Prophet Haggai
Date of celebration: 16/12
The Prophet Haggai came from the Priestly tribe of Levi and is the 10th of the minor so-called prophets. He was born in Babylon, during the captivity of the Jews.
Haggai was the one who, together with the prophet Zechariah, rekindled the zeal of the Jews for the rebuilding of Solomon’s Temple. The prophetic book of Haggai is divided into two chapters and has a simple and austere style. Because Haggai came from a Levite family, when he died, he was buried in the tombs of the Priests.
But this is also what he advises the Priests: “Thus are all the works of their hands, and whoever touches them will be offended because of the words of their scribes” (Haggai, 2:14). Thus, says Haggai, is the case with all the works of these hands. That is, any Priest who is contaminated by bribes that he took in the morning, or by other sins and disobediences that he committed, if he touches the altar he will defile it. In other words, his offering will be considered pollution.
