Deliver of Malachie

The delivers of Malachie is a book of the Old Testament.

The book of " Malachie " is a completely anonymous book. Indeed, it is not a question of a proper name, but simply of a common noun meaning “the envoy”. The book does not have any autobiographical section and the author does not give any information on his identity. The attempts to identify this anonymity with some known character (Esdras e.g.) are pure assumptions resting on no conclusive element. One has indices on the other hand allowing to propose a dating. Indeed, the worship functions again normally and the destruction of Edom appears quite advanced, which already brings us at the beginning of fifth century BC. The situation of the clergy seems very problematic because of decline and of the relaxation, which aims one time rather far away from the enthusiasm of restartings of the worship in Israel. One is in fact in the same context as that of the books of Esdras and Néhémie (social injustices, problem of the mixed marriages…) and perhaps one can date this book a few years before the intervention from Néhémie (-445), probably towards -460. But the activity of the prophet probably proceeded over several years or same decades, and last oracles can be posterior with this intervention.

Main roads of prophecy

Malachie insists much on the dysfunctions of the worship and invites its listeners to cure it promptly: to pay said them, to offer victims of good quality… He denounces frauds which are as many attempts to mislead God. The prophet also attacks the question of the mixed marriages, i.e. between a Jew and pagan. He falls under the prospect for the books of Esdras and of Néhémie and particularly attacks those which do not hesitate to repudiate their Jewish wife to marry foreign. Lastly, he announces it near come the Sunday. One day of judgment which will be preceded by the arrival, or rather the return of the prophet Elie. This advertisement of Malachie will involve much speculations which one finds in the New Testament (for example: : 11 And they asked him this question: " Why the scribes say do that Élie must come initially? " 12 He says to them: " Yes, Élie must come initially and all to give in order. And how is it written of the Son of man that it must much suffer and be scorned? 13 But I say it to you: Élie well already came and they treated it with their own way, as he is written of him. ")

Summary

The book or the prophecy of Malachie seems to follow four broad topics: (1) Sins of Israel: Badly 1:6 - 2: 17; 3:8 - 9; (2) The judgments which will fall down on Israel because of its disobedience: Badly 1:14; 2:2 - 3, 12; 3:5; (3) Promises in the event of obedience: Badly 3:10 - 12, 16-18; 4:2 - 3; and (4) prophecies relative to Israel: Badly 3:1 - 5, 4:1, 5-6.

In its prophecy, Malachie speaks about Jean-Baptiste (Badly 3:1; MT 11:10), of the law of the dîme (Badly 3:7 - 12), of the second arrival of the Lord (Badly 4:5) and the return of Élie (Badly 4:5 - 6).

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