The message of the prophet Haggai : a socio-political approach
Master Thesis
2003
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University of Cape Town
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Abstract
In this dissertation my study of the Book of Haggai was done by means of historical-critical exegesis. By entering into the sociological and historical world of Haggai I have attempted to reconstruct the political and religious settings operative at that time in order to gain a deeper understanding of the oracles of Haggai. The dissertation commences with the destruction of the First Temple and the fall of Judah. The elite in Jerusalem are exiled by their Babylonian conquerors. The people who remained behind lived in a state of economic depression, yet they rally together and soon the sacrificial cult is resumed. New leaders come to the fore in both the religious and political arenas. Meanwhile the exiled people are living in an economic prosperous country and soon the exiled King of Judah is allowed to eat at the table of the Babylonian king. Some years later the Persians conquer the Babylonians. Cyrus the Persian king adopts an attitude of religious tolerance and provides financial assistance to restore the temples of his subjects for entirely selfish reasons. In this way the Persian rulers gained popularity and the loyalty of their subjects. King Darius needed to ensure stability in Yehud (Judah) so he returns the Davidide scion Zerubbabel together with Jehozadak the high priest in exile, to Jerusalem. On the basis of Trito-Isaiah a number of biblical scholars have identified two main groups who may be classified as being either pro-Isaiah or pro-Ezekiel both of whom looked forward to gaining control of the Temple cult should it be re-established in Jerusalem. It was at this time that the prophet Haggai exhorts all the people to support Zerubbabel and Jehozadak and to reconstruct the Temple of the God of Israel. Haggai succeeds with clever rhetoric to gain the cooperation of the people. In his second major oracle Haggai addresses the priests and by means of analogy condemns the immorality that was taking place. His third major oracle is directed at Zerubbabel and expresses the hope that with the support and assistance of the God of Israel, Zerubbabel will become a king of Judah. Haggai attempts to re-establish the old order of kingship and temple cult in Jerusalem. He succeeds in re-establishing the temple cult and the Zadokite priesthood is restored giving them control of temple matters once again. Amongst the duties of Jehozadak would have been the collection of taxes for the Persian government. The taxes were in form of money and provisions that would then be used to provide for the needs of the Persian army on its way to Egypt. In his endeavour to restore the ""king"" of Judah Haggai is however unsuccessful. A careful study reveals that an underlying element of opposition had remained in Jerusalem since the fall of Judah. This leads me to conclude that Zerubbabel met a similar fate to that of Gedaliah, the first governor of Yehud. The fear of Persian reprisals became the motive for the silence surrounding the mysterious disappearance of Zerubbabel.
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Bibliography: leaves 143-147.
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Reference:
Sherrell, A. 2003. The message of the prophet Haggai : a socio-political approach. University of Cape Town.