Jeremiah - Jeremiah

One of the great prophets in the Old Testament. He began his prophetic work in 627 BC during the reign of King Josiah at the end of the Kingdom of Judah. ​​At that time, the Assyrian Empire was in decline, and Nabopolassar, who founded the Neo-Babylonian Empire, and Cyaxares, the founder of the Median Empire, cooperated to defeat the Assyrian capital of Nineveh in 612 BC. Jeremiah was motivated by religion and aimed to restore the entire Israelite nation, including the restoration of northern Israel, which had been destroyed by Assyria about 100 years earlier. He initially supported King Josiah's religious reforms, which began in 622 BC, but he later criticized the reforms as they became more external and nationalistic, and prophesied the destruction of the temple and his homeland. He thought it was pointless to oppose the rule of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, but the kings of Judah fought against it under the direction of Egypt, and it was destroyed in 587 BC. He was convinced that his country must once again be judged by God, but he showed the people of the Kingdom of Judah a way to survive after overcoming their experience of the Babylonian captivity.

[Kenichi Kida]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

『旧約聖書』の大預言者の一人。ユダ王国末期のヨシヤ王治世下の紀元前627年に預言活動を開始した。当時はアッシリア帝国の衰退期で、新バビロニア王国をつくったナボポラサルとメディア王国の建設者キャクサレスは協力して、前612年アッシリアの都ニネベを倒している。エレミヤは宗教的な動機から、この時期に、約100年前アッシリアに滅ぼされた北イスラエルの回復をはじめ、全イスラエル民族の復興を目ざした。前622年に始まったヨシヤ王の宗教改革にも当初賛成したが、やがて改革が外面的で民族主義的に堕するのをみて批判し、神殿と祖国の破滅を預言した。そして新バビロニア王国の支配に対抗することを無意味と考えたが、ユダの王たちはエジプトの指図のもとにこれと戦って前587年滅亡した。また彼は、祖国が一度神の審判を受けねばならないと確信したが、バビロン捕囚の体験を乗り越えてユダ王国の人々が生き抜く道を示した。

［木田献一］

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