Biblical Prophets of the Post-exilic essays

Biblical Prophets of the Post-exilic essays Before the Babylonian exile, Biblical prophesy reached its highest point. Prophets such as Jeremiah and Ezekiel changed and molded the scope of Hebrew religion. Their writings were intelligent, insightful, well developed, and contained a great spiritual meaning. Following the Babylonian exile, however, prophesy took a depressing downward turn. There are many post exilic prophets, yet their writings are usually short, mostly irrelevant, repetitive, and, for the most part, anonymous. Though this is the case for many of these prophets, some works cannot be overlooked. Haggai and Zechariah were leaders in the cultic reform of the Hebrew people. Malachai calmed their fears, and assured them of God's love. Still other prophets told of a new, Messianic time when the word of the Lord would be held in its former glory. These were the most important works, as post exilic Hebrews needed not only protection, but spiritual guidance to sustain their society. The prophet Haggai was an integral figure in uniting the Hebrew people. Upon return to their homeland, the Hebrews found most of the infrastructure in a state of disrepair, with the people uncaring for their moral and social responsibilities, to say nothing for their religious practices. Even the temple of the Lord had been destroyed. Haggai emphasized the return to a more cultic society. The coming of a latter glory that was foretold in Haggai's prophesy is emphasized in the book of Zechariah. Zechariah prophesied in the shadow of Haggai, but gave his words a slightly different spin. He emphasizes, like the pre-exilic prophets, the importance of a moral reform among the Hebrews. Zechariah's way of receiving the word of God is very unique among the prophets. The word comes to him in the form of eight visions. These "colorful and strange" visions make up most of his book. The visions are so bizarre that the Lord sends an angel as in interpreter, so that Zeccariah can derive meaning from t...