Habacuc

St. Jerome in the Prologue: "Habakkuk," he says, "is called either from the fact that he is beloved of the Lord, an embracing, or because he enters into contest and struggle, and (so to speak) an embrace with God, having obtained the name of one embracing, that is, wrestling (for Habakkuk is derived from חבק chahac, or hahac, that is, to embrace, to clasp, to hold fast). For no one has dared with such bold voice to provoke God to a disputation concerning justice, and to say: Why in human affairs and in the government of this world does so much iniquity abound!"

The same in the Prologue to Galeatus, which is prefixed to the Bibles: "Habakkuk," he says, "a strong and rigid wrestler, stands upon his watch, and sets his step upon his fortification, so that he might contemplate Christ on the cross, and say: His glory covered the heavens, and the earth is full of his praise. His brightness shall be as the light, horns in his hands: there is his power hidden."

The Chaldean Paraphrast relates that Habakkuk was the son of the Shunamite woman who died, whom Elisha restored to life, IV Kings IV, 36. But the reckoning of times stands in the way: for Elisha flourished under Jehoshaphat, whereas Habakkuk lived long after, under Manasseh. Isidore and Epiphanius in the Life of Habakkuk relate that he was born from the tribe of Simeon, from the field of Bithicucar, or, as Epiphanius names it, Bezzochar. The Hebrews in the Seder-Olam believe that Nahum, Joel and Habakkuk prophesied under Manasseh, but that he did not name him on account of his impiety and crimes. But in the prologue to Nahum I have shown that he prophesied after the destruction of Samaria, which occurred in the 6th year of Hezekiah, and before the siege of Jerusalem made by Sennacherib, which occurred in the 14th year of Hezekiah. Therefore between the 6th and 14th year of Hezekiah Nahum prophesied: wherefore it appears that Habakkuk prophesied at the same time. Thus Ribera in the Prologue. The more common opinion, however, is that Habakkuk prophesied before Zephaniah and Jeremiah, somewhat after Nahum, under Manasseh. Thus the Hebrews, Guevara, a Castro, Vatablus, Clarius, Arias and others. It appears therefore that Habakkuk was one of those Prophets whom God sent to Manasseh, that he might turn him from impie-

Hence it follows that this Habakkuk prophesied before the destruction of Jerusalem, and consequently is not the same as Habakkuk, who, caught up through the air by an angel, and brought from Judaea into Babylon, there brought lunch to Daniel, cap. XIV, 32, cast into the lion's den, as St. Jerome believes in the Prologue, not so much from his own opinion as from that of the Hebrews. For that Habakkuk was long after the destruction of Jerusalem, when the Jews were already dwelling captive in Babylon: but this our Habakkuk was before the destruction; for he prophesies of it, saying cap. I, 6: "Behold, I will raise up the Chaldeans, a bitter and swift nation, walking upon the breadth of the earth, to possess the tabernacles that are not theirs," etc. Add that Daniel was cast into the lion's den under Evil-merodach, who succeeded his father Nebuchadnezzar in the kingdom: but Nebuchadnezzar reigned 44 years, and before him Josiah reigned in Judah 31 years, before him Amon 2 years, before Amon Manasseh 55 years, before Manasseh Hezekiah 29 years. Suppose Habakkuk began to prophesy at the end of the reign of Hezekiah, or, as the Hebrews say, under Manasseh, and that he was then 30 years old (for before the thirtieth year among the Hebrews it was ordinarily not permitted to anyone to teach or to prophesy), and add the years of the kings already recounted, you will gather that Habakkuk would have far exceeded the hundredth year, if this our Habakkuk were one and the same as that one of Daniel.

But this does not seem probable, namely that a man at such a decrepit age would carry lunch to the reapers. Wherefore, just as there were two prophets named Micaiah and two named Obadiah, as I have said in their Prologues, so also there were two Prophets having the same name Habakkuk.

Finally, Habakkuk is read to be inscribed in the catalogue of Saints on the 15th of January, where these things are held concerning him: "In Judaea the saints Habakkuk and Micaiah the prophets, whose bodies were found under Theodosius the Elder by divine revelation."