The Holy Prophet Avvakum (Habbakuk)
Commemorated on December 2
The Holy Prophet Avvakum (Habbakuk), one of the 12 Minor
Prophets, was descended from the Tribe of Simeon, and he prophesied in about
the year 650 B.C.
The Prophet Avvakum foresaw the
destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, the Babylonian Captivity and the later
return of the captives to their native-land. During the time of the war with
the Babylonians the prophet withdrew to Arabia, where with him there occurred
the following miracle. When he was bringing dinner to the reapers, he met with
an Angel of the Lord, and instantly by the strength of his spirit he was
transported to Babylon, where at the time the Prophet Daniel was languishing in
prison. Thus, the food, intended for the reapers, assuaged the hunger of the
exhausted Prophet Daniel. After the end of the war with the Babylonians, the
Prophet Avvakum returned to his fatherland and died in extreme old age. His
relics were found at the time of the holy Constantinople Emperor Theodosius he
Younger (408-450).
© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.
