Chapter summaries and lives of the Twelve Prophets 1–10

[End of the preface] … you will find the explanation of the prophets, if you attempt to strip it of the spiritual contemplation. For what will you say Hosea means by these words: “But Ephraim is an evil spirit”? For what reason “oil was traded into Egypt”? And of what blame is this worthy, of what charge? What is the fowler’s basket which Amos handed down? What is the stone of tin bearing seven eyes, as Zechariah the prophet wrote? And many other things like these; in view of which the very one who uttered them by the pens of the prophets puts forward Hosea to say, “I multiplied visions, and by the hands of prophets I was represented.”

The discourse hands on this briefly as well: that some of the prophets left unnamed the kings under whom they set out their prophecy, either because they prophesied among the nations or because they came from the nations. For even if prophecy was sent in the first place to Israel, it nevertheless fell to some of the nations to hear certain prophets. Or does not Jonah above all give us ground to conjecture this, since he was himself from the nations and prophesied among nations? For the prophet was sent to preach to the Ninevites, and the book of Kingdoms gives him as from Gath, which was one of the satrapies among the foreigners; for it says: “The word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spoke by the hand of his servant Jonah son of Amathi, the prophet from Gath-hepher.” And for this reason he set out his prophecy without a date. But Joel too wrote so, and his opening: “Hear these things, you elders, and give ear, all who dwell in the land.” And the same with Obadiah: “I heard a report from the Lord, and he sent forth a message to the nations.” Nahum too, saying, “The oracle of Nineveh,” compels us to conjecture similar things about them. As for Habakkuk, whether he is the one whom an angel snatched up and carried off to the Babylonians, I cannot say clearly; but he too, at the opening of the book, mentions not Judea, perhaps, or Samaria, or Israel, but the whole earth; for in the whole prophetic book he does not bring a charge against Judea alone. And if you look into Malachi, you will find him assigning the chief part of the prophecy to the nations. And even if he is called “angel” …, the prophets of God were called angels. Haggai shows this, calling both himself and the other prophets so, whom God used as servants of his prophecy; for he says, “And Haggai, the angel of the Lord, said among the angels of the Lord to the people.” But perhaps the prophet had this as a proper name too.

It is worth adding this as well, for a more exact knowledge of the prophetic books: that the gift of prophecy was ancient, having begun from the very creation of men. So Adam said of Eve, plainly by the prophetic gift, “For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” And Abraham is called a prophet by God himself, who said to Abimelech, “Return the wife to the man, for he is a prophet.” So not only those whose prophecy is carried in writing were prophets; otherwise how was Samuel named the chief of the prophets? And how were those gathered around Elisha called sons of the prophets? For no written prophecy of these or of those is carried. Those, then, who were perhaps outstanding beyond the rest in the life of wisdom became distinguished also in prophetic contemplation. Either what they said or did by the prophetic Spirit was recorded in the historical books of the God-inspired Scripture, like Samuel, Elijah and Elisha; or, entrusted by the Spirit, they themselves composed prophetic books, such as the Twelve, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. Of these, Ezekiel and Daniel, Haggai and Zechariah prophesy after the capture that befell the people of the Jews at the hands of the Assyrians. Jeremiah prophesies this capture. Zephaniah flourished not for the whole time of prophecy but for part of it, having prophesied in the reign of Josiah, under whom Jeremiah began to prophesy. The rest were contemporaries of Isaiah, but later than Samuel, Elijah and Elisha. This is clear from the fact that Elisha departs this life while Joash, the king of Israel, was with him; and in the days of Jeroboam, not the son of Nebat but the son of Joash, Hosea sets out his prophecy; and with him Amos, Micah and Isaiah also flourished, as the kings named at the head of each prophecy can teach one who studies and searches with zeal.

What remains of the prologue we shall necessarily add: that Amos and Hosea happened to prophesy in Judea and Samaria, and for this reason ranked with the kings of Judea Jeroboam, who held the ten sceptres of the kingdom separated off to Israel. It is clear, for Amaziah the priest of Bethel spoke such words to Amos: “Go off into the land of Judah, and live there, and prophesy there; but do not prophesy any more at Bethel.” But those who proclaimed the prophecy of Judea, which was to be, mention only those who reigned in it.

[Hosea] 1. An image of the synagogue of the Jews, from which Christ is born according to the flesh; and of the people, part of which remained in unbelief, while part later turns and is saved. 2. A threat against the synagogue, that it will be stripped of all the good things given it by God, and also of those it thought it had from the idols. 3. A prediction of how the synagogue of the Jews is humbled and ceases from slavery to the idols, while those of it who have believed will share with the nations in the new covenant and in the mysteries in Christ. 4. An accusation of the synagogue, that, though loved by God, it ran to the idols; and a prediction of how the things of its ancient way of life will wholly cease, and it will itself turn to Christ afterwards. 5. An account of the ungodliness and sins of the people of the Jews and of its priests. 6. An accusation of the Jewish rulers, that the people sinned through their fault; and that they did not turn to God sincerely, but sought him with sacrifices of irrational animals, and therefore did not find him. 7. A command to proclaim what the people of the Jews sinned, and what Christ did through the mystery, the resurrection, and the ascension into heaven. 8. A display of God’s love for mankind and of the ingratitude of the Jews; and an exhortation to them to share with the nations in the conversion and in the confession of the thief who was saved at the time of the cross. 9. An accusation of the visible Israel for its various sins against Christ; and that they did not perceive that their way of life had grown old, but emulated the ancient ungodliness of the nations; for which he threatened them with humiliation. 10. A lament of the people of the Jews: how they sinned against God, and how they were disciplined by him; and how, because of the error of the idols, their temple and land will perish, and the ordinances they had received from God. 11. Despair of Jewish joy, because, imitating the ungodliness of the nations, they defiled the sacrifices and libations of God and brought the error of the idols into the temple. 12. How God chose Israel in love, but they ran to idols and departed from the service of God, and did not respect even Christ when he became incarnate from them; hence a curse of fruitlessness and of dispersion among the nations is brought upon them. 13. … of the visible Israel, that, though formerly devout, it later denied not only [God] in the idols but also the kingship of Christ; and … they are going to … 14. … of the godliness of the ancient people; and … of the same, because … Christ incarnate … was called … of the Father. 15. … of the idolatrous error of the Jews; and that, when corrected by God, they did not turn, but, having made his preaching idle, brought about his anger against their way of life and the temple. 16. The kindnesses Christ shows the Jews, while they persisted in ungodliness; therefore the Father promises to punish them and to avenge Christ, as having been disobeyed by them. 17. An exhortation on how one must turn to God; an accusation of the lawless deeds the people of the Jews devised; and an account of the benefits Christ bestowed through the law and the prophets and through his own coming. 18. How the people of the Jews, having reproached Christ, received its reward, and, persisting in slavery to the idols, was destroyed; and the benefits it formerly received from God, and how, having been ungrateful, it is afterwards disciplined. 19. A reproach against the Jews, that they denied the kingship of Christ, while he abolished the devil and put an end to death; and he threatened the destruction of the synagogue and of its way of life. 20. An exhortation to confession, and a promise of pardon and of fellowship in the mysteries, which the people from the nations enjoyed.

Hosea is interpreted “saved.” He was from Belemoth, of the tribe of Issachar. And he gave a portent that the Lord would come on earth, living among men; and the oak in Shiloh will be divided into twelve parts, and … to hear and follow him, the God who appeared on earth, and through him the whole [earth] will be saved. And so, having died, he was buried in his own land.

[Joel] 1. An accusation of the Jews, and a prophecy of what the people from the nations was going to do to the people of the Jews. 2. A lament of the Jewish priests over the fruitlessness of the people and the abolition of the sacrifices of the law. 3. An exhortation to Israel to repent, because of the evils that befell them here and of the judgment expected …; … of the gospel preaching. 4. A prophecy of the way of life of the new people, and of what will be at the time of the end. 5. A teaching of the ways of repentance, a promise of …, and a prophecy of the mysteries by which the dominion of the devil has ceased. 6. A prediction of salvation through the cross, and of the handing down of the new mysteries, which Christ, having become man, gave to Israel, above all to the spiritual Israel, to turn away the former evils. 7. A promise of the universal gift of the Spirit upon all; and a prediction of what will be at the time of the end, and who will then be saved. 8. A threat of judgment, above all against the demons, because they sold the people of God into slavery to pleasures and into the worship of Greek idols; and a promise of the conversion of the ungodly. 9. An exhortation to divine zeal, a threat of the judgment of the whole world, and an exhortation to accomplish the virtues. 10. A prophecy of what happened at the time of the cross; of the sanctification of the new Jerusalem; of the agreement of the apostles and the prophets; and of the mystical spring that flowed from the house of the Lord, the Master’s side; of the destruction of the demons and the avenging of Adam; and a promise of the judgment of the devil and of the dwelling in the spiritual Zion.

Joel is interpreted “beloved of the Lord,” or “beginning.” He was of the tribe of Reuben, from the field of Bethomoron. He died in peace and was buried there.

Chapter headings [of Amos]

1. A prophecy of the desolation declared to the Jews by Christ. 2. A threat against the nations neighbouring Israel, because they offended against it in various ways and acted impiously toward God. 3. A threat against Judah and Israel, because they transgressed the law, sold Christ, and offended against his disciples, acted licentiously in the temple, and hindered the Spirit-bearers among them from working. 4. That Israel, chosen by God, broke faith, and for this is scourged; and that all discipline is brought by God and is made known by him to the prophets. 5. An accusation of the offences committed in Samaria, a threat against the spiritual Tyre, and a prediction that Israel will be saved in part. 6. A prophecy of what will befall Jerusalem and the rest of Judea, because, besides other things, they transgressed the law by sacrificing outside the appointed place. 7. An account of what the people of the Jews was going to suffer and what it had suffered before; and a prophecy of the Saviour’s arrival. This Joel was from the field of Bethor … 8. A prophecy to the Jewish synagogue of … what they were going to … against Christ. 9. A counsel of godliness, and a prediction of … the Jewish lament, and of what will befall sinners on the day of … 10. A rejection of the Jewish sacrifices; and an accusation that they served … of the nations, though greater than their neighbours …; and how from abundance of luxury [they fell into] licentiousness. 11. A threat of the desolation of Israel, and an account of their sins against the law and against God, for which he threatened to bring the Babylonians. 12. A prediction of the campaign of the Babylonians, of the punishment that will come upon the Jews in the age to come, of the Saviour’s arrival in the flesh, and of what was to befall the Jews from it. 13. An account of the priest’s plot against the prophet, and of what the prophet, commanded by God, threatened the priest. 14. A prophecy of the sacking brought on the temple by Christ; and an account of the sins of the people of the Jews on the Sabbaths and the new moons, for which the land with its inhabitants is disciplined. 15. A prophecy of the wonders done at the cross, and of the evils that were to befall the Jews as grace withdrew from them. 16. A prediction of what Christ threatened to do to the temple and to the people; and besides this he reproached them as colonists, like the other foreign nations. 17. How the faithful Israel is separated from the unfaithful through the Saviour’s arrival, and the kingdom of David is renewed among them, and together with the law they will reap the good things of grace.

Amos is interpreted “firmness” or “strength.” He was from Tekoa. And Amaziah, having often beaten him, at last killed him with a sword. While he was still breathing he went up to his own land, and after two days he died and was buried there.

[Obadiah] 1. A threat against the devil, and a prediction of what he himself was going to suffer from the apostles and from those who turned from ungodliness, and of what those under him in error and ungodliness [were going to suffer]. 2. A threat against the same, that he should not rejoice over the error of the nations; and a prediction of mysteries which through the gospel … 3. How those who practise the virtues, some …, plunder [the land] of the spiritual foreigners …; and those from Israel who believed are moved over into their way of life and faith, believing in Christ. … killed him. — The son of Amaziah, striking him with a club on the temple.

Obadiah is interpreted “servant who confesses.” He was from Shechem. He was the third captain, the third sent by Ahaziah; and having entreated Elijah and been wonderfully spared, he became his minister. Having suffered much from Ahab too because of Elijah, at last, despising death, he left the king and followed Elijah, and prophesied; and having died in peace, he was buried with his fathers.

Chapter headings of the prophet [Jonah] 1. God’s command to Jonah, the prophet’s flight, the storm at sea, and the lot by which the prophet is exposed as a fugitive. 2. How Jonah the prophet was swallowed by a sea monster, and, having spent three days and nights in it, prayed to God, and so is cast out by the monster onto the land. 3. A second command to Jonah to preach, and his course to Nineveh; and the Ninevites came to repentance, and God, moved by it, put an end to the threat. 4. Jonah’s plea to God, and … of the city, the making of a hut, and the growth of the gourd …; and a discourse, that he spared Nineveh not without reason.

Jonah is interpreted “of the Most High labouring,” or “dove.” Jonah was from the land of Kariathem, near Azotus, a city of the Greeks by the sea. And having been cast out of the sea monster, he went to Nineveh and preached; and on returning he did not stay in his own land, but, taking his mother, he sojourned in Assour, a land of foreign nations; for he said, “So I will take away my reproach, that I lied when I prophesied against Nineveh the great city.” At that time Elijah, rebuking Ahab and calling a famine upon the land, fled; and coming to Zarephath he found the widow with her son, and stayed with them; for he could not stay with the uncircumcised; and he blessed her for her hospitality, for he knew her from before. And when her son died among the uncircumcised, God raised him again from the dead through Elijah; for he wished to show him that no one can run away from God. Jonah, after the famine, came into Judea; and his mother died on the way, and they buried her beside the oak of Deborah. And having settled [in the land of Saraar], he died there and was buried in the cave of Kenaz, who had been judge in the days of the anarchy. And he gave a great portent concerning Jerusalem and the whole land: when they see a stone crying out piteously, and a beetle from wood calling out to God, then salvation is near; then they will see Jerusalem razed to the ground, all of it to its foundations, and all the nations coming into it to worship the Anointed, [taking] the stones to the west; and there, because Jerusalem has been made abominable in desolation by beasts and every uncleanness …, and then the end of all breath will come. [Another notice:] Jonah was born of his father Amathi, and came from Geth Chopher; this is a small town of the land of the Jews, or rather a village, by a likely account, near Azotus.

[Micah] 1. A prophecy of the coming of Christ, and of what would befall the people of the Jews. 2. An exhortation to the ungodly among the nations not to laugh at Israel, since they were taught ungodliness by them; and an account of what God threatened against Israel. 3. A prediction of what the greater part of Israel suffers because of its lawlessness against Christ, and what will be … 4. [A threat] against the Jewish rulers and their false prophets, as teaching contrary things …; and a prediction that prophecy will no longer be believed among them, and that the ancient Jerusalem and Zion will be laid waste. 5. A prophecy of the gift of the Spirit poured out upon all the faithful; of the going up of the nations to the new Jerusalem and Zion; and of their peace, which is awarded in Christ; and how the Church, after its crushing by error, will be received. 6. A rebuke to the synagogue on account of its former error; and good news to those of it who believe, against the demons, through the power of the cross. 7. A prophecy … ; and how those of the nations who turn, through the gospel …, receive freedom from the devil’s tyranny. 8. A prediction that those from Israel who believed will appear fearsome to the …, and will have power, when the symbols of the deceit of the idols are destroyed from among them. 9. God’s judgment against Israel, for the benefits he had done it; and an exhortation to Israel, variously [deceived] by the demons, on what it must do to be saved. 10. A counsel to Israel to abstain from lawlessness; and a threat of destruction: that they will not taste the mystical good things, but will become a reproach to the nations. 11. The prophet’s complaint at the people’s fruitlessness, and an exhortation to put confidence not so much in one’s own as in God. 12. An address of the Church to the synagogue, not to gloat because of her ancient ungodliness; for the Church will rise again through repentance, while the synagogue will fall from its ordinances and be handed over to the spiritual Assyrians. 13. An exhortation to Israel to be shepherded by the cross; and a prediction of how the nations of the demons will be put to shame, while we shall receive forgiveness of sins from God through baptism.

Micah is interpreted “humility” or “humbled.” He was from Morathi, of the tribe of Ephraim. Having done much to Ahab, he was killed by Joram his son, thrown from a cliff, because he rebuked him for the impieties of his fathers. And he was buried in his own land alone, near the burial-ground of the Anakim.

[Nahum] 1. A display of God’s threat and of his power to punish, against demons and Jews alike. 2. A threat against the devil; an address to the Church about deliverance from the idols; and the good news of the saving preaching, of the feasts through Christ, and of the destruction and confusion of the demons. 3. A prediction of the resurrection of Christ and of the souls that rise with him, and of the plundering and despoiling of death and of the devil that then took place. 4. A threat against the Jewish people, and a complaint over Jerusalem; and a prediction of what it was going to suffer in its capture by the Romans, because the people had become a stumbling block to the nations. 5. A threat against Jerusalem, to the shame of its stripping; and how the Church will seek comfort for Jerusalem, while Jerusalem will meet various evils, because it is sick with an unsurpassed wickedness.

Nahum is interpreted “comforter.” He was from Elkesei, beyond Tendarein, of the tribe of Simeon. After Jonah he gave a portent that Nineveh would perish by sweet waters and fire; which also happened: for the lake surrounding it flooded it in an earthquake, and fire [coming] from the wilderness burned its higher part. He died in peace and was buried in his own land.

[Habakkuk] 1. The prophet’s complaint about the injustice practised in life; and a prediction of the mystery of Christ, and of the calling and dominion of the nations, in which they are going to mock and pull down the devil. 2. A witness to God’s righteousness; a question why he is long-suffering toward the sins of men; and an account of the devil’s hunt, with which he hunts men; on which the prophet seeks an answer from God, and is taught the coming of Christ and the frustration of the devil. 3. An address to the devil, how he will be despoiled by those whom he plundered; a complaint against him for the evils with which he filled the life of men; pity for those who trust in idols; and a prediction of the Saviour’s coming. 4. A prophecy of the coming of Christ, of the wonders that come from it, of the apostolic preachings, of the abolition of the demons, and of the way of life of the age to come.

Ambakoum, or Abbakouk, is interpreted “father of awakening.” … he prophesied much about the coming of the Lord; and two years before the return of the people from Babylon he died, and was buried with honour in his own field.

[On “The oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw”:] By “oracle” he means here the receiving of the vision, that is, of foreknowledge, which one receives as God gives it. For he “multiplied visions,” as it is written, and he spoke to the prophets, showing them beforehand through the Holy Spirit the things to come, and all but setting them before their eyes as already present. And that they did not know how to speak from their own heart, but rather convey to us the words from God, he plainly convinces us beforehand, by naming himself a prophet and showing himself full of the grace for this.

[Zephaniah] Chapter headings of the prophet. 1. A threat of the destruction of sinners and of the extermination of the idols and of those who served them and departed from God; and a prediction of the sacrifice of the cross and of the punishment which the leaders of the people of the Jews underwent. 2. An address of lament to Jerusalem; a threat against those who say that our affairs are unprovided for by God; and a prediction of the day of judgment and of the evils it will bring on the ungodly. 3. An exhortation to be joined to God and to seek him with good actions; and a prophecy of what the foreign nations were going to suffer as ungodliness was destroyed among them, and of the extermination of the idols. 4. A threat of the gospel sword against the demons, the devil, and Jerusalem; and a prediction of the evils that will befall it because of its arrogance, above all against God. 5. A complaint against Jerusalem, for not obeying the wisdom of God; an accusation of its leaders; and a prophecy of the coming of Christ and of the evils he was justly to bring upon the Jews. 6. Good news to the Church of the resurrection of Christ, of the grace of tongues, of the gathering of the nations, of the destruction of error, and of the election of believers, first from the nations, second from the Jews. 7. An address of the joy that will be because of the mysteries which Christ accomplished in her, and of the glory which the Church obtained throughout the world, when the captivity of sinners was turned back.

Zephaniah is interpreted “watchtower of the Lord.” He was of the tribe of Simeon, from the field of Sabaratha. And he prophesied about the city of Jerusalem and the end of Israel, the bringing in and salvation of the nations in its place, the shame of the ungodly, the glory of the righteous, and the judgment of all breath. And having died he was buried in his field.

Chapter headings of Haggai the prophet 1. God’s indignation against those who were slack about building the temple; and an account of the evils that befell them as a result, and of those that will befall them. 2. The obedience of the rulers and of the people itself, and zeal for the works of the temple; and God’s address to them, to be strong and take courage, and to know that they have God himself standing over them. 3. … of what will befall; of the fruitfulness of the nations; of the glory of the new temple; and of the peace achieved by Christ through the cross for the godly. 4. An accusation of the Jews, as neither sanctified by their sacrifices, and as defiling by their wickedness those who draw near; an account of what they themselves and the fruits of the land suffered because of the wickedness of the people; and a promise of the blessing that will come through Christ. 5. A prediction of the overthrow of the demons and of those worked upon by them; and a prophecy concerning Christ, showing the dispensation of the flesh and the Godhead.

Haggai is interpreted “keeping festival.” He was born in Babylon, and was of the tribe of Levi. While still young he came from Babylon to Jerusalem, and prophesied openly about the return of the people; and he saw in part the building of the temple. And having died in Jerusalem he was buried with honour near the tomb of the priests, as they were, since he too was of priestly descent.