Joel (prophet)
Template:Short description Template:Infobox saint
Joel (Template:IPAc-en; Template:Langx – Yōʾēl; Template:Langx – Iōḗl; Template:Langx – Yu'il) is a Biblical prophet, the second of the Twelve Minor Prophets, and, according to itself, the author of the Book of Joel, which is set in the early Assyrian period. Scholars meanwhile view the Book of Joel as having been completed in the Ptolemaic period (c. 301-201 BC) due to its use of earlier texts and perspective on Yahweh and the nations.<ref>“Joel.” Hagedorn, Anselm C. The Oxford Handbook of the Minor Prophets. Edited by Julia M. O'Brien. pp. 411–423. “The book's engagement with earlier texts ( especially those relating to the ‘Day of Yahweh’) attests to its late origin, and its ending reflects late theological thinking about the relationship between Israel and the nations, portraying Yahweh as the ruler of the whole world…These theological debates point to a very late origin of Joel 2:28-3:21 [Heb. chaps. 3-4]. The universal judgment of the nations probably belongs to discourse of the late Persian period (Steck 1996), while the vision of Joel 2:28-32 [Heb. chap. 3] may best be understood during the relative peace of Ptolemaic times.”</ref>
NameEdit
Joel is mentioned by name only once in the Hebrew Bible, in the introduction to that book, as the son of Pethuel (Joel 1:1). The name combines the covenant name of God, YHWH (or Yahweh), and El (god), and has been translated as "YHWH is God" or "one to whom YHWH is God," that is, a worshiper of YHWH.<ref name="biblecommenter.com" />
LifeEdit
Some commentators suggest that Joel lived in the 9th century BC,<ref name="biblecommenter.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> whereas others assign him to the 5th or 4th century BC.Template:Sfn The dating of his book is similarly debated; there are no mentions of kings that might help locate it in time. The book's mention of Greeks<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> has not given scholars any help in dating the text since the Greeks were known to have had access to Judah from Mycenaean times (c. 1600–1100 BC).Template:Sfn However, the book's mention of Judah's suffering<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> and to the standing temple<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> have led some scholars to place the date of the book in the post-exilic period, after the construction of the Second Temple.Template:Citation needed Joel was originally from Judah/Judea, and, judging from its prominence in his prophecy, was quite possibly a prophet associated with the ritual of either Solomon's or the Second temple, depending on the date when he lived.Template:Sfn
According to a long-standing tradition, Joel was buried in Gush Halav.<ref name="jewishvirtuallibrary.org" /> In the western outskirts of the modern village, there is a structure that has long been considered Joel's tomb, which contains several ancient rock-cut tombs.<ref>Cinamon, G. (2013). Gush Halav. Hadashot Arkheologiyot: Excavations and Surveys in Israel/חדשות ארכיאולוגיות: חפירות וסקרים בישראל.</ref>
In ChristianityEdit
On the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar, his feast day is 19 October.<ref name="oca.org" />
In the Roman Martyrology, the prophet is commemorated on 13 July.<ref name="boston-catholic-journal.com"/>
He is commemorated with the other minor prophets in the Calendar of saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on 31 July.
Joel's statement that "I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions" was applied by St Peter in his sermon at Pentecost to the events of that day.<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref>
According to the Eastern Orthodox Christian hymns, the ancient hymnographer Anatolius links Joel's prophecy to the birth of Christ. In Joel 2:30, he says that the blood refers to the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the fire to the Divinity of Christ, and the pillars of smoke to the Holy Spirit.<ref name="oca.org" />
In the Baháʼí FaithEdit
Joel is considered a minor prophet in the Baháʼí Faith.Template:Sfn In the Kitab-i-Iqan, Baha'ullah states that previous prophecies by minor prophets such as Joel have symbolic meanings and significance and therefore should not be understood literally.Template:Sfn
ReferencesEdit
CitationsEdit
SourcesEdit
External linksEdit
- Four Prophets at Chabad.org
Template:Prophets of the Tanakh
Template:Extra-Quranic Prophets of Islam
Template:Catholic saints