Prophet Malachi

Malachi was the last of those prophets whom God, for many years, sent to the Jewish people to instruct them and announce the coming of the Messiah among men. The Bible gives no details about his life or his birth. The Chronicle of Alexandria claims he was from Sapha, a city of the tribe of Zebulun, and asserts that he died in the prime of life and was buried in the tomb of his ancestors. It is impossible for us to verify this information in the absence of any other testimony; but we have his prophecies, which are accepted by the Synagogue and the Church. Malachi, the twelfth of the minor prophets, appeared on earth in the time of Nehemiah and prophesied from the year 430 to the year 415 B.C. The book we have of his contains only four chapters, but it is highly remarkable for the prediction he makes therein of the Holy Eucharist: "From the rising of the sun to its setting, my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering." One also finds there the coming of the Forerunner followed by that of the Messiah: "Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming." His final words are the announcement of the great drama that must close the existence of the world, and the coming of the prophet Elijah to prepare the human race for it: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes." The prediction of the great judgment and the terrible threat of the last days close the era of the prophets among the Jewish people. The advent of the Son of Man was approaching, and God was about to come Himself to instruct the nations and redeem them by His death. Among the Greeks, the feast of the prophet Malachi is celebrated on January 3, but the Latin Church of Jerusalem now observes it as a semi-double office.

Malachi was the last of those prophets whom God, for many years, sent to the Jewish people to instruct them and announce the coming of the Messiah among men. The Bible provides no details about his life or his birth. The Chronicle of Alexandria claims he was from Sapha, a city of the tribe of Zebulun, and asserts that he died in the prime of life and was buried in the tomb of his ancestors. It is impossible for us to verify this information in the absence of any other testimony; but we have his prophecies, which are accepted by both the synagogue and the Church. Malachi, the twelfth of the minor prophets, appeared on earth during the time of Nehemiah and prophesied from 430 to 415 BC. The book we have of his contains only four chapters, but it is highly remarkable for the prediction it makes of the Holy Eucharist: "From the rising of the sun to its setting, my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering." One also finds there the coming of the Forerunner followed by that of the Messiah: "Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming." His final words are the announcement of the great drama that must close the existence of the world, and the coming of the prophet Elijah to prepare the human race for it: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes." The prediction of the great judgment and the terrible threat of the last days close the era of the prophets among the Jewish people. The advent of the Son of Man was approaching, and God was about to come himself to instruct the nations and redeem them by his death. Among the Greeks, the feast of the prophet Malachi is celebrated on January 3, but the Latin Church of Jerusalem observes it today as a semi-double office.

Malachi was the last of those prophets whom God, for many long years, sent to the Jewish people to instruct them and announce the coming of the Messiah among men. The Bible provides no details about his life or his birth. The Chronicle of Alexandria claims he was from Sapha, a city of the tribe of Zebulun, and asserts that he died in the flower of his youth and was buried in the tomb of his ancestors. It is impossible for us to verify this information in the absence of any other testimony; however, we have his prophecies, which are accepted by the synagogue and the Church. Malachi, the twelfth of the minor prophets, appeared on earth during the time of Nehemiah and prophesied from the year 430 to 415 BC. The book we have from him contains only four chapters, but it is highly remarkable for the prediction he makes therein of the Holy Eucharist: "From the rising of the sun to its setting, my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering." One also finds there the coming of the Forerunner followed by that of the Messiah: "Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me, and suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight." His final words are the announcement of the great drama that must close the existence of the world, and the coming of the prophet Elijah to prepare the human race for it: "I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes." The prediction of the great judgment and the terrible threat of the last days close the era of the prophets among the Jewish people. The advent of the Son of Man was approaching, and God was about to come Himself to instruct the nations and redeem them by His death. Among the Greeks, the feast of the prophet Malachi is celebrated on January 3rd, but the Latin Church of Jerusalem observes it today as a semi-double office.