Description
The book of Haggai consists of only two chapters. It seems fairly straight-forward to get a grip on the content of this short book as it addresses the issue of the rebuilding of the temple after its destruction by the Babylonians. It also seems obvious that the period we are dealing with is the time of the return from the Babylonian exile, the year 520 BCE. It is however a very unfavourable time in the history of the people of Judah. It is clear that the prophet Haggai had a serious problem with the people of Judah for not rebuilding the temple of Yahweh. He sees no future for his people if they do not get their priorities straight. He is however convinced that a prosperous future is possible providing they react positively to the prophetic admonition. The prophet Haggai addresses the people of Judah in their current situation of hardship and discomfort, but points them to a better future which Yahweh is envisioning for them. However, to bridge the gap between their current discomforting experiences and the realization of the ideal future, he applies traditions from their religious past. In this paper the aim is to focus on three of these traditions to illustrate the point in discussion. The first is the temple tradition which incorporates the ‘glory’ tradition. The temple now lies in ruins, but the rebuilding is of utmost importance to ensure Yahweh’s presence and to honour Him. The second tradition for discussion is the Exodus tradition. Haggai refers to this tradition in order to point to the presence of the Spirit of Yahweh which they can rely on. He uses this reference to urge the people of Judah to face whatever difficulties they may experience in the process of rebuilding the temple of Yahweh. The third tradition for discussion is the royal tradition involving the person of Zerubbabel. The promise is that the Davidic kingship will be restored. By engaging these traditions, the prophet not only manages to defy their feeling of alienation from their past as the people of Yahweh, but also to propel them into the future where this notion of being his people will once again be experienced as real. This study will therefore focus on the appropriation of the mentioned traditions as catalysts for motivating the people of Judah to reach out to the envisioned future
"BRIDGING THE GAP: HAGGAI’S USE OF TRADITION TO SECURE THE FUTURE"
The book of Haggai consists of only two chapters. It seems fairly straight-forward to get a grip on the content of this short book as it addresses the issue of the rebuilding of the temple after its destruction by the Babylonians. It also seems obvious that the period we are dealing with is the time of the return from the Babylonian exile, the year 520 BCE. It is however a very unfavourable time in the history of the people of Judah. It is clear that the prophet Haggai had a serious problem with the people of Judah for not rebuilding the temple of Yahweh. He sees no future for his people if they do not get their priorities straight. He is however convinced that a prosperous future is possible providing they react positively to the prophetic admonition. The prophet Haggai addresses the people of Judah in their current situation of hardship and discomfort, but points them to a better future which Yahweh is envisioning for them. However, to bridge the gap between their current discomforting experiences and the realization of the ideal future, he applies traditions from their religious past. In this paper the aim is to focus on three of these traditions to illustrate the point in discussion. The first is the temple tradition which incorporates the ‘glory’ tradition. The temple now lies in ruins, but the rebuilding is of utmost importance to ensure Yahweh’s presence and to honour Him. The second tradition for discussion is the Exodus tradition. Haggai refers to this tradition in order to point to the presence of the Spirit of Yahweh which they can rely on. He uses this reference to urge the people of Judah to face whatever difficulties they may experience in the process of rebuilding the temple of Yahweh. The third tradition for discussion is the royal tradition involving the person of Zerubbabel. The promise is that the Davidic kingship will be restored. By engaging these traditions, the prophet not only manages to defy their feeling of alienation from their past as the people of Yahweh, but also to propel them into the future where this notion of being his people will once again be experienced as real. This study will therefore focus on the appropriation of the mentioned traditions as catalysts for motivating the people of Judah to reach out to the envisioned future
