Obadiah | |
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.jpg) The Prophet Obadiah byJames Tissot, c. 1900 | |
| Prophet | |
| Died | Unknown |
| Venerated in | Judaism Christianity Islam Rastafari |
| Feast | 19 November (Catholic, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox churches) 15 Tobi (Coptic) |
| Attributes | Prophet with his index finger of his right hand pointing upward[1] |
| Major works | Book of Obadiah |
Obadiah (/oʊbəˈdaɪ.ə/;Hebrew:עֹבַדְיָה –ʿŌḇaḏyā orעֹבַדְיָהוּ –ʿŌḇaḏyāhū; "servant/slave ofYah"), also known asAbdias,[2] is abiblicalprophet. The authorship of theBook of Obadiah is traditionally attributed to the prophet Obadiah.
Most scholars date the Book of Obadiah to shortly after the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BC.[3] Other scholars hold that the book was shaped by the conflicts betweenYehud and the Edomites in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE and evolved through a process ofredaction.[4][5]
The composition date is disputed and difficult to determine due to the lack of information regarding the prophet Obadiah. However, because Obadiah wrote aboutEdom, there are two generally accepted dates. The first is 853–841 BC, whenJerusalem was invaded by Philistines and Arabs during the reign ofJehoram of Judah (recorded in2 Kings 8:20–22 and2 Chronicles 21:8-17). This earlier period would place Obadiah as a contemporary of the prophetElijah. Jewish traditions favor the earlier date because the Jewish Talmud identifies Obadiah as an Edomite himself, and a descendant ofEliphaz the Temanite,[6] the first of the friends ofJob to speak with him about his tribulations.[7]
The other is 607–586 BCE, whenJerusalem was attacked byNebuchadnezzar II of theNeo-Babylonian Empire, which led to theBabylonian captivity (recorded inPsalm 137). The later date would place Obadiah as a contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah.The Interpreters' Bible states that:
The political situation implied in the prophecy points to a time after the Exile, probably in the mid-fifth century B.C. No value can be attributed to traditions identifying this prophet with King Ahab's steward (... so Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 39b) or with King Ahaziah's captain (... soPseudo-Epiphanius...).
- — The Interpreters' Bible.[8]
According to theTalmud, Obadiah is said to have been a convert to Judaism fromEdom,[9] a descendant ofEliphaz, the friend ofJob. He is identified withthe Obadiah who was the servant of Ahab, and was chosen to prophesy against Edom because he was himself an Edomite.
Obadiah is supposed to have received the gift of prophecy for having hidden the "hundred prophets"[10] from the persecution of Jezebel.[9] He hid the prophets in two caves, so that if those in one cave should be discovered those in the other might yet escape.[11]
Obadiah was very rich, but all his wealth was expended in feeding the poor prophets, until, in order to be able to continue to support them, finally he had to borrow money at interest from Ahab's sonJehoram.[12] Obadiah's fear of God was one degree higher than that ofAbraham; and if the house of Ahab had been capable of being blessed, it would have been blessed for Obadiah's sake.[9]
In some Christian traditions he is said to have been born in "Sychem" (Shechem), and to have been the third captain sent out byAhaziah againstElijah.[13][14] Thedate of his ministry is unclear due to certain historical ambiguities in the book bearing his name, but is believed to be around 586 B.C.
He is regarded as asaint by several Eastern churches. Hisfeast day is celebrated on the 15th day of the Coptic MonthTobi (23/24 January) in theCoptic Orthodox Church. TheEastern Orthodox Church and thoseEastern Catholic Churches which follow theByzantine Rite celebrate his memory on 19 November. (For those churches which follow the traditionalJulian Calendar, 19 November currently falls on 2 December of the modernGregorian Calendar.)
He is celebrated on 28 February in theSyriac andMalankara Churches, and with the otherMinor prophets in theCalendar of saints of theArmenian Apostolic Church on 31 July.
According to an old tradition, Obadiah is buried inSebastia, at the same site asElisha and where later the body ofJohn the Baptist was believed to have been buried by his followers.[15]
InIslam, Adbiyya ibn Shāmiyya (Arabic: عَدْبِيَة بن شامِيَة) is considered to be anIsraʼiliyyatprophet sent to guide theBani-Israel possibly in the era of the ProphetIlyās (Elijah) or shortly after.[citation needed] Some Islamic scholars identify the prophetDhu al-Kifl with Obadiah.[16]
The constant quarrels between the Persian province Yehud and the Edomites in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE should hence be seen as the delivery room for the traditions leading to the book of Obadiah. This book articulates and ventilates the way in which the inhabitants of Jerusalem and surroundings found a way to cope with the Edomite threat. Not a single event but a string of events stands at the background of this biblical book. This also indicates that Obadiah in its present form is the final product of a process of redaction and rewriting.
Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "Obadiah".The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Hirsch, Emil G.; Ochser, Schulim (1905)."Obadiah". InSinger, Isidore; et al. (eds.).The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 369.| International | |
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