Prophet warned of city's destruction

By Patricia Kasten
Compass Associate Editor

	An Advent series on Catholic Social Teaching

Jeremiah

When: Born in 650 B.C. and started preaching as a young man, about 628 B.C., and continued until he was 90. His role as prophet began about 80 years after the great prophet Isaiah and continued during the reign of the southern kingdom of Judah's last four kings.

Background: Jeremiah was born in Anathoth, northeast of Jerusalem, overlooking the Dead Sea. He was the son of the priest, Hilkiah, and a contemporary of the visionary prophet, Ezekiel.

Name means: "The Lord will raise (or appoint)." He is known as "the broken-hearted prophet."

Main message: His prophecies occur in both the Book of Jeremiah and in Lamentations. They contained warnings of destruction if Israel did not turn away from idolatry. Jeremiah advised cooperation with Babylon and appeared in the Temple area wearing a wooden yoke to symbolize the fate awaiting Jerusalem. However, after King Nebuchadnezzar invaded the city, Jeremiah's message turned to one of hope and comfort. His writings about a new covenant have sometimes been called "the Gospel before the Gospel."

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Preached during: The reign of the last four kings of Judah, before the Babylonian exile. Jeremiah warned repeatedly of impending invasion, but was largely ignored and ridiculed. He was twice condemned to death. He foretold the invasion of Jerusalem -when the royal house was carried into exile - and the destruction of the city, 11 years later, in 586 B.C. The invaders allowed Jeremiah to remain in the destroyed city of Jerusalem, but he was taken against his will to Egypt during a rebellion against the Babylonians. He died there, as a martyr, by several accounts.

This Sunday's reading: Jer 33:14-16. Taken from the third part of Jeremiah, it concerns oracles about the impending doom of Jerusalem. However, while it comes before the city's actual destruction, the prophecy speaks of long-term promise and renewal, and of the coming of an eternal dynasty of David. This prophecy was not completely fulfilled for Jerusalem - even though there was a return from exile in 537 B.C. - since Jerusalem was again destroyed in 70 A.D. However, the prophecy is ultimately fulfilled in the reign of David's descendant, Jesus Christ.