Аввакум

Habakkuk (in Greek translation LХХ: Ἀμβακούμ, Hebrew “Gabakkuk”, according to the Russian common pronunciation “Abakum”) is an Old Testament prophet, the eighth of the twelve “minor prophets”. His small book (3 chapters) contains a prophecy about the invasion of the Chaldeans into the kingdom of Judah and about the punishment of God that will befall the Chaldeans themselves for their wickedness. The beginning of the book appears to have a dialogical form: the prophet asks questions to the Lord, and the Lord answers him. “Why do you let me see villainy and look at disasters? - the prophet asks the Lord, “there is no correct judgment, since the wicked overcomes the righteous” (Hab. 1: 2-4). The Lord announces to the prophet that punishment for such wickedness will soon come, and the executors of this punishment will be the Chaldeans - “a cruel and unbridled people” (Hab. 1: 5-11). The prophet is perplexed as to how the righteous Lord will allow the wicked to devour one who is more righteous than him, and expresses the hope that the punishment will only be temporary (Hab. 1:12–17). The prophet eagerly awaits an answer from the Lord, like a guard on a city tower peering into the distance (Hab. 2:1). And the Lord answered the prophet: “The righteous will live by his faith, but to the wicked, who ravages many countries, sheds human blood and trusts in dumb idols (i.e., the Chaldean people), a fivefold “woe” is proclaimed! (Hab.2:2-20). In admiration for the justice of God, the prophet sings a solemn song (Hab. 3), in which he depicts the terrible appearance of the Lord for the judgment and punishment of the wicked and for the salvation of His people and His anointed. Since ancient times, this song of Habakkuk was understood by some fathers in an allegorical sense, in the sense of a prophecy about “the coming of the Savior and His victory over death” (synopsis attributed to St. Athanasius). It served as a model for many church songs and in particular for the fourth song of the canon; the words of the church irmos: “On the Divine guard, let the God-speaking Habakkuk be with us,” “I heard Thy rumor and was afraid,” “From the mountain-shaded thickets came Thou incarnated,” etc. borrowed from chapters 2–3 of the book of the prophet Habakkuk. In its presentation, this book belongs to the pearls of sacred writing, both in the depth of thoughts and in the strength and beauty of their expression. The song of Habakkuk was apparently used during Old Testament worship, like the psalms: this is indicated by its inscriptions, common with the psalms (“prayer” Hab.3:1, - this is how the first 71 psalms are called, see Ps. 71:20; “for singing” Hab.3:1 - the same Hebrew word is in Ps. 7:1: “lamentable song"; "to the leader of the choir" Hab. 3:19 - the same inscription has 55 psalms; the triad in the song of Habakkuk contains the musical term selah, so common in the Psalter). Contents of the book of St. the prophet Habakkuk makes it possible to approximately determine the time of his prophetic activity. The Chaldeans walk across the breadths of the earth to take possession of villages that do not belong to them (Hab. 1:6), their upcoming invasion of Judea in your days is depicted as such a thing that you would not believe if you were told (Hab. 1:5) - these words indicate a time close to the battle of Karkamish (605 BC, 4th year of Jehoiakim Jer. 46:2), when Pharaoh Necho, on whom Judah formerly depended, was defeated by Nebuchadnezzar. Probably Habakkuk prophesied in the kingdom of Judah not long before this decisive battle; Perhaps his activity falls precisely in the last years of the reign of Manasseh, when the obvious idolatry of the people of Israel ceased (cf. 2Chron.33:16), but the abuses described in Hab.1 were possible: if Habakkuk had prophesied during the times of obvious idolatry of the Jews, he would have exposed him and could not have been so indignant at the idolatry of the pagans; on the other hand, the iniquities he denounced could hardly have been committed under the pious kings Hezekiah or Josiah. The prophetic activity of Habakkuk and Jewish tradition date back to the time of Manasseh (j. Sanh, 12; Seder olam Rabbô 20). There is no other reliable information about the prophet Habakkuk. True, in the book “De vita prophetarum”, falsely attributed to St. Epiphanius of Cyprus, it is said that the prophet Habakkuk was from the village of Betzohar in the tribe of Simeon, during the capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar he escaped, and then returned and lived in his native village, from where he was once transported by an angel to Babylon with food for the prophet Daniel, who was thrown into the lion’s den, etc.; but this story has no signs of authenticity. There is no reason to identify the prophet Habakkuk with the Habakkuk who is mentioned in the story of Bel and the Dragon (Dan. 14:33–39), and it must be borne in mind that this story is outside the biblical canon; It is remarkable that in the LXX translation the story of Bel and the Dragon (Dan. 14) bears a special inscription: “from the prophecy of Habakkuk (Ἀμβακούμ, in the Syriac text Ἀμβακούκ), the son of Jesus, from the tribe of Levi.” And from the last verse of the book of Habakkuk, where the Hebrew text contains the expression: “to the leader of the choir on my harp,” it is concluded that Habakkuk was one of the Levites who participated in the musical choirs at the church. But in these choirs, one might think, not only the Levites took part (for example, David or Hezekiah, cf. also Is. 38:20), and according to the translation of LXX in Hab. 3:19, Habakkuk does not call the harp “his own.” Despite the small volume of the book of Habakkuk, negative criticism finds it possible to note some parts in it that allegedly do not belong to Habakkuk. Some suspect the authenticity of Hab.1:5-11 (Gisebrecht), others - Hab.2:9-20 (Stade, Kuenen, Cornille) or 2.12 - 17.20 (Wellhausen), others consider Habakkuk’s prayer to be a separate psalm, accidentally added to the book of his prophecies. They find precisely that these sections have no internal connection with other parts of the book. But from a review of its contents it is clear how the thoughts and feelings of the prophet are consistently revealed, and any impartial reader of the book will not find in it any reason to doubt the authenticity of one or another part of it. The Apostle Paul, in his speech in the Antioch synagogue, cites Hab.1:5, and in Rom.1:17, Gal.3:11 and Heb.10:38 three times refers to the saying of Habakkuk “the righteous shall live by faith” - Hab.2:4. Interpretations on the book of St. Habakkuk: Theodore of Mopsuestia by Minya Patr. gr. v. 66; Theodoret of Cyrus II. gr. 81; Kirill Alex. P. gr. 71–72, Jerome M. P. lat. 25, Feofilakta Bolg. M.P. gr. 126. New: L. Reinke, Der Prophet Habakuk, Brixem 1870; Ant. J. Baimgartuer, Le proрhète H., Leirzig 1885. Russians: Irinea, arch. Pskovsky, Interpretation 12 small. prophets part 5 St.-Pb. 1807; Iv. Smirnova, Moscow, Palladium ep. Sarapulsky, Vyatka 1875. M. G. in “Chronicle. Thu." 1867, II. A. Rozhdestvensky. – In the church life of Habakkuk it is said that he prophesied “about the captivity of Jerusalem and the desolation of the church and about the enslavement of people, and wept bitterly,” and also “about the return of people from the captivity of Babylon, about the birth of Christ and about the cessation of the Old Testament Law” (Men. V., Prol., Th.-Min.). He died two years before the return of the Jews from captivity in Babylon - memorial. 2 Dec., to Rome. March. 15 Jan