate of Shiloh, who was destroyed (Jer 26.6). From that time on, I. began to struggle with the priests and the false prophets of Jerusalem. He preaches that the Jews should not rely on the holy thing as long as they "oppress the stranger, the orphan and the widow," until they put an end to wickedness and evil customs. They tried to seize the Prophet, and only the intervention of the courtiers saved I. However, Tsar Joachim ordered the execution of one of I.'s associates, prop. Uriah (Jer. 26.23). After this event, the path of the cross of the prophet begins. He pours out his experiences in psalms, which are often called "confessions" of I. (Jer 11.18-23; 12.1-6; 15.10-21; 17.12-18; 18.18-23; 20 . 7-18). He foresaw that the people could not avoid retribution, but he was not able to prevent it, since the rulers did not pay attention to his predictions. I. did not stop at the direct denunciation of King Joachim (Jer 22.15-19). The false prophets seized I. and, presenting the princes and the people to the court, demanded his immediate death (Jer 26.8). Only through the efforts of some well-disposed princes was he saved from reprisals (Jer. 24).
In 604, Nebuchadnezzar II became king in Babylon. I. it was revealed that Israel should devote itself to works of faith and not resist the new ruler of the East. Prophecies about this I. dictated to his disciple Baruch, who read them before the people in the temple (Jer 36: 1-8), after which the courtiers took the scroll to the king. Joachim listened to the reading in parts, tore off the read pieces of the scroll and threw them into the brazier. I. and Baruch barely escaped the king's wrath, “but the Lord hid them” (Jer 36. 26). Later, in a secret refuge, I. and Baruch wrote down the prophecies for the second time, and “many similar words were added to them” (Jer 36:32). Soon I. was seized and put at the gate in stocks.
In the fall of 597, Tsar Joachim died. The throne passed to his son Jeconiah, But he also did not listen to I.'s voice and supported Pharaoh in his war against Nebuchadnezzar. Sacred and the overseer at the Paskhor temple, hearing I.'s prophecies about impending disasters, struck him and “put him in a pack” at the Benjamin gates of the temple. The next day, when Paschor released him, the prophet announced again that the Lord would betray all Judea into the hands of the Babylonian king, who would destroy the country and take the people to Babylon (Jer. 20. 1-6). In 597 BC Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to the city, took it without a fight and resettled Jeconiah to Babylon, part of the Jewish nobility and many inhabitants. Among those taken into captivity there were also false prophets who consoled the people with the hope of an early return home.
The third son of Josiah, Matfania, ascended the throne of the Kingdom of Judah, who took the throne name Zedekiah (597-586 BC), but even under him the position of Josiah did not change. The fight against false prophets continued. Zedekiah decided to strengthen his power and join the anti-Babylonian alliance of the Moabite, Edomite and other kings. Now I. hoped only for the "remnant" of Israel - for those who had already been taken to a foreign land (Jer. 24. 1-10; 29): they must repent and understand their true calling. I. continued to talk about non-resistance to the Babylonians, for which he was declared a traitor and thrown into a ditch, where he almost died. The prophet was saved thanks to the intercession of the God-fearing courtier Avdemelech, I. was again transferred to the guardroom of the palace, where the king secretly inquired about the future. I. vainly instilled in him: it is necessary to leave the calculations on the allies and remain loyal to Nebuchadnezzar. To admonish Zedekiah I., at the command of God, appeared in the streets of Jerusalem with bonds and a yoke around his neck (Jer 27.2); He sent the same yoke to the 5 kings who entered into a coalition with Zedekiah against Babylon. False prophet. Ananias, who crushed the yoke around I.'s neck (Jer 28.10) and predicted his return from captivity in 2 years (Jer 28. 3-4), I. caught in a lie. In the same year, Ananias died (Jer 28.15-17).
In 588 the Babylonians invaded Palestine and destroyed the main fortresses. Famine began in besieged Jerusalem. In 587/6 Jerusalem fell. The king with some courtiers and part of the soldiers tried to hide behind the Jordan. They seized him and took him to the sire. the city of Ribla, where, according to the sentence of Nebuchadnezzar, the king's sons were killed in front of their father, and he himself was blinded, taken in chains to Babylon, and he died in prison. Jerusalem was destroyed, and the temple was burned along with the ark, as I.
After the destruction of Jerusalem and the resettlement of the Jews to Babylon, the inhabitants of the city freed the prophet. Navuzardan, the head of the royal bodyguards, at the behest of Nebuchadnezzar, gave I. to choose a place of residence. The Prophet wished to remain in his own country and to be an advisor to Godoliah, the new governor of Judah. But soon Godolia was killed by supporters of the military party, to-rye, having committed this crime, decided to flee to Egypt from the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar. They forced I. to go with them. For a time he lived and preached in the Jewish colony of Egypt. V last years The Lord instilled in the heart of the aged prophet the hope of returning to the promised land. One of the cycles of his speeches, conventionally called the "Book of Consolation" (Jer. 30-31), already announced a new covenant (see the book of Jeremiah the Prophet).
In later biblical literature
The author of Chronicles notes political events connected with the ministry of I. In 2 Par 35. 25, the lament made by I. for the death of King Josiah is mentioned, who died in 609 BC at Megiddo in the battle with the troops of Pharaoh Necho II (see about this (See also v. Jeremiah lamentation). In 2 Chronicles 36.12 about King Zedekiah it is said that "he did evil in the sight of the Lord his God" and "did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet who prophesied from the mouth of the Lord." Allusions to the events of the Book of Prop. Jeremiah researchers consider 2 Chronicles 36.13, 15 (Rudolph W. Chronikbücher. Tüb., 1955. S. 334-337; Wolff. 1976. S. 6). The decree of Cyrus II on the release of the Jews came out “in fulfillment of the word of the Lord, spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah” (2 Chronicles 36.22).
Jesus, the son of Sirachs, mentions I. among the Old Testament righteous (Sire 49. 6-7), whom the kings of the Jews “insulted, although he was still in the womb consecrated into a prophet in order to uproot, destroy and destroy, as well as build and plant "(Sire 49.9). At 2 Mack 15.12-16 it is reported sleepy vision Judas Maccabee: he was supposed to "rouse to courage" his soldiers. Together with the high priest Onia, another man appeared to him, "adorned with gray hair and glory, surrounded by wondrous and extraordinary majesty," this, according to Onia, was I., "who prays a lot for the people and the holy city." He gives Judas a golden sword to defeat all enemies. (The image of I. as a heavenly intercessor is present in the subsequent Jewish tradition.)
Dr. the traditions associated with I. were preserved by the Jews who lived in Egypt. From the "records of the prophet Jeremiah" (2 Mac 2.1) it is known that the prophet not only warned against forgetting the law and urged the Jews "not to be deceived in thoughts" in front of the images of the pagan gods, but also ordered to take with them the fire of the altar (2 Mac 2.1 -3), which survived until the time of Nehemiah, when the fire in the altar was re-lit from him. In addition, the prophet "according to divine revelation" took with him the tabernacle, the ark and the altar and hid them in a cave on Mount Nebo, where the sacred objects were to be kept, "until God, having compassion, gathers a crowd of people" "and glory appears The Lord and the cloud, as it appeared in the time of Moses, as Solomon asked that the place should be especially holy ”(2 Mack 2. 4-8). Prophet. Daniel reports how he read in the Book of Prop. Jeremiah about 70 years of captivity (Jer 25.11; 29.10), which he interpreted as 70 weeks (Dan 9.2, 24). Mn. allusions to the Book of Prop. Jeremiahs are found in the 4th book of Ezra (4 Ezra 1. 4-6, 25-26, 30-33; 2. 1, 18-19, 31; 15.10-11, 23, 28-29, 57; 16 . nine).
During the earthly life of Jesus Christ, the Jews expected the resurrection of I. from the dead (Matthew 16:14).
In apocryphal and exegetical literature
In the first centuries A.D., a number of apocryphal writings arose that preserved legends about the fate of I. and his secretary Baruch. These works include the Apocalypses of Baruch (Syrian (100-120 A.D.) and Greek (2nd century), which were later edited by a Christian author), as well as those created in the 1st third of the 2nd century. Chronicles Jeremiah (for these writings see v. Baruch). The interest of the Jews in I. was especially evident after the destruction of the temple in 70 and before the defeat of the Bar-Kokhba uprising (135), as well as several. decades after this event. The prophecies of I. about the catastrophe that befell Judea as a result of a foreign conquest are also understood as predictions of a later time in Rome. conquests, while the expectations remain that the salvation and restoration of the country predicted in ancient times by the prophet will be realized even after the defeat perpetrated by the new conquerors. To egypt. diaspora, where I. stayed in the last years of his life and, possibly, died, many works about the prophet have survived. In the apocryphal Biography of the Prophets, compiled after 70 (Vitae prophetarum. 46.14 // Propheten- und Apostellegenden nebst Jüngerkatalogen des Dorotheus und verwandter Texte / Hrsg. Th. Schermann. Lpz., 1907. S. 81-89) , information about his sister Susanna is added (Propheten- und Apostellegenden. S. 85). Just as in the 2nd book of Maccabees, the "Biography of the Prophets" tells about the salvation in Egypt by the prophet of the tabernacle, the ark and the altar, as well as people from snakes and crocodiles, about the prediction of the pagan priests of the death of their gods (Wolff. 1976, p. 39 -43). The "Life ..." also speaks of the death of the prophet: he was stoned by the Jews, died in Tafna in Egypt and was buried at the house of Pharaoh. Later, Alexander the Great transferred his body to Alexandria (cf .: Ioan. Mosch. Prat. Spirit. 77, mentioned monument, which was decorated by Queen Helena). In the vicinity of the city and in the city, his ashes drove out snakes and crocodiles.
The activities of I. and his enmity with King Zedekiah are described in the Apocrypha of Jeremiah, originally Greek. origin (Egypt, III / IV century A.D. H. (Marmorstein. 1928)). His Copt. and an Arab. editions contain late Christ. additions from the Gospels of childhood (ed .: Kuhn. 1970; Mingana. 1927; Apocrypha. 2001; see also v. Jeremiah of the prophet Apocrypha). Nebuchadnezzar decides to attack the people of God when he learns about the flourishing of idolatry under Zedekiah (Apocrypha. 2001, pp. 231-232). In vain I. asks God to have mercy on the people of Israel, for there is not a single righteous person among these people (Ibid. P. 235; cf. Gen. 18.20-33). I. hides the keys to the temple, goes with the people into Babylonian captivity and prays for him (Apocrypha. 2001, p. 240; Kuhn. 1970. P. 291-308; Mingana. 1927. P. 169-175). Under the Persians. King Cyrus II the prophet was allowed to return with honors to Jerusalem together with his people (Apocrypha. 2001, p. 241).
In op. “The cave of treasures” (Christian in origin, but containing rather early Hebrew legends about the prophets) there are reports (their source is unknown) about I.: after the destruction of Jerusalem “no one remained in the city except the prophet Jeremiah, who lived in it and For 20 years he mourned him. Prophet Jeremiah died in Samaria; he was buried by the priest Hor in Jerusalem, as Jeremiah asked him to do ”(La caverne des trésors. Lovanii, 1987. Vol. 2. P. 124-125).
Eusebius of Caesarea cites a fragment of the work of the Jewish historian Eupolemus (mid-2nd century BC) about I. (Euseb. Praep. Evang. IX 39. 1-5), in which it is reported that by the time ”(Ie Joachim, 608-597 BC) I. denounced the service of Baal and announced an impending catastrophe, there are textual coincidences with Jer 1. 3; 4. 16; 36, with apocryphal writings, to-rye are found in other sources. So, Nebuchadnezzar made a decision about the war with the Jews only when he learned about I.'s preaching about the coming punishment of God and that the prophet was able to save the ark of the covenant with the tablets of the law (cf .: 2 Mack 2. 4-8). It is also reported about the burning of the 1st scroll of the prophecies of I. (cf. Jer 36. 21-26), but with the clarification that, by order of the king, the prophet himself should have burned the scroll, but he managed to avoid it (Wolff. 1976, p. 16-17).
In sufficient detail tells about the personality and ministry of I. Josephus Flavius (Ios. Flav. Antiq. X 78 - XI 1), exactly following the text of the Book of Prop. Jeremiah. In 5 Ezra 2. 18 I. is mentioned among the helpers, who, according to the promise, should come to Christians. The prediction of the judgment in 6 Ezra 15. 57 contains an allusion to Jer 18. 21. In the Book of Sibylls I. is one of those who stand at the throne of Christ during the last Judgment (Sib. 2. 249).
The life of I. is mentioned in the exegetical works of the early Christ. authors. Theophilus of Antioch (180) without specifying specific places in the Book of Prop. Jeremiah describes the events of Israel's history - from the death of King Zedekiah and the conquest of Jerusalem to the end of the 70-year Babylonian captivity (Theoph. Antioch. Ad Autol. 3. 25). Schmch. Hippolytus of Rome - 1st early Christ. an author interested in the personality of the prophet and the historical circumstances of his ministry. I. is mentioned in the Chronicle (Hipp. Chron. 719) and in the list of priests as the son of Heskiah, who in the 18th year of the reign of Josiah found the book of the law in the temple (673-674) (Ibid. 675-680). In a commentary on the Book of Prop. Daniel says that Susanna, the wife of Joachim (Dan 13.2), is called the daughter of the priest Chelkiah, then I. can be considered her brother. With all the captives he goes to Egypt, lives and preaches in Tafnis, was stoned by the Jews (Hipp. In Dan. I 12. 8; cf .: Clem. Alex. Strom. I 120. 2-3, here it is noted that a contemporary I. was the prop. "Ambakum" - 122. 4).
Rabbis
considered I. primarily as a prophet who announced the Judgment (Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot. 57b; Wolff. 1976. S. 10). At the same time, they did not forget the tradition. the image of I., already known from the Maccabean books, - a prophet - a comforter and a prayer book for the people. I. is often compared with Moses (Ginzberg L. The Legends of the Jews. Phil., 1939. Vol. 6. P. 386). In the last days I., together with Elijah, will take the promised land for the people of Israel (Ibid. P. 341). Jerusalem could be destroyed only after I. left the city, he protected it with prayers like a stone wall (Ibid. P. 393). I. is sometimes ranked among the biblical righteous, to-rye were taken to heaven (Ibid. P. 400, 412), but the texts report the death and even the martyrdom of the prophet in Egypt, Palestine and Babylon. Jewish legends about the birth, youth, vocation and ministry of the prophet are largely contradictory (Rothoff A. Jeremiah // EJud. Vol. 9. P. 1359-1360).
Places associated with the name of I.
The most reliable, according to researchers, is the mention that the Jews stoned I. and he was buried in the house of the pharaoh in the city of Tafnis (LXX: Τάφναι; at the present time, a mound remained from the city in the vicinity of Tell el-Farama, near Port Said) (Jeremias. 1958, pp. 108, 111). John Moschus reports on the burial of the remains of I. in Tetrapil, at the intersection of 2 main roads of Alexandria (Ioan. Mosch. Prat. Spirit. // PG. 87. Col. 2929).
In the late Jewish tradition, the coffin of a certain Jeremiah in the vicinity of the city of Tiberias is identified with the coffin of the prophet (Jeremias. 1958, p. 111).
V travel notes mon. Egeria (381-384) speaks of a tower in the city of Anatof, in 4 Rome. miles from Jerusalem, where I. wrote a lament (CCSL. Vol. 175. P. 96; Wilkinson J. Egeria "s Travels. L., 1971. P. 186). the pit in which I. was imprisoned (Jer 38. 6): Archdeacon Theodosius indicates its place in Jerusalem, at the Praetorium of Pilate, next to the Church of St. Sophia (CCSL. Vol. 175. P. 118); according to Jerusalem breviary, I. was thrown into the Siloam font (Ibid. P. 112); according to an anonymous pilgrim from the city of Piacenza, he was thrown into stagnant water at the city gates (Ibid. P. 141).
Lit .: Pisarev S. D. Holy Prophet Jeremiah // ДЧ. 1863. No. 6. S. 87-114; No. 7. S. 177-209; No. 8. S. 277-316; Bukharev A. M. Holy Prophet Jeremiah: An Outline of His Time, Life and Prophetic Book. M., 1864; Afanasyev D.P. Interpretation on the book. prophet Jeremiah. Stavropol, 1894; Bartholomew (Remov), bishop Prophet of the last days of the First Jerusalem // In commemoration of the 100th anniversary (1814-1914) MDA: Sat. Art. Serg. P., 1915. Part 2.S. 537-548; Mingana A. A Jeremiah Apocriphon // Woodbrooke Studies. Camb., 1927. Vol. 1. P. 148-191; Marmorstein A. Die Quellen des neuen Jeremia-Apocriphon // ZNW. 1928. Bd. 27 S. 327-337; Jeremias J. Heiligegräber in Jesu Umwelt. Gött. 1958; Bright J., ed. Jeremiah. Garden City (N. Y.), 1965, 19852. (Anchor Bible; 21); Wolff Ch. Jeremia im Frühjudentum und Urchristentum. B., 1976; Kuhn K. H. A Coptic Jeremiah Apocriphon // Le Muséon. 1970. Vol. 83. P. 95-135,291-350; Apocryphal prop. Jeremiah // Sayings of the Egyptian Fathers. SPb., 20012.S. 222-245; Staudinger R. Ya., Deacon. The image of the prop. Jeremiah in the Holy. Scriptures // A&O. 2004. No. 2 (40). S. 19-43; No. 3 (41). S. 10-29.
E.P.S.
Gymnography
The memory of I. is celebrated on May 1 in the Typicon of the Great Central. IX-XI centuries (Mateos. Typicon. T. 1. P. 278); the troparion is indicated on Ps 50 of the 2nd voice Τοῦ προφήτου σοῦ ῾Ιερεμίου̇ (), at the liturgy a prokim en from Ps 67 is appointed, the Apostle - Acts 3. 19-26, the Alleluiary with a verse from Ps 96, the Gospel - Mt 16 13-18 , participates in Psalm 32.1.
In the Typikons of the Studian tradition, the memory of I. is also celebrated on May 1. According to the Studio-Aleksievsky Typicon of 1034 (according to the list of the State Historical Museum. Syn. No. 333), the dismissive troparion I. (different from the Typicon of the Great Church - "Honest Prophet ...") is sung; the service at the liturgy includes: the prokeimenon from Ps 109, the Apostle - Heb. 4. 14 - 5. 6, alleluiarium, the Gospel, communion (the same as in the Typicon of the Great Church). In the Evergetida Typicon, the 2nd half. XI century (Dmitrievsky. Description. Vol. 1. P. 451) On May 1, the charter of the connection of I. and martyr's followers was published. Savva Stratilates (postponed from May 2); the succession of I. consists of a troparion, a canon, a cycle of stichera-like, sedal. According to the Messinian Typicon of 1131 (Arranz. Typicon. P. 148), the succession of I. is connected only with the service of the Triodi; the troparion I. is indicated (the same as in the Typikon of the Great Church); at the liturgy, the prokeimenon from Ps 109 is appointed, the Apostle - James 5.10-20, the alleluiarium with the verse from Psalm 98, the Gospel - Luke 4. 22b-30, Psalm 111.6b is involved.
V different editions The Jerusalem charter of I. assigns a general dismissal troparion (the same as in the Typicon of the Great Church) and indicates the same readings at the liturgy as in the Messinian Typicon, with the exception of the Apostle - 1 Cor. 14. 20-25. In the early editions, the same Apostle is appointed as in the Messinian Typicon (Lossky. Typicon. P. 212; Mirkovich. Typicon. P. 105b; "Romanov Typik" - Berolin. Preuss. Byk. N 49), sometimes reading Romans 7 . 14 - 8.2 (see: Apostle - RSL. Trinity 82). In glory. Menaion and Typicon in the 17th century (in particular, in the first printed Moscow Typikon of 1610) the prophet's kontakion appears, of the 3rd voice.
Follow-up I., contained in the present. liturgical books, includes: the dismissive troparion of the 2nd voice Τοῦ προφήτου σοῦ ῾Ιερεμίου̇ (); kontakion of the 3rd voice (only in Slavic); anonymous canon of the plagal 2nd (i.e. 6th) voice without acrostic, irmos: ῾Υγρὰν διοδεύσας̇ (), beginning: Πρὸ τοῦ σὲ πλασθῆναι προγνωστικῶς ( 
); cycle of stichera-like; sedal.
A. A. Lukashevich
Iconography
One of the earliest images of I. is found in the mosaics of c. San Vitale in Ravenna (546-547), where the prophet is represented as a mighty old man in antique clothes, with a solid figure, with long gray hair, spread out in a parted part and drooping braids over the shoulder, with a thick, rounded short beard. In the mosaics of the catholicon of mon-rya vmts. Catherine on Sinai (550-565) I. - a youthful middle-aged man with dark, lush short hair falling in locks on his forehead, with a narrow strip of mustache and a neat short thick beard... In the IX century. in the mosaics of Sophia K-Polskaya I. was depicted as a middle age with dark hair and sharp facial features (known from the drawing by G. Fossati). In the Commentary on the Book of the Prophets X - early. XI century (Laurent. Plut. V 9. Fol. 127) I. - a slender middle-aged woman with severe, sharp features, with long black hair, with a braid descending to the shoulder, with a long wide beard of wavy strands. His posture is static and solemn. Another version in the Book of the Prophets in 1489 (RSL. F. 304. I. No. 90. L. 291v.): I. is a gray-haired old man with long straight strands and a wedge-shaped beard. Unlike miniature X - early. XI century the image is given in motion; the unfolding scroll has a complex outline.
I. is always dressed in antique clothes: a chiton, as a rule, with a clave and a himation, draped in different ways. More often I. is depicted with his head uncovered, with strands falling on his right shoulder. In the iconography of the late Middle Ages, a cap sometimes appears on I., like that of the Prophet. Daniel, or turban. The gesture of his right hand is often turned upward in the nomenclature sign to the Lord (for example, the Cathedral of San Marco in Venice, 2nd half of the 11th - early 13th centuries), in another iconographic version, I.'s hand is raised in front of the chest ( St. Sophia Cathedral in Vel. Novgorod, 1109). Researchers constantly note the similarity between the images of I. and the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel.
Images of I. with the attribute - a stone tablet of the covenant - are rare (icons "Praise to Our Lady, with Akathist" - c. 1502, State Russian Museum; 2nd half of the 16th century, GMMK). As a rule, in the hands of the prophet a scroll, which in individual cases rolled up (for example, in the Book of the Prophets) or resembles a scroll of ap. Peter (for example, in the monastery of Pammakaristos (Fethiye-jami) in K-field), sometimes the prophet with both hands holds a scroll unfolded across (Church of San Vitale in Ravenna). The unfolded scroll most often contains the text Var 3.35 (for example, Sofia K-Polish, c. 878; Church of Great Martyr George in the Monastery of Staro-Nagorichino, 1317-1318) or Var 3.36 - probably the most the earliest known text in monumental art (c. Santa Maria del Ammirallo (Martorana), Palermo, Sicily, 1143-1148; c. Panagia Parigoritissa in Arta, c. 1290; mon-ry Chora (Kahriye-jami) in K- field, approx. 1316-1321). These texts on the I. scroll are most often found in the Byzantine period. and Old Russian. art of the XI-XII centuries. Medieval. By theological thought, I. was considered as a zealous servant of God, a herald of the new covenant, since he predicted the incarnation of the Son of God and His suffering. The text of the Book of Prop. Jeremiah on scrolls is less common: Jer 11.18 (Vvedenskaya church of the monastery of Nova Pavlitsa, Serbia, until 1389), Ez 11.19 (Tokaly-kilis in Goreme, Cappadocia, late 10th century), Jer 38. 31 (Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos of Monastery Gracanitsa, c. 1320; c. righteous Joachim and Anna (Kraleva ts.) Mon-rya Studenica, Serbia, 1314), Jer 11. with NC. On icons, the text of the scroll is often from the Book of Prophet. Jeremiah - Jer 31. 21 (“Turn your heart to the road, to the path you walked; return, virgin of Israel, return to these thy cities”) or Jer 31.31 (“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah ”).
In the decoration of temples, I., like other prophets, were usually depicted in the dome and in the east. parts of the temple: in the altar of the Catholicon (Monastery of the Great Martyr Catherine on Sinai, 550-565), as one of the great prophets of I. is often represented among the prophets in the dome and drum of the head (Mon-ry of Chora; Church of Panagia Arakos near Lagudera in Cyprus, 1192; Vvedenskaya Church of Mon-rya Nova Pavlitsa; Church of the Righteous Joachim and Anna (Kraleva Church) in Studenica; Church of the Assumption of the Virgin in Daphni, c. 1100; Church of Panagia Parigoritissa in Arta; Pammakaristos monastery in K-field, c. 1315; Church of the Holy Apostles in Thessalonica, 1312-1315; Church of Our Lady of Odigitria in Pech, c. 1337), in the central apse on the arch (Tokaly-kilis in Goreme), in sails (c. Santa Maria del Ammirallo (Martorana), Palermo), on the slope of the supporting arch (Church of the Nativity of Christ on Red Field in Vel. Novgorod, 90s of the XIV century), on the wall in the presbytery next to the compositions "The Hospitality of Abraham" and "The Sacrifice of Abraham" (Church of San Vitale in Ravenna). In the basilica buildings, the figure of I. was placed in the middle belt in the north. and south. walls between the windows (c. Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, c. 520; c. Sant'Angelo in Formis, Capua, between 1072 and 1087). The relief figure of I. adorned the "Portico of Glory" of the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, Spain (1166-1190), north. portal in Chartres Cathedral (c. 1210), west. portal to Amiens Cathedral (1225-1236).
The image of I. is often found in the composition "Praise of the Mother of God", which is close to the prophetic series, for example. on the icons "Praise of the Mother of God, with Akathist" (mid-16th century, State Russian Museum, and the last third of the 16th century, VGIAKHMZ); on the altar shroud "Praise of the Mother of God" (late 16th century, State Historical Museum). Sometimes I. is depicted among the saints in the fields of the Theotokos icons: "The Mother of God of the Sign" (Kursk-Root) (Znamenskaya Church in New York, 1597), "The Sign-Kurskaya with the Prophets" (mid-17th century, Museum of Icons in Recklinghausen ), "Our Lady of the Sign of Kursk-Root" (1871, State Museum of Fine Arts).
In the multi-figured composition "Descent into Hell", according to Herminius Dionysius Fournoagraphiot (c. 1730-1733), it is customary to depict I. standing next to the prophets Jonah, Isaiah, and rights. Abel. On the "Small" and "Big" sakkos (Byzantium, mid. XIV century, GMMK) the image of I. is located next to the "Crucifixion".
In various copies of the Christian topography of Cosmas Indikoplov, the miniature opening the text depicts the Calvary cross, on the sides of which there are bust images of the prophets Isaiah and I. (Vat. Gr. 699, last quarter of the 9th century). According to EK Redin (Redin. 1916, pp. 11-16), these prophets, who were considered prototypes of the evangelists, were especially revered among the older prophets already in the 6th century.
In Russian. icons, the name of I. was sometimes changed and wrote Eremey or Eremey: on the icon "Prophet Jeremiah" from the John the Baptist monastery in Moscow (16th century, SPGIAKHMZ), on the frame of the Gospel (1577, State Historical Museum), on the icon "The Mother of God Odigitria, with the prophet ... Jeremiah and St. John the Baptist ”(3rd quarter of the 16th century, GVSMZ).
In the iconographic original of the Novgorod edition according to the Sofia list of con. XVI century under May 1, I. is represented as follows: “Prop. Jeremiah: gray, brother of John the Theologian, hair from the ears, robe from white linen, from underside the gap; in his shirt he says: Lord, judge the righteous to the powers ”(Iconographic original. 1873, p. 28). The image of I. can be placed to the right of the center of the prophetic row after the prop. Jonah: “Aki Andrew the Apostle, robe of the choir, under the eye, writes in a scroll. The path of you videh, Israel, the life of a young woman to the path leading with a hand ”(Bolshakov. Original icon painting. P. 10). In Herminia Dionysius Fournoagraphiot I. is mentioned as "an old man with a small beard, says: the word of the Lord is verb: first I can create thee in my womb, know thee (Jer 1. 4)" (Herminia DF. Part 2. § 132. No. 7.P. 562); in sect. “How the Feasts of the Theotokos are depicted” I. is the only one described without an attribute: “She points to the Theotokos and says: az videh, Otrokovitsa Virgin, new Israel guiding through the paths of life.” ". S. 557); I. is also mentioned in connection with the depiction of scenes from the OT: “Prop. Jeremiah is thrown into the pit ”,“ Prophet. Jeremiah is pulled out of the pit by Abimelech "," The second capture of Jerusalem "(Ibid. Ch. 2. § 107-109. Pp. 549-550) - and NT:" Descent into Hell ", where the prophets of Jonah are on the left hand of Christ, Isaiah, I. and rights. Abel (Ibid. Ch. 3. § 97. S. 517-518), and "The Parable of the Tsar Who Married to His Son", where I. is thrown into a muddy pit (Ibid. S. 526).
Lit .: Iconographic original of the Novgorod edition according to the Sofia list of con. XVI century with options from the lists of Zabelin and Filimonov. M., 1873.S. 28; Redin EK Christian topography of Kozma Indikoplov in Greek. and Russian. lists. M., 1916. Part 1; Mango C. Materials for the Study of the Mosaics of St. Sophia at Istanbul, Wash., 1962. P. 60. Fig. 86. (DOS; 8); LCI. 1970. Bd. 2. Sp. 387-392; Nikolaeva T.V. Drevnerus. painting of the Zagorsk Museum. M., 1977.S. 103; Lazarev V.N. Vizant. and Old Russian. art. M., 1978.S. 144, 146; he is. History of the Byzantine. painting. M., 1986; Belting H., Mango C., Mouriki D. The Mosaics and Frescoes of St. Mary Pammakaristos at Istanbul. Wash. 1978 (DOS; 16); Gravgaard A.-M. Inscriptions of Old Testament Prophecies in Byzant. Churches. Copenhagen 1979. P. 59-65; Popovich L. D. Compositional and Teological Concepts in Four Prophets Cicles in Churches Selected from the Period of King Milutin (1282-1321) // Cyrillomethodianum. Thessal., 1984/1985. T. 8/9. P. 290; eadem. Hitherto Unidentified prophets from Nova Pavlica // Zograf. Beograd, 1988. No. 19. P. 30-31, 40; Lelekova OV Iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral of the Kirillo-Belozersk Monastery of 1497: Issled. and restoration. M., 1988.S. 309-310; Sinai: Treasures of the Monastery of St. Catherine. Athens, 1990; Medieval. face sewing: Byzantium, Balkans, Russia: Cat. vyst. M., 1991.S. 38, 40, 44, 46; Lowden J. Early Christian & Byzantine Art. L. 1997. Il. 217, 254; Vakhrina V.I. M., 2003.S. 224. Cat. 67; Ostashenko E. Ya. The main iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin // Artistic monuments of Moscow. The Kremlin. M., 2003. S. 27. (Materials and research. GMMK; 16); Lifshits L.I., Sarabyanov V.D., Tsarevskaya T. Yu. Monumental painting Vel. Novgorod: Con. XI - 1st Thursday XII century SPb., 2004.S. 21, 300-303; Vologda icons of the XIV-XVI centuries. M., 2007.S. 491. Cat. 78; S. 562-563. Cat. 87; P. 678. Cat. 107.
I. A. Zhuravleva
The historical situation in which Jeremiah lived
Already in early adolescence Jeremiah feels himself called by God to prophecy. Jeremiah's prophetic work falls on the most turbulent period in the history of the Kingdom of Judah.
In modern biblical scholarship, Jeremiah is often regarded as the most important prophet ancient Israel overshadowing all other prophets. This view is largely the result of the influence of Protestant scholars, who were especially sympathetic to two motives of Jeremiah's prophecies: the criticism of sacrifices and the prediction of the fall of Judah and the destruction of the Temple.
Jeremiah, emphasizing the primacy of morality and being persecuted by the ruling circles, appears as the forerunner of Jesus. This interpretation has led some Christian critics to unfoundedly deny that the prophecies of consolation belong to Jeremiah. These researchers close their eyes to the fact that the prophecies of consolation are repeatedly repeated in his sermons and, in fact, are an integral part of his worldview, for Jeremiah's messianic vision of a morally improved world is inextricably linked with the return of the Jewish people, the revival of Judah and Israel and the restoration of the kingdom of David.
Jeremiah in art
Jeremiah consoles mother Rachel. Engraving by I. Budko.
The personality of Jeremiah is the theme of many works of art and literature from the Renaissance to the present day. Frescoes and sculptures in many European cathedrals are dedicated to Jeremiah (sculptures by Donatello in the Florentine bell tower, Michelangelo's fresco in the Sistine Chapel, and others).
In Jewish art, L. Uri's painting "Jeremiah" deserves special attention. The literature of Jeremiah is devoted to the drama of S. Zweig, the novels of F. Werfel and J. Dobrachinsky (in Polish), in Russian - the poems of D. Merezhkovsky and S. Frug. In Hebrew literature, Jeremiah is the main character in MZ Volfovsky's novel Bet Ha-Rekhavim (House of the Rekhavites, 1962).
A source
- KEE, volume 2, col. 676-681
And others) - the second of the so-called great prophets, the son of the priest Helkiah of Anathoth. Jeremiah's prophetic ministry embraced the darkest period in Jewish history. His calling to the prophetic ministry took place in his early youth, at the age of 15, in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah, c. Jewish, and then continued under the kings Jehoahaz, Joachim, Jeconiah and Zedekiah, for almost forty-five years. Probably, for the most part he lived in the city in which he was born, it was in Anatof, since in the XI ch. his books (v. 21) says about the men of Anathoth as about men seeking the soul of a prophet... But since this city, now known as Anatha, was only three miles from Jerusalem, the Jerusalem temple was undoubtedly the place where the voice of the prophet of God was most often heard. However, in addition to this, he proclaimed the word of God both in the temple, and at the gates of the city, and in the house of the king, and in public squares, and in private houses, trying with all his might to prevent a storm that was ready to break out over the people stubborn in their sins (II, III, IV, V, VI). From early morning (XXV, 3) he preached the word of God, bringing upon himself through this reproach and daily ridicule (XX, 8). His own family abandoned him (XII, 6), fellow citizens persecuted him with hatred (XI, 21), laughed at him, asking the question: where is the word of the Lord? let it come (xvii, 15). There was no shortage of deep spiritual sorrows. Jeremiah was greatly crushed by the iniquity that surrounded him (XII, 1, 2); it seemed to him that everyone is watching him, if he stumbles, he heard threats: he will get caught, and we will defeat him and take revenge on him(XX, 10); sometimes he was overwhelmed with doubt whether his ministry was mockery and mockery?(XX, 7). The death of the godly King Josiah was undoubtedly one of the greatest misfortunes in the life of the prophet. He mourned for Josiah and Jeremiah in a lamentable song, says priest. writer book Chronicles(). About Johaz, who then came to the throne, whose reign lasted only three months and who was taken into captivity, Jeremiah speaks with special tenderness and sympathy. Do not weep for the deceased and do not regret him, he exclaims, but weep bitterly for the captive(that is, about Johaz, otherwise Sallum), for he will no longer return and will not see his native country (). With particular vividness St. Jeremiah describes some of the events of the subsequent reign of Joachim (607-597 BC). Soon after his accession to the throne, on one of the solemn holidays, when the courtyards of the temple were overflowing with worshipers from all the cities of Judea, Jeremiah, at the command of God, appears in the temple and loudly proclaims to the people that Jerusalem will be struck with a curse and that the temple itself will suffer the fate of Shiloh (XXVI , 6). From that time, one might say, he began a struggle with priests and false prophets, who especially filled Jerusalem and its environs at the indicated time. For a formidable prophecy, the false prophets seized Jeremiah and, presenting the princes and the people to the judgment, demanded his immediate death (v. 8). Only through the efforts of some princes who were benevolent to him, and especially through the efforts of his friend, Ahikam, who rose up to defend the prophet, was he saved from certain death (Chapter XXVI). At another time, when, at the command of God, the prophecies of Jeremiah were collected in one book and rewritten by Baruch, his disciple, and read publicly to the people in the narthex of the temple (XXXVI, 1-9, Joachim wished to get acquainted with their content, and now the king's anger fell like on Jeremiah himself and on the scroll of his prophecies. ”As the scroll was read, the king cut off scribe's knife he read the columns and burned the brazier in front of him on the fire until the scroll was completely destroyed. Jeremiah himself with Baruch barely escaped the king's wrath, The Lord hid them(XXXVI, 26). After, already in a secret refuge, Jeremiah and Baruch rewrote the prophecies a second time, with the addition to them many similar words(XXXVI, 32). But now, according to the prediction of Jeremiah, Joachim ended his life in disaster: he was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar, bound in fetters, and after his death (whether on the way to Babylon or in Babylon itself, it is not known), his son, Jeconiah, ascended the throne. nevertheless who did what was disagreeable to God and reigned only three months. If not under Joachim, then perhaps with this king, Paschor, a priest and overseer in the House of God, hearing Jeremiah's prophecies about impending disasters in Jerusalem, struck him and put him in a deck at the Benjamin gates, at the House of God, and although the next the same day he released him, but the prophet announced again that the Lord would give all Judas into the hands of c. Babylonian, who will lead them to Babylon and strike with the sword (XX). The prophecy was fulfilled with amazing accuracy. Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to the city, occupied it without resistance, and resettled Jeconiah to Babylon with all his house, family, nobles, army and all inhabitants, except the poor people. Among those taken into captivity were several false prophets who consoled the people with the hope of an early end to their troubles. As a result, the third son of Josiah remained on the throne of the kingdom of Judah, Matfania otherwise renamed Zedekiah(597-586); but under this king, Jeremiah's position did not change for the better. The fight against false prophets continued. Unfortunately for his own, Zedekiah decided to secure himself on the throne by betraying the king of Babylon and joined the alliance of the kings of Moab, Edom, and others. with ties and a yoke around the neck(XXVII, 2); He sent the same yoke to the five kings who entered into an alliance with Zedekiah against Babylon. The false prophet Ananias, who broke the yoke on Jeremiah (XXVIII, 10) and predicted the fall of the Chaldeans in the course of two years (XXVIII, 3), was convicted of a lie by Jeremiah and died in the same year (16, 17). Meanwhile, the enemy strenuously besieged Jerusalem, and a severe famine opened up in it. The position of the prophet became very dangerous. He wanted to retire to the land of Benjamin (XXXVII, 12), but the chief of the guard detained him, mistaking him for a defector, and brought him to the princes, who beat him and imprisoned him in a prison cellar, where he stayed for many days. Brought from there to Zedekiah, to his question: is there not a word from the Lord? replied: you will be betrayed into the hands of the king of Babylon(XXXVII, 17), then, at the request of the prophet, he was imprisoned in the courtyard of the guards, giving him a piece of bread for a day from the street of bakers, until all the bread in the city was exhausted (XXXVII, 21). But since the prophet, despite his imprisonment, continued to advise obedience to the Chaldeans without resistance, he was thrown by the princes into a dirty pit in the courtyard of the guard, in which he would have died of dampness and hunger, if he had not been saved by his intercession before the king, one God-fearing an Ethiopian who served at the palace, namely Avdemelech... With great efforts, he was pulled out of the ditch and again left in the courtyard of the guards. Zedekiah secretly sent for Jeremiah to hear from him the will of God. The prophet still advised the king to trust the magnanimity of the victor: then, he said, the city would not be burned, and the king with the whole family would remain safe. Unfortunately, Zedekiah did not follow the prudent, divinely inspired advice of the prophet, he was afraid that the Chaldeans would not give him up to the Jewish traitors, who would swear at him (Ch. XXXVIII, 19). Sad consequences affected soon. The enemy broke into the city and took it. Zedekiah, with the soldiers who remained with him, fled from the capital at night, but he was caught and taken to the Syrian city of Rialu, and there, by the conqueror's verdict, they stabbed his sons in front of their father's eyes, and blinded himself, bound him with copper fetters and took him to Babylon, where he and died in prison. After the capture and destruction of Jerusalem and the resettlement of the Jews to Babylon, in 586 BC, Navuzardan, the head of the royal bodyguards, at the behest of Nebuchadnezzar, showed Ave Jeremiah some signs of his benevolence and gave him a choice of location for residence. Jeremiah wished to remain in his fatherland in order to be useful to his compatriots with his advice and consolations; however, he did not stay here long. After the slaying of Godoliah, the governor of Judah, appointed by Nebuchadnezzar, Jeremiah, along with Baruch and some of the other Jews, was taken against his will to Egypt. About the subsequent fate of the prophet from the Holy. Scripture is no longer known. The ancient Christian tradition testifies that his death was a martyr's, namely, that in the city of Tafnis he was stoned by the Jews for exposing their vices and for the prophecy of their destruction. Alexandrian tradition says that Alexander the Great transferred his body to Alexandria. His grave, located not far from Cairo, is deeply respected by the Egyptians to this day. According to the Alexandrian chronicle, a majestic monument originally stood over his grave, later renewed and decorated by Queen Helena. In the apocryphal II Mac. book we see St. Jeremiah surrounded by a halo of glory. According to this, St. Jeremiah hid the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, the incense altar in one of the caves of Mount Horeb, and blocked the entrance to it, so that they would remain there in obscurity until God, having compassion, will not gather a crowd of people(). It also says that during the destruction of Jerusalem, some pious priests hid in one treasure priest. the fire taken from the altar, which was found by their descendants during the restoration of the temple (), and that Jeremiah, during the resettlement of the Jews, ordered those who were being resettled to take with them from the fire of the temple (). In the vision of Judas Maccabee, Jeremiah is a man adorned with gray hair and glory, surrounded by wondrous and extraordinary greatness, a brother-lover who prays a lot for the people and the holy city, who gave Judas a golden sword to crush enemies (). Even during the Lord's earthly life, the prevailing belief was that Jeremiah's work was not yet over. Lord Jesus Christ some believed for Jeremiah or one of the prophets(). The memory of St. Jeremiah is celebrated. The 1 of May.
