Published by THE “12” (Trei Asar)……… or better known as The Minor Prophets of the Christian and Catholic Bibles.
Just who are the MINOR PROPHETS of the Old Testament?
And what exactly is a religious prophet?
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How many of you know that in Hebrew writings the Minor Prophets text are counted as a single book, but in the Christian Bible they are seen as twelve individual books? The wisdom writings of Jesus ben Sirach (190 BC, a venerated Hebrew teacher) exalt the Minor Prophets words. The leading ancient Jewish Historian Josephus wrote about the Twelve Minor Prophets as part of the scriptural canon, which are necessary to understanding the people’s faith in Yahweh. The Dead Sea Scrolls also uplift these writings as a crucial component of the canon to the emerging Christian faith. The “12” writings are cited many times in the New Testament and used in various paraphrases by Jesus.
It must be understood that these writings called “The Minor Prophets” are not considered any less important than the other Prophets of the Christian Bible, but are referred to as minor only due to the length of their writings.
It must also be understood that these prophets were not seers or predictors of the future. Prophets from the Judeo-Christian tradition are seen as a person of wisdom who “speaks for another”….in this case Yahweh speaks through them (“Thus saith the Lord…”) with warnings and challenges to the people of faith.
The Hebrew Prophets (Major or Minor writers as explicated in the Biblical Canon) major role was to “call the people as a community to accountability and responsibility” (Dennis Bratcher, 2009, The Voice/CRI –Voice Institute) in their life with Yahweh. When we see the meaning of covenant depicting the relationship of the people of Israel and Yahweh, it can be said that Minor Prophets (and all ancient Hebrew prophets) “were mediators of the covenant” (Dennis Bratcher, 2009, The Voice).
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Here are the FACTS ABOUT the “12” …Minor Prophets of Judeo-Christian Tradition
The names of the Minor Prophets are:
The 12 Minor Prophets are commemorated in the Calendar of saints celebrated by the Armenian Apostolic Church every July 31st.
The Catholic Church has the 12 Minor Prophets read in the Breviary, during the 4th and 5th weeks of November each year, (also known as the last two weeks of the liturgical year).
It is believed the 12 writers, known as the Minor Prophets wrote and preached from the 5th Century BC until the 9th Century BC.
The Minor Prophets had no special qualifications other than being called and chosen by Yahweh to be a vessel, whereby a specific message could be given to Yahweh’s people. They came from many different paths of life: shepherds, farmers, priests, and princes.
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Sources: www.britannica.com
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