Home About Us Our Publications Make a
Donation Email: glenn.benson@yourbrotherglenn.org
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
(Romans
8:2)
Obadiah
the Prophet Wikipedia
Obadiah
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Obadiah
Prophet
Born Unknown
Died Unknown
Venerated in Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Rastafari
Feast 19 November
(Catholic, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox churches)
Major works Book of
Obadiah
Obadiah (/oʊbəˈdaɪ.ə/; Hebrew: עֹבַדְיָה
ʿŌḇaḏyā or עֹבַדְיָהוּ
ʿŌḇaḏyāhū; "servant/slave of Yah"),
also known as Abdias,[2] is a biblical prophet. The authorship of the Book 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 between Yehud and the Edomites in the fifth and fourth centuries
BCE and evolved through a process of redaction.[4][5]
Biblical account
Main article: Book of Obadiah
Dating
The composition date is disputed and difficult to determine
due to the lack of information regarding the prophet Obadiah. However, because
Obadiah wrote about Edom, there are two generally accepted dates. The first is
853841 BC, when Jerusalem was invaded by Philistines and Arabs during the
reign of Jehoram of Judah (recorded in 2 Kings 8:2022 and 2 Chronicles
21:8-17). This earlier period would place Obadiah as a contemporary of the
prophet Elijah. Jewish traditions favor the earlier date because the Jewish
Talmud identifies Obadiah as an Edomite himself, and a descendant of Eliphaz
the Temanite,[6] the first of the friends of Job to speak with him about his
tribulations.[7]
The other is 607586 BCE, when Jerusalem was attacked by
Nebuchadnezzar II of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, which led to the Babylonian
captivity (recorded in Psalm 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 (... so
Pseudo-Epiphanius...).
Rabbinic tradition
Vision of Obadiah
According to the Talmud, Obadiah is said to have been a
convert to Judaism from Edom,[9] a descendant of Eliphaz, the friend of Job. He
is identified with the 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 son Jehoram.[12]
Obadiah's fear of God was one degree higher than that of Abraham; and if the
house of Ahab had been capable of being blessed, it would have been blessed for
Obadiah's sake.[9]
Christian tradition
In some Christian traditions he is said to have been born
in "Sychem" (Shechem), and to have been the third captain sent out by
Ahaziah against Elijah.[13][14] The date 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 a saint by several Eastern churches. His
feast day is celebrated on the 15th day of the Coptic Month Tobi (23/24
January) in the Coptic Orthodox Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church and those
Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite celebrate his memory
on 19 November. (For those churches which follow the traditional Julian
Calendar, 19 November currently falls on 2 December of the modern Gregorian
Calendar.)
He is celebrated on 28 February in the Syriac and Malankara
Churches, and with the other Minor prophets in the Calendar of saints of the
Armenian Apostolic Church on 31 July.
According to an old tradition, Obadiah is buried in
Sebastia, at the same site as Elisha and where later the body of John the
Baptist was believed to have been buried by his followers.[15]
Islamic tradition
In Islam, Adbiyya ibn Shāmiyya (Arabic: عَوبِديا
بن شامِيَة) is considered
to be an Israʼiliyyat prophet sent to guide the Bani-Israel possibly in
the era of the Prophet Ilyās (Elijah) or shortly after.[citation needed]
Some Islamic scholars identify the prophet Dhu al-Kifl with Obadiah.[16]