Nahum was a
minor prophetA minor prophet is one of the writings in the Twelve Prophets section of the Hebrew Bible, also known to Christians as the Minor Prophets of the Old Testament...
whose prophecy is recorded in the
Hebrew BibleThe Hebrew Bible is a term referring to the books of the Jewish Bible as originally written mostly in Biblical Hebrew with some Biblical Aramaic...
. His
bookThe book of Nahum is a book in the Bible's Old Testament and Jewish Tanakh. It stands seventh in order among what are known as the twelve Minor Prophets.- Author and Context :...
comes in chronological order between
MicahThe Book of Micah is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, traditionally attributed to Micah the Prophet.-Authorship:...
and
HabakkukHabakkuk or Havakuk was a prophet in the Hebrew Bible. The etymology of the name of Habakkuk is not clear. The name is possibly related to the Akkadian khabbaququ, the name of a fragrant plant, or the Hebrew root חבק, meaning "embrace"...
in the
BibleThe Bible contains the central religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. Modern Judaism generally recognizes a single set of canonical books known as the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, as it is written almost entirely in the Hebrew language, with some small portions in Aramaic...
. He wrote about the end of the Assyrian Empire, and its capital city,
NinevehNineveh , an "exceeding great city", as it is called in the Book of Jonah, lay on the eastern bank of the Tigris in ancient Assyria, across the river from the modern-day major city of Mosul, Iraq.-Geography:Ancient Nineveh's mound-ruins of Kouyunjik and Nabī Yūnus are located...
, in a vivid poetic style.
Little is known about Nahum’s personal history. His name means "comforter," and he was from the town of Alqosh, (
NahThe book of Nahum is a book in the Bible's Old Testament and Jewish Tanakh. It stands seventh in order among what are known as the twelve Minor Prophets.- Author and Context :...
1:1) which scholars have attempted to identify with several cities, including the modern
`AlqushAlqōsh or Alqūsh is one of the most famous Assyrian towns in Iraq. It is located 30 kilometers north of Mosul. The name Alqosh is derived from a compound Assyrian Akkadian name Eil-Kushtu, where"Eil" means God and "Kushtu" means righteousness or power...
of
AssyriaAssyria was a civilization centered on the Upper Tigris river, in Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times in history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
and
CapharnaumCapernaum was a settlement on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The site is a ruin today, but was inhabited from 150 BC to about AD 750....
of northern
GalileeGalilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country...
.
Nahum was a
minor prophetA minor prophet is one of the writings in the Twelve Prophets section of the Hebrew Bible, also known to Christians as the Minor Prophets of the Old Testament...
whose prophecy is recorded in the
Hebrew BibleThe Hebrew Bible is a term referring to the books of the Jewish Bible as originally written mostly in Biblical Hebrew with some Biblical Aramaic...
. His
bookThe book of Nahum is a book in the Bible's Old Testament and Jewish Tanakh. It stands seventh in order among what are known as the twelve Minor Prophets.- Author and Context :...
comes in chronological order between
MicahThe Book of Micah is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, traditionally attributed to Micah the Prophet.-Authorship:...
and
HabakkukHabakkuk or Havakuk was a prophet in the Hebrew Bible. The etymology of the name of Habakkuk is not clear. The name is possibly related to the Akkadian khabbaququ, the name of a fragrant plant, or the Hebrew root חבק, meaning "embrace"...
in the
BibleThe Bible contains the central religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. Modern Judaism generally recognizes a single set of canonical books known as the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, as it is written almost entirely in the Hebrew language, with some small portions in Aramaic...
. He wrote about the end of the Assyrian Empire, and its capital city,
NinevehNineveh , an "exceeding great city", as it is called in the Book of Jonah, lay on the eastern bank of the Tigris in ancient Assyria, across the river from the modern-day major city of Mosul, Iraq.-Geography:Ancient Nineveh's mound-ruins of Kouyunjik and Nabī Yūnus are located...
, in a vivid poetic style.
Little is known about Nahum’s personal history. His name means "comforter," and he was from the town of Alqosh, (
NahThe book of Nahum is a book in the Bible's Old Testament and Jewish Tanakh. It stands seventh in order among what are known as the twelve Minor Prophets.- Author and Context :...
1:1) which scholars have attempted to identify with several cities, including the modern
`AlqushAlqōsh or Alqūsh is one of the most famous Assyrian towns in Iraq. It is located 30 kilometers north of Mosul. The name Alqosh is derived from a compound Assyrian Akkadian name Eil-Kushtu, where"Eil" means God and "Kushtu" means righteousness or power...
of
AssyriaAssyria was a civilization centered on the Upper Tigris river, in Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times in history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
and
CapharnaumCapernaum was a settlement on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The site is a ruin today, but was inhabited from 150 BC to about AD 750....
of northern
GalileeGalilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country...
. He was a very nationalistic Hebrew however and lived amongst the Elkoshites in peace. His writings could be taken as prophecy or as history. One account suggests that his writings are a prophecy written in about 615 BC, just before the downfall of Assyria, while another account suggests that he wrote this passage as liturgy just after its downfall in 612 BC.
Historical context
Archaeological digs have uncovered the splendor of Nineveh in its zenith under
SennacheribSennacherib Sennacherib Sennacherib (Akkadian Sîn-ahhī-erība ("(Moon god) Sîn has replaced (lost) brothers for me") was the son of Sargon II, whom he succeeded on the throne of Assyria (704 – 681 BC).- Rise to power :...
(705-681 BC),
EsarhaddonEsarhaddon , was a king of Assyria who reigned 681 – 669 BC...
(681-669 BC), and
AshurbanipalAshurbanipal , also spelled Assurbanipal or Ashshurbanipal, was the son of Esarhaddon and the last great king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire...
(669-633 BC). Massive walls were eight miles in circumference. It had a water
aqueductAn aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
, palaces and a library with 20,000 clay tablets, including accounts of a creation in
Enuma ElishThe is the Babylonian creation myth . It was recovered by Henry Layard in 1849 in the ruined Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh , and published by George Smith in 1876....
and a flood in the
Epic of GilgameshThe Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem from Ancient Iraq and is among the earliest known works of literary writings. Scholars believe that it originated as a series of Sumerian legends and poems about the mythological hero-king Gilgamesh, which were gathered into a longer Akkadian poem much later;...
.
The Babylonian chronicle of the fall of Nineveh tells the story of the end of Nineveh. Naboplassar of Babylon joined forces with Cyaxares, king of the Medes, and laid siege for three months.
Assyria lasted a few more years after the loss of its fortress, but attempts by
EgyptianAncient Egypt was an ancient civilization of eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. The civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh, and...
PharaohPharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. In antiquity this title began to be used for the ruler who was the religious and political leader of united ancient Egypt. This was true only during the New Kingdom, specifically during the middle of...
Neco II to rally the Assyrians failed due to opposition from king
JosiahJosiah or Yoshiyahu was a king of Judah who instituted major reforms. Josiah is credited by some historians with having established or discovered important Jewish scriptures during the Deuteronomic reform that occurred during his rule.-Family:Josiah was the son of King Amon and Jedidah, the...
of
JudahThe Kingdom of Judah existed at two periods in Jewish history. According to the Hebrew Bible, a kingdom emerged in Judah after the death of Saul, when the tribe of Judah elevated David, who came from the Tribe of Judah, to rule over it. After seven years David became king of a reunited Kingdom of...
, and it seemed to be all over by 609 BC.
Current Status
The tomb of Nahum is supposedly inside the synagogue at
AlqoshAlqōsh or Alqūsh is one of the most famous Assyrian towns in Iraq. It is located 30 kilometers north of Mosul. The name Alqosh is derived from a compound Assyrian Akkadian name Eil-Kushtu, where"Eil" means God and "Kushtu" means righteousness or power...
, although there are other places outside Iraq that lay claim also to being the original “Elkosh” from which Nahum hailed. Alquosh was abandoned by its Jewish population in 1948, when they were expelled, and the synagogue that purportedly houses the tomb is in a poor structural state, to the extent that the tomb itself is in danger of destruction. The tomb underwent basic repairs in 1796. When all Jews were compelled to flee Alqosh in 1948, the iron keys to the tomb were handed to a
ChaldeanThe Chaldean Christians , are adherents of the Chaldean Catholic Church....
man by the name of Sami Jajouhana. Few Jews visit the historic site, yet Jajouhana continues to keep the promise he made with his Jewish friends, and looks after the tomb. A team of US/UK construction engineers, led by Huw Thomas, is currently planning ways to save the building and the tomb. Money has been allocated for proposed renovation in 2008. In secular sources, Ninaveh is first mentioned in the Code of Hammurabi(2200 B.C). Hammurabi calls himself the king who made the name of the goddess Ishthar famous in the temple of Ishthar in Ninaveh.
Liturgical commemoration
The Prophet Nahum is venerated as a
saintSaints, individuals of exceptional holiness, are significant in many religions, particularly Christianity.-General characteristics :Though the term is mostly used for Christians considered holy or virtuous, many religions use similar concepts to elevate people worthy of respect, e.g. see Hindu...
in
Eastern ChristianityEastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christian traditions and churches which developed in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Northeastern Africa and southern India over several centuries of religious antiquity. The term is generally used in Western Christianity to...
. On the
Eastern OrthodoxThe Orthodox Church, also officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to in English speaking countries as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the world's second largest Christian communion, estimated to number 225 million members...
liturgical calendarThe Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar describes and dictates the rhythm of the life of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is also shared with minor variations by the Byzantine Catholic churches that recognize the Pope of Rome...
, his feast day is December 1 (for those churches which follow the traditional
Julian CalendarThe Julian calendar, a reform of the Roman calendar, was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, and came into force in 45 BC . It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year, known at least since Hipparchus...
, December 1 currently falls on December 14 of the modern
Gregorian CalendarThe Gregorian calendar is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was first proposed by the Calabrian doctor Aloysius Lilius, and decreed by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, on 24 February 1582 by the papal bull Inter gravissimas...
). He is commemorated with the other minor
prophetIn religion, a prophet is a person who has been contacted by, or has encountered, the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other humans...
s in the
Calendar of saints-January:*1 Third Day of the Fast of the Nativity*2 Fourth Day of the Fast of the Nativity*3 Fifth Day of the Fast of the Nativity*4 Sixth Day of the Fast of the Nativity*5 Eve of the Nativity and Theophany of our Lord Jesus Christ...
of the
Armenian Apostolic ChurchThe Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...
on July 31.
External links