Icône russe (Église orthodoxe) du prophète Nahum, XVIIIe siècle
(Kiji, Carélie, Russie)
Russian
Orthodox icon of
the Prophet Nahum, 18th century (Iconostasis of Transfiguration Church, Kizhi Monastery, Karelia,
Russia).
Il
profeta Naum (icona ortodossa del XVIII
secolo)
Икона.
Пророк Наум. Комплект: Пророческий ряд иконостаса Преображенской церкви на о.
Кижи. Период создания:Первая четверть ХVIII в. Материал, техника:дерево,
паволока, темпера, левкас Размер:85x78x4. Место создания:[Олонецкая губ.] Номер
в Госкаталоге:6479243 Номер по КП (ГИК):Кижи КП-106/96
Saint Nahum
Prophète (VIIe siècle
av. J.-C.)
Un des douze 'petits
prophètes' de l'Ancien Testament.
Il prophétisa
l'anéantissement de Ninive et le rétablissement du royaume de Juda. Il vit
venir le messager de la paix définitive, le Messie: "Voici sur les
montagnes les pieds d'un messager de la bonne nouvelle qui annonce la
paix." (Nahum
2.1)
Commémoraison de saint
Nahoum, prophète. Au VIIe siècle avant le Christ, il fut un héraut de Dieu, un
Dieu qui régit le cours des temps et qui juge les peuples avec justice.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/9508/Saint-Nahum.html
Le Prophète Nahum, Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens / Amiens Cathedral
NAHUM
Le septième des douze
petits prophètes. Le livre est intitulé: Oracle de Ninive, livre de la
prophétie de Nahum, l'Elkosite.
Auteur.
Il ne nous est connu que
par son livre. Son nom signifie consolation, réconfort. Le terme
d'Elkosi est généralement regardé comme désignant le lieu d'origine du
prophète (Elkos), bien que le Targum en ait voulu faire une sorte de
patronyme indiquant que Nahum descendait d'un certain Kashi, personnage
d'ailleurs totalement inconnu. Mais où trouver un lieu du nom de Elkos?
Une tradition place le tombeau du prophète au Nord de Ninive, en face de
Mossoul, dans le village d'Alkousch, sur la rive E. du Tigre, ce qui
ferait de Nahum un descendant des Israélites déportés après la prise de
Samarie (722). Seulement, cette tradition ne remonte pas au delà du
XVI° siècle de notre ère, et rien n'oblige à penser que Nahum ait
habité l'Assyrie. Ninive était assez connue pour qu'un contemporain de
sa décadence pût en parler en termes généraux. On a voulu voir dans
le Capernaüm des évangiles le «village de Nahum». D'autres, sur la
foi de Jérôme, ont recherché un Elkos en Galilée supérieure, et l'ont
cru retrouver dans Elkoset, près de Rama. Mais rien non plus n'oblige
à regarder notre prophète comme étant d'origine galiléenne. Enfin, on
a relevé l'existence d'un Elkos près de Beit Djibrin, à mi-chemin
entre Jérusalem et Gaza. Nahum serait alors un Judéen de la tribu
de Siméon, ce qui, sans être certain, paraît assez vraisemblable.
Cette indication apparaît d'ailleurs dans une version syriaque
des biographies de prophètes attribuées à Epiphane, évêque de
Salamine (Chypre), en 367. Ce qui est certain, c'est que le livre de Nahum
est l'oeuvre d'un patriote. Il y est fait mention de Basan, du Carmel,
du Liban (1:4), et c'est là un cliché classique dans l'A.T. Quant à
la réconfortante exhortation par laquelle débute le chap. 2 (1:15 de
la Vers. Syn.), c'est expressément à Juda qu'elle s'adresse. On peut donc
admettre l'origine judéenne de Nahum.
Date.
Josèphe (Ant., IX,
12) dit que la ruine de Ninive fut consommée 115 ans après la prédiction
de Nahum. Mais on ne peut accepter cette indication sans contrôle: né en
l'an 37 de notre ère, Josèphe ne disposait pas d'autres documents que ceux que
nous connaissons, et il a écrit en apologiste pour donner aux Romains une
idée favorable de sa nation; quand il ajoute quelque chose à la Bible, il
le tire soit de l'opinion courante à son époque, soit de rapprochements
fictifs, et il semble bien que ce soit le cas ici. Ce chiffre de 115 ans
entre la prophétie et la ruine de Ninive ferait de Nahum un contemporain
de Jotham (759-743). Les anciens chronologistes, se fondant sans
doute sur cette indication de Josèphe, plaçaient la ruine de Ninive en
625, de sorte que Nahum aurait prophétisé vers 740, ce qui reporte
en effet au règne de Jotham. Mais il est bien évident que la
prophétie de Nahum doit se placer entre le saccagement de Thèbes
(No-Amon), mentionné comme accompli (3:8), et la ruine de Ninive annoncée,
donc, en prenant les dates fournies par les chronologistes modernes, entre
664 et 612. On a pensé que Nahum avait écrit vers 660, à cause de
sa description de la prise de Thèbes supposée récente; mais,
d'autre part, on a regardé le passage 3:2 et suivant comme faisant
allusion au blocus de Ninive par Cyaxare, ce qui donne la date de 645
(cf. Huart, La Perse antique, Paris 1925, p. 37). Il est permis
de chercher à préciser davantage. Si les passages: «Célèbre tes fêtes,
ô Juda, accomplis tes voeux», et ce car l'Éternel va rétablir la
gloire de Jacob et la gloire d'Israël» (Na 2:1 du texte hébreu et
Na 1:15 de la Vers. Syn.), peuvent être acceptés comme
faisant allusion aux espoirs qu'avait fait naître l'avènement de
Josias (640-609), après le règne de l'odieux Amon, fils de Manassé,
comme c'est la douzième année de son règne que Josias commence
à «rechercher le Dieu de David», et la dix-huitième qu'il restaure
le Temple et le culte (2Ch 34:31), c'est donc entre 628 et 622 qu'il
conviendrait de placer l'oracle de Nahum. Cela correspond d'ailleurs assez
bien à d'autres indices.
La force assyrienne n'a
pas encore trop décliné au temps d'Assourbanipal (669-625); mais quand
celui-ci meurt, c'est l'un de ses fils, le faible Assour-étel-ilâni, qui
lui succède; et c'est alors que le déclin se précipite. Le mot du
prophète: «Tu n'auras plus de descendants qui portent ton nom» (Na 1:14),
s'applique mieux à ce dernier souverain qu'à son père. Il n'était pas
difficile, alors, de prophétiser la chute prochaine, de Ninive, puisque
déjà les Mèdes, un moment retardés par une attaque à revers des
Scythes, inquiètent l'Assyrie. Si la mention du messager de paix qui vient
par les montagnes (du N., seule route possible d'invasion) n'est pas
un pur cliché (cf. Esa 52:7 et Ro 10:15), elle pourrait désigner
l'adversaire qui, précisément parce qu'il menace l'Assyrie, apparaît au
voyant de Juda comme un messager de bonne nouvelle. C'est, en effet,
l'époque où les Scythes pénètrent en Palestine, attirés par les richesses
de l'Egypte conquise par Assourbanipal. Mais comme ils suivent la côte
méditerranéenne, ils ne constituent pas un danger direct pour Juda. Il
paraît donc raisonnable de situer l'oracle de Nahum un peu après 625, sous
le règne du successeur d'Assourbanipal.
Etat du texte.
Le texte de Nahum paraît
en plusieurs endroits assez maltraité, notamment dans le premier chapitre.
On en donne pour raison que cette partie du livre, dont le début se
présente comme un poème alphabétique (voir art.) interrompu, a subi des
remaniements: et, de plus, l'ordre alphabétique est considéré comme
l'indice d'une composition tardive. Cet argument n'est pas irrésistible.
On trouve, à la vérité, dans cette partie du livre, des traces
d'ordre alphabétique: le verset 2 commence par
un aleph, un beth se trouve au milieu du verset 3,
un gimel au début du verset 4, et ainsi de suite jusqu'au v. 11,
qui commence par un mem, ce qui fait 13 lettres sur les 22 de
l'alphabet hébreu. Au delà, on ne distingue plus l'ordre alphabétique qui,
pour être normal, doit comporter les 22 lettres, une au début de chacune
des divisions métriques. On peut donc se demander si ce qui est tardif
ici, ce ne serait pas un essai de restauration d'un texte plus complet,
ou d'introduction de la forme alphabétique amorcée par la
présence, peut-être purement fortuite, d'un commencement de cette
forme employée, comme on le sait, dans plusieurs psaumes et ailleurs.
En tout cas, la forme alphabétique dans ce morceau de Nahum ne
peut suffire à établir de façon sûre sa composition tardive, car
on connaît des exemples de cette forme antérieurs à l'exil
(722), notamment les Ps 9 et Ps 10 qui, réunis, forment un acrostiche
alphabétique, et qui sont nettement pré-exiliques. Mais il reste que le
texte paraît avoir subi des remaniements, des transpositions de mots,
peut-être des additions de stances qui déterminent pour le traducteur cet
embarras qui se trahit dans Sg. par des points de suspension, et dans la
Vers. Syn. par l'addition, d'ailleurs justifiée, de mots qui ne sont pas
dans le texte, et qui sont ajoutés pour éclairer le sens (ô Ninive, v. 11;
ô Juda, v. 13; peuple de Ninive, v. 14). Malgré ces difficultés, l'unité
du livre ne paraît pas devoir être mise en cause; elle n'a du reste pas
été victorieusement combattue.
Contenu.
Le livre comprend trois
chapitres de longueur à peu près égale et qui suivent assez exactement
l'ordre des idées. Le tout s'ordonne en 2parties: la première englobe les 2
premiers chap.; la seconde est formée par le chap. 3. La première partie
débute par une sorte d'introduction psalmique: (Na 1:1,8) Jéhovah, Dieu
«jaloux», lent à la colère, ne laisse pas le mal impuni; il est bon pour
ceux qui se confient en lui, mais il poursuit ses ennemis jusque dans
les ténèbres. On reconnaît là des expressions courantes du langage
des prophètes. Puis vient un premier tableau où ce qui vient d'être
dit est appliqué à des cas particuliers (Na 1:9,14) pour amener
à cette question: Que pensez-vous de Jéhovah? L'ennemi s'avance, et le prophète
s'adresse à lui pour lui prédire la vanité de ses efforts. C'est dans
cette partie que le texte semble avoir été perturbé. On y rencontre des
images d'un réalisme marqué, obtenues à l'aide de véritables jeux de mots
impossibles à rendre autrement qu'en périphrases, comme celle où les
Ninivites sont représentés vautrés dans leurs orgies et entrelacés comme
des tas d'épines. Aussi l'Éternel va-t-il les humilier «pour n'avoir plus
à les humilier par la suite», c'est-à-dire définitivement, de sorte que ce
peuple, ou le trône d'Assyrie, n'aura plus de descendants portant le nom
d'Assur. Le deuxième tableau (attaque, prise et pillage de Ninive) s'ouvre
par l'annonce d'un porteur de bonnes nouvelles arrivant sur les
montagnes et par l'invitation à Juda de rétablir son culte, ce qui est,
sans doute, une allusion à la réforme de Josias; puis vient
une description rapide, et très réaliste aussi, de l'investissement
de Ninive. Certains détails frappent par leur précision. Telle
est l'allusion aux «lions» (Na 2:12 et suivant). Les
souverains assyriens affectionnaient la chasse de ces fauves, et l'on sait
que le lion (voir ce mot) tenait une grande place dans l'art
sculptural de leur pays. Mais le lion qui «déchirait pour ses petits,
étranglait pour ses lionnes», qui «remplissait de proies ses antres,
de dépouilles ses tanières», va être dévoré à son tour, et
l'on n'entendra plus la voix de ses messagers.
Le 3e chap, forme un tout
à part: c'est un second oracle sur Ninive, plein, lui aussi, d'images
réalistes. Ce morceau constitue un des plus saisissants tableaux de
bataille de la littérature hébraïque. Dans la «ville sanguinaire, pleine
de mensonge, de violences, et qui ne cesse de se livrer à la
rapine», voici que soudain on entend «le bruit du fouet, des roues, le
galop des chevaux, le roulement des chars...» (Na 3:2 et
suivant). C'est à cause des «nombreuses prostitutions de la prostituée»,
dont l'exemple fascinait les peuples, que la prostituée sera traitée
en prostituée, c'est-à-dire offerte en spectacle, nue et dépouillée
(Na 3:5 et suivant). Et l'on n'aura pas pitié d'elle. No-Amon a déjà eu ce
sort (664). «Es-tu meilleure que No-Amon?» Cependant elle est partie pour
l'exil (Na 3:8,10). Il faut donc que Ninive se prépare à subir le même
sort. Tandis que les Mèdes rôdent autour d'elle, on tremble parmi le
peuple (Na 3:13); les marchands, les notables, les princes mêmes
s'agitent. Ils sont comme les sauterelles posées sur les haies et les
murs, et qui, au matin, ouvrent leurs ailes et s'envolent (Na 3:17). C'est
ironiquement que le prophète invite les Ninivites à réparer les brèches
faites à leurs murailles. Mais il n'est déjà plus temps de fouler l'argile
et de cuire des briques (Na 3:14). Le roi d'Assyrie ne peut
plus compter sur personne et c'est à lui directement que le
prophète s'adresse en terminant: personne ne le plaindra, car quel est
celui que sa méchanceté n'a pas atteint? (Na 3:19)
Si Nahum apparaît plutôt
comme un patriote, il ne faudrait pas en conclure que son livre n'a qu'une
valeur restreinte comme livre prophétique. On y retrouve les
préoccupations des prophètes de l'époque: Jéhovah est le grand vengeur des
iniquités. Certes, Nahum n'est pas tendre pour Ninive. Il est visiblement
emporté par son indignation. Mais si elle se traduit âprement, elle se
justifie par le souci de l'homme de Dieu. Sophonie, qui prophétisera un
peu plus tard, complétera le tableau en prolongeant le jugement de Dieu
sur Juda et Jérusalem. Et c'est un «reste» qui recueillera un jour le
fruit des promesses. Ch. S.
SOURCE : http://456-bible.123-bible.com/westphal/3664.htm
Nicholas
de Verdun. Sculpture du prophète Nahum, sanctuaire des Trois Mages, Cathédrale
de Cologne
Sculpture
of the prophet Nahum by Nicholas of Verdun on the shrine of the Three Magi in
Cologne Cathedral
LIVRE DE NAHUM
Chapitre I
01 PROCLAMATION sur
Ninive. Livre de la vision de Nahoum, du village d’Elqosh.
02 Un Dieu jaloux et
vengeur, tel est le Seigneur ! Il se venge, le Seigneur, il est empli de
fureur ! Le Seigneur se venge de ses adversaires, lui, il garde rancune à
ses ennemis.
03 Le Seigneur est
lent à la colère, et sa puissance est grande, mais il ne laisse absolument rien
d’impuni, lui, le Seigneur. Dans l’ouragan et la tempête, son chemin ! La
nuée est la poussière que soulèvent ses pas.
04 Il menace la mer
et la dessèche, il fait tarir tous les fleuves. Le Bashane et le Carmel sont
flétris, flétrie, la fleur du Liban !
05 Les montagnes tremblent
devant lui, les collines chancellent, la terre se soulève devant sa face, le
monde et tous ses habitants.
06 Devant son
indignation, qui peut tenir ? Qui peut se dresser devant l’ardeur de sa
colère ? Sa fureur se répand comme le feu, et les rochers se brisent
devant lui.
07 Le Seigneur est
bon, c’est une forteresse au jour de la détresse. Il protège ceux qui se
réfugient en lui,
08 quand déborde le
flot impétueux. Il réduit à néant ceux qui se dressent contre lui, il poursuit
ses ennemis jusqu’aux ténèbres.
09 Quelle idée vous
faites-vous du Seigneur ? C’est lui qui réduit à néant Ninive ; vous
ne connaîtrez pas une nouvelle détresse.
10 Tels des fourrés
d’épines enchevêtrées, tels des liserons entrelacés, tes ennemis seront dévorés
comme de la paille bien sèche.
11 Le voici loin de
toi celui qui trame le mal contre le Seigneur, l’homme aux projets de vaurien.
12 Ainsi parle le
Seigneur : Si nombreux et si prospères soient-ils, ils seront fauchés et
ils disparaîtront. Si je t’ai humiliée, désormais je ne t’humilierai plus.
13 Et maintenant, je
vais briser le joug qui pèse sur toi, et rompre tes chaînes.
14 Voici ce que le
Seigneur a décrété contre le roi de Ninive : Nulle descendance ne
perpétuera ton nom. De la maison de tes dieux je supprimerai les idoles,
qu’elles soient sculptées ou en métal fondu. Je te prépare un tombeau car tu es
méprisable.
Chapitre II
01 Voici sur les
montagnes les pas du messager qui annonce la paix. Célèbre tes fêtes, ô Juda,
accomplis tes vœux, car le Mauvais ne recommencera plus à passer sur toi :
il a été entièrement anéanti.
02 Et voici contre
toi ceux qui veulent te détruire. Monte la garde au rempart, surveille la
route, ceinture-toi les reins, rassemble toutes tes forces.
03 Le Seigneur
revient. Avec lui, la splendeur de Jacob comme celle d’Israël, alors que les
pillards les avaient pillés et avaient ravagé leurs vignobles.
04 Le bouclier de
ses guerriers rougeoie, ses soldats sont vêtus d’écarlate. Les chars flamboient
de tous leurs aciers quand ils montent en ligne, et les coursiers s’agitent.
05 Dans les rues,
les chars foncent avec furie, ils se précipitent vers les places ; à les
voir, on dirait des torches, comme des éclairs, ils zigzaguent.
06 On fait appel aux
troupes d’élite ; dans leur course elles trébuchent, elles se hâtent vers
le rempart. On met en place le bouclier de protection.
07 Les portes qui
donnent sur le Fleuve s’ouvrent, le palais vacille et s’effondre.
08 La Princesse est
déportée ; ses servantes sont emmenées, elles gémissent comme des
colombes, elles se frappent la poitrine.
09 Ninive est comme
un réservoir dont les eaux s’échappent. « Arrêtez, arrêtez ! »
Mais nul ne se retourne.
10 Pillez
l’argent ! Pillez l’or ! C’est un trésor inépuisable, une richesse
inimaginable d’objets précieux !
11 Pillage, saccage,
ravage ! Le cœur fond, les genoux flageolent. Tremblement des reins !
Tous les visages changent de couleur.
12 Où est le repaire
des lions, l’antre des lionceaux ? La lionne restait là quand partait le
lion, et nul n’inquiétait les lionceaux.
13 Pour ses petits,
le lion déchirait ; pour ses lionnes, il étranglait ; il remplissait
de proies ses tanières, et de viande déchirée ses antres.
14 Maintenant je
m’adresse à toi, Ninive – oracle du Seigneur de l’univers – : Je ferai
flamber tes chars et les réduirai en fumée ; tes lionceaux, l’épée les
dévorera. Je supprimerai de la terre tes rapines, et l’on n’entendra plus la
voix de tes messagers.
Chapitre III
01 Malheur à la
ville sanguinaire toute de mensonge, pleine de rapines, et qui ne lâche jamais
sa proie.
02 Écoutez !
Claquements des fouets, fracas des roues, galop des chevaux, roulement des
chars !
03 Cavaliers qui
chargent, épées qui flamboient, lances qui étincellent ! Innombrables
blessés, accumulation de morts, cadavres à perte de vue ! On bute sur les
cadavres !
04 Voilà pour les
prostitutions sans nombre de la Prostituée, belle et pleine de charme,
maîtresse en sortilèges, prenant des nations dans ses filets par ses
prostitutions, et des peuples par ses sortilèges !
05 Maintenant je
m’adresse à toi – oracle du Seigneur de l’univers – : je vais relever
ta robe jusqu’à ton visage, j’exhiberai ta nudité devant les nations, devant
les royaumes ton infamie.
06 Je vais jeter sur
toi des choses horribles, te déshonorer, te donner en spectacle.
07 Tous ceux qui te
verront s’enfuiront en disant : « Ninive est dévastée ! Qui la
plaindra ? » Où donc te trouver des consolateurs ?
08 Vaudrais-tu mieux
que la ville de No-Amone, située le long du Nil, entourée d’eau, avec pour
avant-mur la mer, et la mer encore pour rempart ?
09 L’Éthiopie et
l’Égypte étaient sa force, une force sans limite. Pouth et les Libyens lui
portaient assistance.
10 Or elle a été
condamnée à l’exil, elle est partie en captivité : ses petits enfants
eux-mêmes ont été massacrés à tous les carrefours. Ses notables, on les a tirés
au sort, et tous ses grands ont été chargés de chaînes.
11 Toi aussi, tu
seras ivre, complètement hébétée. Toi aussi, tu chercheras un refuge loin de
l’ennemi.
12 Tes places fortes
sont toutes comme des figuiers chargés de fruits précoces : on les secoue,
les figues tombent dans la bouche de qui les mange.
13 Regarde les
troupes qui sont dans tes murs, ce sont de vraies femmelettes. Les portes de
ton pays s’ouvrent toutes grandes à l’ennemi ; le feu a dévoré tes
verrous.
14 Puise de l’eau en
prévision du siège, consolide tes places fortes. Va dans la boue, foule
l’argile, saisis le moule à briques.
15 Là, le feu te
dévorera, l’épée te supprimera, comme dévorent les criquets. Pullule comme les
criquets, pullule comme les sauterelles !
16 Tu as multiplié
tes marchands plus que les étoiles du ciel, les criquets déploient leurs ailes,
ils s’envolent.
17 Tes gardes sont
comme des sauterelles, tes recruteurs comme un essaim d’insectes. Ils campent
sur les murs par un jour de froid ; vienne le soleil, ils s’envolent, et
nul ne sait où ils se trouvent. Mais où sont-ils ?
18 Tes bergers
sommeillent, ô roi d’Assour, tes capitaines sont endormis, tes troupes sont
dispersées sur les montagnes, et nul ne les rassemble.
19 À ta blessure,
pas de remède, ta plaie est incurable ! Tous ceux qui apprennent de tes
nouvelles applaudissent des deux mains à ton sujet. Car ta cruauté, sur qui
n’a-t-elle pas passé, et repassé ?
SOURCE : https://www.aelf.org/bible/Na/1
O
profeta menor Nahún, na Porta Santa da Catedral de Santiago de Compostela.
Le saint prophète
Nahum
fête le 1er décembre
Un prophète du VIIe
siècle
Dans l'Histoire Sainte,
Dieu parlait par les événements. Les prophètes, par ces événements, devinaient
les intentions de Dieu. Le VIIe siècle fut le temps pendant lequel les
Assyriens devinrent le peuple le plus puissant de tout l'Ancien Orient. Cette
puissance assyrienne atteint son apogée. Elle s'étend même jusqu'en Égypte.
Peu avant l'époque du prophète Nahum, en 664, les armées assyriennes pénètrent
en Égypte, et s'emparent de Thèbes, la capitale. Sous la conduite du roi
Assurbanipal, les Assyriens pillent la ville.
Mais au bout d'un certain
temps, il devient impossible de maintenir cet énorme empire, les Assyriens étant
trop éloignés de leur pays.
En 626, le roi
Assurbanipal meurt. L'empire assyrien tombe en décadence. Le trône est une
source de rivalités, d'intrigues. Profitant de la faiblesse de l'Assyrie, les
peuples voisins en profitent pour l'attaquer. Babyloniens et Mèdes envahissent
le royaume assyrien, s'emparent de la capitale Ninive, en 612, et finissent par
se partager le pays en 609. Le Pharaon Néchao II tente de résister à la
montée de la puissance babylonienne, mais il est vaincu à Karkémish en 605, par
le roi Nabuchodonosor. Babylone devient alors l'empire qui domine le Proche Orient,
à la fin du VIIe siècle.
Le royaume de Juda au
VIIe siècle
Au moment où l'Assyrie
est au sommet de sa puissance, règnent le roi Manassé (687-642), puis son fils Amon
(642-640). Ces deux rois sont soumis aux Assyriens par une vassalité étroite.
Cette soumission est même religieuse, et s'implante à Jérusalem le paganisme
assyrien. Manassé et Amon ont été les rois les plus impies de l'Histoire
d'Israël. Le paganisme s'était infiltré jusqu'au sein du Temple. Les Israélites
y honoraient des divinités assyriennes. À cette époque, l'esprit prophétique ne
se manifeste pas. Il réapparaît sous la minorité du roi Josias.
Ce roi Josias profitera
de la décadence assyrienne pour entreprendre une œuvre de rénovation politique
et religieuse. À ce moment, une nouvelle vague de prophètes arrive :
Sophonie, Nahum, Habaquq et Jérémie. Mais la renaissance du royaume de Juda
sera de courte durée. Josias est tué par le pharaon Néchao. Des successeurs
faibles précipitent la ruine de Juda. En 586, Jérusalem est prise par Nabuchodonosor
et c'est la déportation.
Époque de la prédication
du prophète Nahum
Nahum prêche un peu plus
tard que le prophète Sophonie. Il connaît la prise de Thèbes par les armées
assyriennes. Il connaît aussila mort d'Assurbanipal qui est, en quelque sorte,
le point de départ de ladécadence très rapide du royaume assyrien. Dès ce
moment-là, le prophète annonce la fin de la puissance assyrienne. La capitale
Ninive va tomber et sa chute entraîne la disparition de tout l'empire assyrien.
Donc, Nahum a prêché aux alentours de l'année 620.
Personnalité du prophète
On ne connaît pas la
généalogie de Nahum. On ne connaît que son nom : Nahum, ce qui signifie la
même chose que Néhémie, c'est-à-dire "Yahvé console" ou "Yahvé a
consolé". Aussi, saint Jérôme a-t-il appelé Nahum "consolator",
le prophète qui console.
On connaît aussi le nom
de sa patrie (chapitre Ier, verset 1), Elqosh, mais on ne sait pas où se
trouvait cette ville. Plusieurs hypothèses ont été avancées depuis l'antiquité.
Tantôt on place Elqosh près du Néguev, tout à fait dans le sud ; tantôt,
au contraire, comme saint Jérôme, on la place en Galilée. La science actuelle
renonce à localiser cette ville avec exactitude.
Le livre de Nahum et son
contenu
Contenu : Le livre
débute par un psaume alphabétique à acrostiche, dans lequel il est question de
la chute d'un tyran. Tout le corps du livre est une annonce de la chute
imminente de l'empire assyrien, de la prise de la capitale Ninive, de son
pillage et de la disparition du royaume oppresseur.
Message religieux du
livre de Nahum
Le livre est écrit par un
Israélite patriote. Il chante la fidélité de Dieu à ses promesses. Le prophète
affirme que c'est Dieu qui mène l'Histoire. En parlant des péchés que l'empire
assyrien a commis et du châtiment que ces péchés ont suscité, Nahum atteste
qu'il existe des crimes collectifs, des crimes historiques, et que s'il y a des
crimes commis par des individus, il y a aussi des crimes qui sont commis par
des peuples, des nations, et que ces crimes, eux aussi, relèvent de la justice
divine.
Avant la révolution
russe, on commençait à apprendre à lire aux petits enfants, le jour de la date
du prophète Nahum.
Source : cours d'Alexis
Kniazeff
SOURCE : http://www.crypte.fr/synaxaire/prophete-nahum.html
Bleiglasfenster
in der Pfarrkirche Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles in Paris (1.
Arrondissement), Chorfenster (Ausschnitt), Darstellung: Augustinus (rechts), Prophet Nahum (links)
NAHUM LIVRE DE
Le prophète biblique
Nahum (en hébreu, nahum, « consolé », terme voisin de
« Néhémie » ou de « Menahem », mots construits sur le même
verbe, naham, « consoler ») est peu connu. Sans doute était-il
judéen et s'est-il manifesté peu avant ~ 612 (date de la chute de Ninive),
peut-être après ~ 616 seulement, tandis que la ruine de l'Assyrie était
toute proche. Selon le livre qui porte son nom et que l'on a classé dans
la Bible parmi les Douze Petits
Prophètes, son ministère était en relation avec les activités cultuelles du
sanctuaire (certains ont vu dans ce livre une liturgie d'action de grâces pour
la chute de Ninive). Le livre de Nahum peut être divisé en trois parties. La
première (i, 2-8) est un poème alphabétique, interrompu à la lettre kaph,
sur le thème de la colère de Yahvé. La deuxième (i, 9-ii, 3) comporte une série
d'oracles mélangés, de bonheur pour Juda (i, 12 et 13 ; ii, 1 et 3)
et de malheur pour Ninive (i,
9-11 et i, 14), écrits probablement peu de temps avant la chute de Ninive.
La troisième (ii, 4-iii, 19) est un poème sur la chute de Ninive, unique dans
la Bible par sa vigueur (il rappelle le mouvement du cantique de Deborah, dans
le livre
des Juges, v). Par ses chants de louange, cette œuvre célèbre
cultuellement le règne de Yahvé dans l'histoire et même dans l'univers.
L'accent patriotique y est très fort : la chute de Ninive, modèle d'un
monde qui s'oppose au Dieu d'Israël, signifie le triomphe de Yahvé et de son
peuple chosi. La justice se manifeste chez ce dernier et l'impiété chez les
Assyriens, que Dieu va châtier. À travers cette passion nationale, que commande
une tension politique internationale portée à son paroxysme, c'est toute une
théologie de l'histoire qui s'affirme sur le mode prophétique.
André PAUL,
« NAHUM LIVRE DE », Encyclopædia Universalis [en
ligne], consulté le 2 décembre 2015. URL : http://www.universalis.fr/encyclopedie/livre-de-nahum/
SOURCE : http://www.universalis.fr/encyclopedie/livre-de-nahum/
Nahum (Menologion
of Basil II).
Константинополь.
985 г. Миниатюра Минология Василия II. Ватиканская библиотека. Рим. 985, http://digi.vatlib.it/view/MSS_Vat.gr.1613/0183?sid=a7590df9b8aca22111c8359533716419
Also known as
Naum
Profile
Old Testament minor prophet. His short prophecy is
directed against Niniveh, whose destruction he warned of and saw.
Born
northern Palestine
c.660 BC
Additional Information
Book of
Nahum, Douay-Rheims Version, 1899 American
Edition
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Encyclopedia
Britannica, 1911 edition
Roman
Martyrology, 1914 edition
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other sites in english
Wikipedia: Nahum
Wikipedia: Book of Nahum
images
sitios en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti in italiano
MLA Citation
“Nahum the Prophet“. CatholicSaints.Info. 7
December 2025. Web. 11 May 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/nahum-the-prophet/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/nahum-the-prophet/
Baldini,
Baccio (Florence, vers 1436 - Florence, 12–12–1487), Les Prophètes,
Nahum. Dix-huitième numéro d'une suite de 24 pièces (Bartsch 18), estampe, Petit
Palais, musée des Beaux-arts de la Ville de Paris - https://www.parismuseescollections.paris.fr/fr/petit-palais/oeuvres/les-prophetes-nahum-dix-huitieme-numero-d-une-suite-de-24-pieces-bartsch-18#infos-principales
Article
(Saint)
Prophet. (December
1) (7th cent. B.C.) One of the Minor Prophets, supposed to have been a
native of Northern Palestine. His short prophecy of three chapters is directed
against Ninive, the great city of the Assyrians, by whom his compatriots of the
Ten Tribes were shortly after led into captivity. He lived to see come to pass
the destruction of Ninive, which he had foretold.
MLA
Citation
Monks of Ramsgate.
“Nahum”. Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info.
29 February 2016. Web. 11 May 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-nahum/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-nahum/
Francesco Rosselli / Baccio Baldini (1436–1487), The Prophet
Nahum, from Prophets and Sibyls, circa 1480, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Harris
Brisbane Dick Fund, 1929 - https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/625970
New Catholic
Dictionary – Book of Nahum
Article
A book of the Old
Testament, written between 666 or 662 B.C., when Assurbanipal took Thebes, and
the fall of Ninive (606). The author calls himself the Elcesite. The suggestion
(since the 16th century) that Elcese, or Elcesai, was in Assyria, as well as
the older theory that it was in Galilee are not very probable. The prophet was
probably a Judean, living under Manasses. Israel was already destroyed, Juda
humbled, Manasses probably a prisoner in Assyria (2 Par., 33). To console his
people he foretells the fall of Ninive, hence the title, “Burden of Ninive,” a
book of vision. It is a poetical masterpiece.
MLA
Citation
“Book of Nahum”. New Catholic Dictionary. CatholicSaints.Info.
30 August 2022. Web. 11 May 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/new-catholic-dictionary-book-of-nahum/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/new-catholic-dictionary-book-of-nahum/
New Student’s
Reference Work – Nahum
Article
Nahum, the seventh of the
minor prophets. His book is inscribed The Burden of Nineveh, the book of the
vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. Students have dated this prophecy between the
fall of Thebes (666 B. C.), which is mentioned, and 606 B. C., the date of the
destruction of Nineveh. Of Nahum’s personal history nothing is known.
MLA
Citation
“Nahum”. New Student’s Reference Work, 1914. CatholicSaints.Info.
18 February 2022. Web. 11 May 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/new-students-reference-work-nahum/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/new-students-reference-work-nahum/
Prophet
Nahum, Chorgestühl in der Reformierte
Kirche Yverdon, Spruchband: Omnes, qui audierunt auditionem tuam,
conpresserunt manum super te, quia super quem non transiit malitia tua semper?
Nahum, Prophet (RM)
Died c. 660 BC. One of
the minor prophets supposed to have been a native of northern Palestine. His
short prophecy of three chapters is directed against Niniveh, whose destruction
he lived to see (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/1201.shtml
Nahum
Icones Prophetarum Veteris Testamenti, prentmaker: Cornelis Galle (I), naar
tekening van: Jan van der Straet, uitgever: Theodoor Galle, 1613
Nahum
Nahum lived about 2600
years ago. He was a native of Elkosh (about 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem).
The Bible's book of Nahum is short in length and consists almost entirely of a
prophecy of Nineveh's destruction. It is believed that Nahum wrote his book
about two years before Nineveh was destroyed in 612 BC.
Nineveh at that time was
the capital of the Assyrian Empire, which was one of the most powerful empires
of the ancient world. The Assyrians conquered the kingdom of Israel in about
722 BC, about 2700 years ago. The conquest was as ruthless and cruel as it was
devastating.
Nahum explains that
because of Assyria's pride and cruelty in their destruction of Israel, and
because of their idolatry, treachery, superstition, and injustice, their empire
would be destroyed as punishment. In 612 BC (about 2600 years ago), a coalition
of Babylonians, Scythians and Medes conquered Nineveh.
Although we do not know
exactly when the book of Nahum was written, we do know that it contains some
long-term prophecies that we can see as being fulfilled even today. For
example, Nahum said that Nineveh's destruction would be final, and that the
city would never again regain the greatness that it once had, and that Nineveh
would never again be able to cause problems for Israel.
As we can see today,
Nahum was right. Nineveh was never again a world power. And today, it is little
more than an archaeological site. In contrast, Israel is again a nation, and a
relatively prosperous one at that.
God's holiness, justice
and power are the foundation of the Nahum's prophetic book. God rules over all
the earth, even over those who do not acknowledge Him. Along with Nahum's
writings about the destruction of Nineveh, there is also a message of hope
shines through. God is slow to anger (Nahum 1:3) and good (Nahum 1:7) and
offers good tidings to those who want His blessings (Nahum 1:15).
Nahum, means
"Comforted". His book is the seventh of the twelve minor prophets.
SOURCE : https://www.aboutbibleprophecy.com/p52.htm
Interior
of Igreja da Misericórdia de Esposende Portugal.
Nahum
One of the Prophets of
the Old
Testament, the seventh in the traditional list of the twelve Minor Prophets.
Name
The Hebrew name,
probably in the intensive form, Nahhum, signifies primarily
"full of consolation or comfort", hence "consoler" (St.
Jerome, consolator), or "comforter". The name Nahum was
apparently of not rare occurrence. Indeed, not to speak of a certain Nahum
listed in the Vulgate and Douay
Version (Nehemiah
7:7) among the companions of Zorobabel, and whose name seems to have been
rather Rehum (Ezra
2:2; Heb. has Rehum in both places), St.
Luke mentions in his genealogy
of Our Lord a Nahum, son of Hesli and father
of Amos (iii, 25); the Mishna also occasionally refers to Nahum
the Mede, a famous rabbi of the second century (Shabb., ii, 1,
etc.), and another Nahum who was a scribe or copyist (Peah, ii,
6); inscriptions show likewise the name was not uncommon among Phoenicians (Gesenius,
"Monum. Phoen.", 133; Boeckh, "Corp. Inscript.
Graec.", II, 25, 26; "Corp. Inscript. Semitic.", I, 123
a3 b3).
The prophet
The little we know touching
the Prophet Nahum must be gathered from his book, for nowhere else in
the canonical Scriptures does his name occur, and
extracanonical Jewish writers are hardly less reticent. The scant
positive information vouchsafed by these sources is in no wise supplemented by
the worthless stories concerning the Prophet put into circulation by
legend-mongers. We will deal only with what may be gathered from
the canonical Book of Nahum, the only available first-hand
document at our disposal. From its title (i,1), we learn that Nahum was an
Elcesite (so D. V.; A. V., Elkoshite). On the true import
of this statement commentators have not always been of one mind.
In the prologue to his commentary of the book, St.
Jerome informs us that some understood 'Elqoshite as a patronymic
indication: "the son of Elqosh"; he, however, holds the commonly
accepted view that the word 'Elqoshite shows that the Prophet was
a native of Elqosh.
But even understood in
this way, the intimation given by the title is disputed
by biblical scholars. Where, indeed, should this Elqosh, nowhere
else referred to in the Bible,
be sought?
Some have tried to
identify it with 'Alqush, 27 miles north of Mossul,
where the tomb of Nahum
is still shown. According to this opinion, Nahum was born in Assyria,
which would explain his perfect acquaintance with the topography and
customs of Ninive exhibited in the book. But such an acquaintance may have been
acquired otherwise; and it is a fact that the tradition connecting
the Prophet Nahum with that place cannot be traced back beyond the
sixteenth century, as has been
conclusively proven by Assemani. This opinion is now
generally abandoned by scholars.
Still more recent and
hardly more credible is the view advocated by Hitzig and Knobel, who hold
that Elqosh was the old name of the town
called Capharnaum (i.e., "the village of Nahum") in
the first century: a Galilean origin, they claim, would well account
for certain slight peculiarities of the Prophet's diction
that smack of provincialism. Apart from the somewhat precarious etymology, it
may be objected against this identification that Capharnaum, however well
known a place it was at the New
Testament period, is never mentioned in earlier times, and, for all
we know,
may have been founded at a relatively recent date; moreover, the priests and
the Pharisees would
most likely have asserted less emphatically "that out of Galilee a prophet riseth
not" (John
7:52) had Capharnaum been associated with
our Prophet in the popular mind.
Still, it is in Galilee that St.
Jerome located the birthplace of Nahum ("Comment.
in Nah." in P.L., XXV, 1232), supposed to be Elkozeh, in
northern Galilee;
but "out of Galilee doth
a prophet rise?"
might we ask again.
The author of the
"Lives of the Prophets" long attributed to St.
Epiphanius tells us "Elqosh was beyond Beth-Gabre, in the tribe
of Simeon" (P.G., XLIII, 409). He unquestionably means
that Elqosh was in the neighbourhood of Beth-Gabre (Beit
Jibrin), the ancient Eleutheropolis, on the borders
of Juda and Simeon. This view has been adopted in
the Roman Martyrology (1 December; "Begabar" is
no doubt a
corrupt spelling of Beth-Gabre), and finds more and
more acceptance with modern scholars.
The book
Contents
The Book of Nahum
contains only three chapters and may be divided into two distinct parts.
The one, including i and
ii, 2 (Heb., i-ii, 1-3), and the other consisting of ii,1, 3-ii (Heb., ii, 2,
4-iii). The first part is more undetermined in tone and character. After
the twofold title indicating the subject-matter and the author of the book (i,
1), the writer enters upon his subject by
a solemn affirmation of what he calls
the Lord's jealousy and revengefulness (i, 2, 3), and
a most forceful description of the fright which seizes all nature at
the aspect of Yahweh coming
into judgment (i, 3-6). Contrasting admirably with this
appalling picture is the comforting assurance of God's loving-kindness
towards His true and
trustful servants (7-8); then follows the announcement of the destruction of
His enemies, among whom a treacherous, cruel, and god-ridden city, no doubt Ninive
(although the name is not found in the text), is singled out and irretrievably
doomed to everlasting ruin (8-14); the glad tidings of the oppressor's fall is
the signal of a new era of glory for the people of God (1:15;
2:2; Hebrews
2:1, 3).
The second part of the
book is more directly than the other a "burden of Ninive"; some of
the features of the great Assyrian city
are described so accurately as to make all doubt impossible,
even if the name Ninive were not explicitly mentioned in ii, 8. In a first
section (ii), the Prophet dashes off in a few bold strokes three
successive sketches: we behold the approach of the besiegers, the assault on
the city, and, within, the rush of its defenders to the walls (2:1, 3-3; Hebrews
2:2, 4-6); then the protecting dams and sluices of the Tigris
being burst open, Ninive, panic-stricken, has become an easy prey to the
victor: her most sacred places are profaned, her vast treasures
plundered (6-9); Heb., 7-10); and now Ninive, once the den where the lion
hoarded rich spoils for his whelps and his lionesses, has been swept
away forever by the mighty hand of the God of hosts (10-13; Hebrews
11-13). The second section (iii) develops with new details the same theme.
The bloodthirstiness, greed,
and crafty and insidious policy of Ninive are the cause of her
overthrow, most graphically depicted (1-4); complete and shameful will be her
downfall and no one will utter a word of pity (5-7).
As No-Ammon was mercilessly crushed, so Ninive
likewise will empty to the dregs the bitter cup of the divine
vengeance (8-11). In vain does she trust in her strongholds, her warriors, her
preparations for a siege, and her officials and scribes (12-17). Her
empire is about to crumble, and its fall will be hailed by the triumphant
applause by the whole universe (18-19).
Critical questions
Until a recent date,
both the unity and authenticity of
the Book of Nahum were undisputed, and the objections alleged by
a few against the genuineness of the words "The burden of
Ninive" (i, 1) and the description of the overthrow
of No-Ammon (iii, 8-10) were regarded as trifling cavils not worth
the trouble of an answer. In the last few years, however, things have taken a
new turn: facts hitherto unnoticed have added to the old problems concerning
authorship, date, etc. It may be well here for us to bear in mind the
twofold division of the book, and to begin with the second part (ii, 1, 3-iii),
which, as has been noticed, unquestionably deals with the overthrow of Ninive.
That these two chapters of the prophecy constitute a unit
and should be attributed to the same author, Happel is the only one
to deny; but his odd opinion, grounded on unwarranted alterations of the text,
cannot seriously be entertained.
The date of
this second part cannot be determined to the year; however, from the data
furnished by the text, it seems that a sufficiently accurate approximation is
obtainable. First, there is a higher limit which we have no right to
overstep, namely, the capture of No-Ammon referred to in iii, 8-10.
In the Latin
Vulgate (and the Douay
Bible) No-Ammon is translated by Alexandria, whereby St.
Jerome meant not the great Egyptian capital
founded in the fourth century B.C., but an older city occupying the site where
later on stood Alexandria ("Comment. in Nah.", iii,8: P.L.,
XXV, 1260; cf. "Ep. CVIII ad Eustoch.", 14: P.L., XXII, 890; "In
Is.", XVIII: P.L., XXIV, 178; "In Os.", IX, 5-6: P.L., XXV,
892). He was mistaken, however, and so were who thought
that No-Ammon should be sought in Lower Egypt; Assyrian and Egyptian discoveries
leave no doubt whatever
that No-Ammon is the same as Thebes in Upper Egypt.
Now Thebes was captured and destroyed by Assurbanipal in 664-663
B.C., whence it follows that the opinion of Nicephorus (in the
edition of Geo. Syncell, "Chronographia", Bonn, 1829, I, 759),
making Nahum a contemporary of Phacee, King of Israel, the
early tradition according to which this prophecy was
uttered 115 years before the fall of Ninive (about 721 B.C.; Josephus,
"Ant. Jud.", IX, xi, 3), and the conclusions of those modern scholars
who, as Pusey,
Nagelsbach, etc., date the oracle in
the reign of Ezechias or the earlier years of Manasses, ought to
be discarded as impossible. The lower limit which it is allowable to assign to
this part of the book of Nahum is, of course, the fall of Ninive, which a
well-known inscription of Nabonidus permits us to fix at 607 or 606
B.C., a date fatal to the view adopted by Eutychius,
that Nahum prophesied five years after the downfall of Jerusalem (therefore
about 583-581; "Annal." in P.G., CXI, 964).
Within these limits it is
difficult to fix the date more precisely. It has been suggested that
the freshness of the allusion to the fate of Thebes indicates
an early date,
about 660 B.C., according to Schrader and Orelli; but
the memory of such a momentous event would long dwell in
the minds of men, and we find Isaias, for instance, in one
of his utterances delivered about 702 or 701 B.C. recalling with the same
vividness of expression Assyrian conquests achieved thirty or forty
years earlier (Isaiah
10:5-34). Nothing therefore compels us to assign, within the limits set
above, 664-606, an early date to
the two chapters, if there are cogent reasons to conclude to a later date.
One of the arguments advanced is that Ninive is spoken of as having lost a
great deal of her former prestige and sunk into a dismal state of
disintegration; she is, moreover, represented as beset by mighty enemies and
powerless to avert the fate threatening her.
Such conditions existed when, after the death of
Assurbanipal, Babylonia succeeded
in regaining her independence (625), and the Medes aims a first blow
at Ninive (623). Modern critics appear more and more inclined
to believe that the data furnished by the Prophet lead to
the admission of a still lower date, namely "the moment between the
actual invasion of Assyria by
a hostile force and the commencement of the attack on its capital"
(Kennedy). The "mauler", indeed, is already on his way (2:1; Hebrews
2); frontier fortresses have opened their gates (iii, 12-13); Ninive is at
bay, and although the enemy has not yet invested the city, to all appearances
her doom is sealed.
We may now return to the
first part of the book. This first chapter, on account of the
transcendent ideas it
deals with, and of the lyric enthusiasm which pervades it throughout has not
inappropriately been called a psalm. Its special interest lies
in the fact that it is an alphabetical poem. The first to call
attention to this feature was Frohnmeyer, whose observations, however, did
not extend beyond vv. 3-7. Availing himself of this key, Bickell endeavoured
to find out if the process of composition did not extend to the whole passage
and include the twenty-two letters of the alphabet, and he attempted
repeatedly but without great success ("Zeitschr. der deutsch.
morg. Gesell.", 1880, p. 559; "Carmina Vet. Test. metrice",
1882; "Zeitschr. fur kath. Theol.", 1886), to restore the psalm to
its pristine integrity. This failure did not discourage Gunkel who declared
himself convinced that the poem is alphabetical throughout, although
it is difficult, owing to the present condition of the text, to trace
the initial letters X to X (Zeitschr. fur alttest. Wissensch., 1893, 223
sqq.). This was for Bickell an
incentive to a fresh study (Das alphab. Lied in Nah. i-ii, 3, in
"Sitzungsberichte der philos.-hist. Classe der kaiser. Akademie der
Wissensch.", Vienna,
894, 5 Abhandl.), the conclusions of which show a notable improvement on
the former attempts, and suggested to Gunkel a
few corrections (Schopfung und Chaos, 120). Since
then Nowack (Die kleinen Propheten,
1897), Gray ("The Alphab. Poem in Nah." in
"The Expositor" for Sept. 1898, 207
sqq.), Arnold (On Nahum
1:1-2:3,
in "Zeitschr. fur alttest. Wissensch.", 1901, 225
sqq.), Happel (Das Buch des Proph. Nah., 1903), Marti
(Dodekaproph. erklart, 1904), Lohr (Zeitschr. fur
alttest. Wissensch., 1905, I, 174), and Van Hoonacker (Les douze petits
proph., 1908), have more or less successfully undertaken the difficult task
of extricating the original psalm from the textual medley
in which it is entangled. There is among them, a sufficient agreement as to the
first part of the poem; but the second part still remains a classical ground
for scholarly tilts.
Wellhausen (Die kleinen
Proph., 1898) holds that the noteworthy difference between the two parts from
the point of view of poetical construction is due to the fact that the
writer abandoned halfway his undertaking to write
acrostically. Happel believes both parts were worked out
separately from an unacrostic original.
Critics are inclined
to hold that the disorder and corruption which disfigure the poem are mostly
due to the way it was tacked on to the prophecy of Nahum: the
upper margin was first used, and then the side margin; and as, in the latter
instance, the text must have been overcrowded and blurred, this later
on caused in the second part of the psalm an inextricable
confusion from which the first was preserved. This explanation of the
textual condition of the poem implies the assumption that
this chapter is not to be attributed to Nahum, but is a later
addition. So much indeed was granted by Bickell,
and Van Hoonacker (not to speak of non-Catholic scholars) is inclined to a like
concession. On the one hand, the marked contrast between the abstract tome of
the composition and the concrete character of the other
two chapters, we are told, bespeaks a difference of authorship; and, on
the other hand, the artificiality of the acrostic form is
characteristic of a late date. These arguments, however, are not
unanswerable. In any case it cannot be denied that the psalm is a
most fitting preface to the prophecy.
Little will be found in
the teaching of the book of Nahum that is really new and original. The
originality of Nahum is that his mind is so engrossed by
the iniquities and impending fate of Ninive, that he
appears to lose sight of the shortcomings of his own people. The doom of Ninive
was nevertheless in itself for Juda an object-lesson which the
impassioned language of the Prophet was well calculated to impress
deeply upon the minds of thoughtful Israelites.
Despite the uncertainty of the text in several places, there is no doubt that
the book of Nahum is truly "a masterpiece" (Kaulen)
of literature. The vividness and picturesqueness of
the Prophet's style have already been pointed out; in his few short,
flashing sentences, most graphic word-pictures, apt and forceful figures,
grand, energetic, and pathetic expressions rush in, thrust vehemently upon one
another, yet leaving the impression of perfect naturalness. Withal
the language remains ever pure and classical, with a tinge of partiality for
alliteration (i, 10; ii, 3, 11) and the use of prim and rare idioms;
the sentences are perfectly balanced; in a word Nahum is a
consummate master of his art, and ranks among the most accomplished writers of
the Old
Testament.
Souvay,
Charles. "Nahum." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol.
10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 2 Dec.
2015 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10670a.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Sean Hyland.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2020 by Kevin
Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10670a.htm
Profeta
Naum - Doze profetas de Aleijadinho Congonhas Minas Gerais
Statue
du prophète Nahum, sculptée par Aleijadinho, devant l'église du sanctuaire du Bon
Jésus de Matosinhos à Congonhas, Minas Gerais, Brésil
1:1 The burden of Ninive.
The book of the vision of Nahum the Elcesite.
1:2 The Lord is a jealous
God, and a revenger: the Lord is a revenger, and hath wrath: the Lord taketh
vengeance on his adversaries, and he is angry with his enemies.
1:3 The Lord is patient,
and great in power, and will not cleanse and acquit the guilty. The Lord’s ways
are in a tempest, and a whirlwind, and clouds are the dust of his feet.
1:4 He rebuketh the sea,
and drieth it up: and bringeth all the rivers to be a desert. Basan languisheth
and Carmel: and the flower of Libanus fadeth away.
1:5 The mountains tremble
at him, and the hills are made desolate: and the earth hath quaked at his
presence, and the world, and all that dwell therein.
1:6 Who can stand before
the face of his indignation? and who shall resist in the fierceness of his anger?
his indignation is poured out like fire: and the rocks are melted by him.
1:7 The Lord is good and
giveth strength in the day of trouble: and knoweth them that hope in him.
1:8 But with a flood that
passeth by, he will make an utter end of the place thereof: and darkness shall
pursue his enemies.
1:9 What do ye devise
against the Lord? he will make an utter end: there shall not rise a double
affliction.
1:10 For as thorns
embrace one another: so while they are feasting and drinking together, they
shall be consumed as stubble that is fully dry.
1:11 Out of thee shall
come forth one that imagineth evil against the Lord, contriving treachery in
his mind.
1:12 Thus saith the Lord:
Though they were perfect: and many of them so, yet thus shall they be cut off,
and he shall pass: I have afflicted thee, and I will afflict thee no more.
1:13 And now I will break
in pieces his rod with which he struck thy back, and I will burst thy bonds
asunder.
1:14 And the Lord will
give a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name shall be sown: I
will destroy the graven and molten thing out of the house of thy God, I will
make it thy grave, for thou art disgraced.
1:15 Behold upon the
mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, and that preacheth peace:
O Juda, keep thy festivals, and pay thy vows: for Belial shall no more pass
through thee again, he is utterly cut off.
2:1 He is come up that
shall destroy before thy face, that shall keep the siege: watch the way,
fortify thy loins, strengthen thy power exceedingly.
2:2 For the Lord hath
rendered the pride of Jacob, as the pride of Israel: because the spoilers have
laid them waste, and have marred their vine branches.
2:3 The shield of his
mighty men is like fire, the men of the army are clad in scarlet, the reins of
the chariot are flaming in the day of his preparation, and the drivers are
stupefied.
2:4 They are in confusion
in the ways, the chariots jostle one against another in the streets: their
looks are like torches, like lightning running to and fro.
2:5 He will muster up his
valiant men, they shall stumble in their march: they shall quickly get upon the
walls thereof: and a covering shall be prepared.
2:6 The gates of the
rivers are opened, and the temple is thrown down to the ground.
2:7 And the soldier is
led away captive: and her bondwomen were led away mourning as doves, murmuring
in their hearts.
2:8 And as for Ninive,
her waters are like a great pool, but the men flee away. They cry: Stand,
stand, but there is none that will return back.
2:9 Take ye the spoil of
the silver, take the spoil of the gold: for there is no end of the riches of
all the precious furniture.
2:10 She is destroyed,
and rent, and torn: the heart melteth, and the knees fail, and all the loins
lose their strength: and the faces of them all are as the blackness of a
kettle.
2:11 Where is now the
dwelling of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions, to which the
lion went, to enter in thither, the young lion, and there was none to make them
afraid?
2:12 The lion caught enough
for his whelps, and killed for his lionesses: and he filled his holes with
prey, and his den with rapine.
2:13 Behold I come
against thee, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will burn thy chariots even to
smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey
out of the land, and the voice of thy messengers shall be heard no more.
3:1 Woe to thee, O city
of blood, all full of lies and violence: rapine shall not depart from thee.
3:2 The noise of the
whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the neighing horse,
and of the running chariot, and of the horsemen coming up,
3:3 And of the shining
sword, and of the glittering spear, and of a multitude slain, and of a grievous
destruction: and there is no end of carcasses, and they shall fall down on
their dead bodies.
3:4 Because of the
multitude of the fornications of the harlot that was beautiful and agreeable,
and that made use of witchcraft, that sold nations through her fornications,
and families through her witchcrafts.
3:5 Behold I come against
thee, saith the Lord of hosts: and I will discover thy shame to thy face, and
will shew thy nakedness to the nations, and thy shame to kingdoms.
3:6 And I will cast
abominations upon thee, and will disgrace thee, and will make an example of
thee.
3:7 And it shall come to
pass that every one that shall see thee, shall flee from thee, and shall say:
Ninive is laid waste: who shall bemoan thee? whence shall I seek a comforter
for thee?
3:8 Art thou better than
the populous Alexandria, that dwelleth among the rivers? waters are round about
it: the sea is its riches, the waters are its walls.
3:9 Ethiopia and Egypt
were the strength thereof, and there is no end: Africa and the Libyans were thy
helpers.
3:10 Yet she also was
removed and carried into captivity: her young children were dashed in pieces at
the top of every street, and they cast lots upon her nobles, and all her great
men were bound in fetters.
3:11 Therefore thou also
shalt be made drunk, and shalt be despised: and thou shalt seek help from the
enemy.
3:12 All thy strong holds
shall be like fig trees with their green figs: if they be shaken, they shall
fall into the mouth of the eater.
3:13 Behold thy people in
the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open to
thy enemies, the fire shall devour thy bars.
3:14 Draw thee water for
the siege, build up thy bulwarks: go into the clay, and tread, work it and make
brick.
3:15 There shall the fire
devour thee: thou shalt perish by the sword, it shall devour thee like the
bruchus: assemble together like the bruchus, make thyself many like the locust.
3:16 Thou hast multiplied
thy merchandises above the stars of heaven: the bruchus hath spread himself and
flown away.
3:17 Thy guards are like
the locusts: and thy little ones like the locusts of locusts which swarm on the
hedges in the day of cold: the sun arose, and they flew away, and their place
was not known where they were.
3:18 Thy shepherds have
slumbered, O king of Assyria, thy princes shall be buried: thy people are hid
in the mountains, and there is none to gather them together.
3:19 Thy destruction is
not hidden, thy wound is grievous: all that have heard the fame of thee, have
clapped their hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed
continually?
– Douay-Rheims Version,
1899 American Edition
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-nahum/
James Tissot (1836–1902). Nahum (Пророк
Наум), watercolor, circa 1888, Jewish Museum
Saint
Nahum, the prophet
The Catholic Church
honors the Old Testament prophets on canon of saints, they’re listed in
the Martyrologium Romanum. Today, the Church liturgical recalls Saint
Nahum, the prophet:
Commemoratio sancti
Nahum, prophetae, qui Deum praedicavit cursum temporum regentem et populos in
iustitia iudicantem.
“The memorial of St.
Nahum, the prophet, who preached that God was ruling the path of time and was
judging the peoples in justice.”
Have you read from the
book of Nahum? Do you know where it is in the Bible? It is
between Micah and Habakkuk. He is one of the 12 minor prophets
in sacred Scripture. The prophetic message uttered by Nahum differs from
other prophets in that he does not issue a call to repentance, nor does he
denounce Israel for infidelity to God. Some scholars take Nahum’s work as
history.
Historically, there is
not much documentation on the Prophet Nahum. His name means “God consoles.” We
know that he was from the town Alqosh (what is likely now Galillee) living
close to the end of the Assyrian reign. Nahum warns Ninevah of its destruction
(612 BC).
Some members of the
Church ask Saint Nahum to intercede on behalf of those with mental disorders.
The Latin, Byzantine and Armenian Churches honor Nahum on different days.
SOURCE : http://communio.stblogs.org/index.php/2013/12/saint-nahum-prophet/
Saint
Naum Monastery
Tuesday, 01 December 2015
10:56
The sacred Liturgy, at
least the Byzantine Church, recalls the person of the Holy Prophet Nahum, whose
name means “God consoles.” The particularities of Nahum’s life are
unknown. Historically we know that the Prophet Nahum came from the village
of Elkosh (Galilee) and lived during the seventh century B.C. He died at
the age of forty-five, and was buried in his native region. He is the seventh
of the Twelve Minor Prophets. How fitting in this era of civil upheaval,
personal anxiety, and the temptation to nihilism. The liturgical remembrance of
the prophets is a little unusual for Latin Catholics but as we know, nomen
omen, the name means something, the name of a person shows that person’s
God-given mission to the world.
Scholars tell us that
Nahum is distinguished from most of the prophets because he neither issues
any call to repentance (metanoia), nor denounce Israel for their infidelity to
God. The text is one of the richest in image and composition. But in the Office
of Prophet that he exercised, Nahum did speak of the ruin of the Assyrian
city of Nineveh because of its iniquity, the destruction of the Israelite
kingdom, and the blasphemy of King Sennacherib against God. The Assyrian king
Ashurbanipal died in 632 B.C., and over the next two decades, his empire began
to crumble. Nineveh fell in 612 B.C. All this leads to the catastrophic demise
of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.
The book of Nahum places
a strong emphasis on the God’s absolute sovereignty over everything.
The Byzantine Church ask
for the Prophet Nahum and Saint Nahum of Ochrid’s (December 23) for people with
mental disorders.
SOURCE : http://communio.stblogs.org/index.php/2015/12/holy-prophet-nahum/
Profeten
Nahum / Bebådelsen / The Prophet Nahum-The Annunciation, circa 1685, tempera on poplar
panel, 97.5 x 35.5, icon
collection of Sweden National Museum, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm
1 Dec: St. Nahum, Prophet
of the Old Testment
Posted on 1 December 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf
Many Old Testament
figures are numbered among the saints by the Catholic Church. You can find them
listed in the Martyrologium Romanum.
1. Commemoratio
sancti Nahum, prophetae, qui Deum praedicavit cursum temporum regentem et
populos in iustitia iudicantem.
Yes, folks, once again
today is the feast of St. Nahum, whose book is
betwixt Micah and Habakkuk.
We don’t know much about
this figure, historically. He was from the town Alqosh close to the end of the
Assyrian reign. Like Johan, Nahum warns Ninevah of its destruction (612 BC).
Whenever I hear about
Assyrians I think of a poem by Byron called the Destruction of
Sennacherib which, though occurring earlier than Nahum, nevertheless
concerns a biblical event recounted in 2 Kings. Read it aloud for
some real fun!
THE DESTRUCTION OF
SENNACHERIB, first published in 1815
The Assyrian came down
like the wolf on the fold,
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold;
And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea,
When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee.
Like the leaves of the
forest when Summer is green,
That host with their banners at sunset were seen:
Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown,
That host on the morrow lay withered and strown.
For the Angel of Death
spread his wings on the blast,
And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed;
And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill,
And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!
And there lay the steed
with his nostril all wide,
But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride;
And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf,
And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf.
And there lay the rider
distorted and pale,
With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail:
And the tents were all silent, the banners alone,
The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown.
And the widows of Ashur
are loud in their wail,
And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal;
And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword,
Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord!
And some people think our
guardian angels are like those girly men in the cute pictures.
2
Kings 19:35-36: And that night the angel of the LORD went forth, and
slew a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians; and when
men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. Then
Sennach’erib king of Assyria departed, and went home, and dwelt at Nin’eveh.
In any event, you might
sit down with Nahum today and read for a while. Remember, there is
an indulgence available for reading Sacred Scripture!
From the Prophet Nahum:
15:Behold, on the
mountains the feet of him who brings good tidings, who proclaims peace!
Keep your feasts, O Judah, fulfil your vows, for never again shall the wicked
come against you, he is utterly cut off.
An appropriate passage
for this 1st Sunday of Advent.
About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf
Fr. Z is the guy who runs
this blog. o{]:¬)
View
all posts by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf →
SOURCE : https://wdtprs.com/2014/12/1-dec-st-nahum-prophet-of-the-old-testment-3/
Икона.
Пророк Наум. Период создания:XVI в. (?) Материал, техника:дерево, левкас,
темпера Размер:75х55 см Место создания:Центральная Россия Местонахождение
Федеральное государственное бюджетное учреждение культуры "Государственный
исторический музей" Номер в Госкаталоге:23889228 Номер по КП (ГИК):ГИМ
103794/631
Icône
du prophète Naum Date : XVIe siècle (?) Matériaux et techniques :
bois, gesso, tempera Dimensions : 75 x 55 cm Lieu de création :
Russie centrale Lieu de conservation : Musée historique d’État
(établissement public fédéral de la culture) Numéro de catalogue d’État :
23889228 Numéro KP (GIK) : GIM 103794/631
Prophet Nahum
Commemorated on December
1
The Holy Prophet Nahum,
whose name means “God consoles,” was from the village of Elkosh (Galilee). He
lived during the seventh century B.C. The Prophet Naum prophesies the ruin of
the Assyrian city of Nineveh because of its iniquity, the destruction of the
Israelite kingdom, and the blasphemy of King Sennacherib against God. The
Assyrian king Ashurbanipal died in 632 B.C., and over the next two decades, his
empire began to crumble. Nineveh fell in 612 B.C.
Nahum differs from most
of the prophets in as much as he does not issue any call to repentance, nor
does he denounce Israel for infidelity to God.
Details of the prophet’s
life are unknown. He died at the age of forty-five, and was buried in his
native region. He is the seventh of the Twelve Minor Prophets
The Prophet Nahum and St
Nahum of Ochrid (December 23) are invoked for people with mental disorders.
SOURCE : http://oca.org/saints/lives/2015/12/01/103452-prophet-nahum
A fresco from St. John the Baptist
Church in Kratovo, Macedonia
Фреска во црквата „Св. Јован Крстител“
во Кратово, Македонија
Prophet Nahum (Dec. 1)
Born of the tribe of
Simeon, this far-seeing holy man spent most of his life in the Elkosh region of
Galilee. Nahum lived about 200 years after the Prophet Jonah delivered his
eleventh-hour warnings to the morally corrupt city of Ninevah, the capital of
the Assyrian Empire. Jonah's mission had been successful (if temporarily
interrupted by an incident in which he was swallowed by a whale), and the
people of Ninevah had repented just in time to avert wholesale destruction.
Sadly, however, the
populace of the great city had slowly forgotten Jonah's message during the next
two centuries ... and now the God of the Israelites had once again demanded
that a prophet go forth to warn the Ninevites of the great danger they faced.
That prophet would be Nahum - and he would deliver a stern warning about the
earthquake, flood and fire that the city could expect, if its residents did not
immediately give up their idolatrous and immoral ways.
Sadly, the citizens of
the doomed city did not listen to Nahum. As a result, Ninevah was utterly
devastated, and even its geographical location has vanished from the map
without a trace.
When the catastrophe
finally struck the city, it was a terrible thing to witness. First a mighty
earthquake tore the earth apart, so that hundreds of residents fell screaming
into the abyss. Moments later, triggered by the earthquake, a giant tidal wave
surged from a nearby lake and slammed head-on into the shattered city. Those
who had not been crushed to death soon drowned. Finally, a roaring fire sprang
up from the surrounding wilderness and completely devoured the few remaining
human habitations. When the smoke at last cleared, no living thing moved at all
in the dead zone that had been mighty Ninevah.
Nahum was the seventh in
order among the Twelve Minor Prophets of the Bible. He prophesied during the
Age of Hezekias, part of the historical period that took place after the
destruction of Samaria, but before the abduction of the Ten Tribes of Israel.
Along with predicting the
ruin of Ninevah, the Old Testament Book of the Prophet Nahum forecast the
eventual destruction of the Israelite kingdom and the infamous blasphemy
against Jehovah by King Sennacherib. Nahum's Book contains only three chapters
and appears between Micah and Habakkuk in the Hebrew Bible. The Holy Prophet
died at age 45, according to most historians of the period, and was buried in
his native Galilee.
The life of this holy
prophet illustrates a stern but ultimately merciful principle: Those who choose
to live in opposition to the Will of God will sooner or later be forced to
endure the chaos and destruction that are the inevitable results of a godless
existence. As the Holy Prophet Nahum warns us in the Old Testament book that
bears his name: God is fearsome in wrath towards those who spurn him - but
loving and merciful to all who pray to Him in faith and reverence.
His name means “the
comforter” - but there was nothing comforting about the warnings of doom and
destruction that came from the Holy Prophet Nahum, who lived in Palestine seven
centuries before Christ.
SOURCE : http://nbvoc.orthodoxws.com/news_111126_2.html
Le
prophète Nahum, Arcibasilica Papale Romana Maggiore di San Giovanni in
Laterano
San Naum Profeta
Elcos, Galilea, VII
secolo a.C.
Martirologio
Romano: Commemorazione di san Naum, profeta, il quale predicò che Dio
regge il corso del tempo e giudica i popoli nella giustizia.
L’omonimo Libro di Naum è
il 41° del Vecchio Testamento, segue quello di Michea e precede quello di
Abacuc.
L’asprezza con cui Naum
si esprime, risente però della mentalità e del clima dell’Antico Testamento; di
questo Profeta, considerato il settimo dei profeti ‘minori’, non si sa
praticamente nulla della sua vita; egli visse nella seconda metà del VII secolo
a.C., probabilmente nello spazio di tempo che va dalla caduta di Tebe (663
a.C.), alla caduta di Ninive (612 a.C.) per mano degli eserciti babilonesi e
persiani; e nacque secondo s. Girolamo nello sconosciuto villaggio di Elcos in
Galilea.
Col suo libro o meglio
libretto profetico, composto di soli tre capitoli, egli ci offre una visuale
centrata sull’evento della distruzione della capitale assira Ninive, caduta nel
612 a.C. sotto gli assalti del re dei Medi Ciassare e di Nabopolassar fondatore
della dinastia neo-babilonese.
Il canto profetico di
Naum è tutto dedicato alla caduta e rovina dell’Assiria, la grande avversaria
d’Israele; in effetti si tratta di una lamentazione sarcastica, in cui fingendo
un lutto e un dispiacere per quella fine, in realtà ironizza ed esprime
soddisfazione per l’opera di giustizia compiuta dal Signore, contro un
oppressore così duro e crudele con Israele.
Con questo canto, la
caduta di Ninive assume il simbolo della grande vittoria che Dio riporta sul
male, e unisce la speranza per un futuro diverso per gli oppressi.
Nel poema profetico Naum
o Nahum, dipinge le vicende quasi in presa diretta, evocando anche un fatto
precedentemente accaduto, cioè la distruzione di Tebe nel 663 a.C., capitale
egiziana distrutta proprio dagli Assiri, condotti da Assurbanipal e che ora
subiscono la stessa sorte.
Gli Assiri si erano
dimostrati feroci e senza pietà, imprigionando i capi di Tebe e massacrando i
loro bambini ed ora il profeta vede le stesse distruzioni e masse di cadaveri in
Ninive, quella che fu “una città sanguinaria”.
In conclusione egli
pronuncia la sua lezione profetica ammonendo: non si può pensare di costruire
regni durevoli sulla forza, sulla prepotenza e sui misfatti, perché il Signore
è lento all’ira, ma alla fine nulla lascia impunito.
Autore: Antonio
Borrelli
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/91845
Hippolyte
Flandrin. Peinture murale de la première travée de Saint-Germain-des-Prés à
Paris (75006), côté sud. Michée, Amos, Malachie et Nahum.
Nahum
uno dei dodici profeti
minori dell'Antico
Testamento. Il suo libro non contiene dati che consentano una pur minima
ricostruzione della sua biografia (la località di Elkosh, donde proveniva, non
è stata identificata con certezza). La sua profezia contiene una serie di
oracoli indirizzati contro Ninive, della
quale si annuncia la distruzione; la sua composizione può collocarsi con
certezza tra il 663 e il 612 a. C., salva restando la possibilità che alcuni
brani dello scritto, stilisticamente non omogeneo, risalgano a epoca
posteriore. Il pensiero teologico di Nahum si pone nella linea di fondo del
profetismo veterotestamentario, che legge l'intervento di Dio negli avvenimenti
storici, anche se presenta un'impronta decisamente nazionalistica, analoga a
quella che, poco più tardi, Geremia avrebbe
denunciato come pseudoprofezia.
SOURCE : https://www.sapere.it/enciclopedia/Nahum.html
Naum, Alexandrian
World Chronicle - 3v. 5th century
NAHUM (ebraico Naḥūm)
di Giuseppe
Ricciotti
Enciclopedia Italiana
(1934)
Nome del profeta a cui è
attribuito il piccolo libro che nella raccolta dei Profeti Minori (v. bibbia,
VI, pp. 882, 884-5) occupa il settimo posto. Nulla si sa della sua persona,
salvo che era Elqoshita (Volgata, Elcesaeus; in Nahum, I,1) cioè
nativo d'un villaggio di nome Elqōsh; il quale, secondo S. Girolamo (Prol. in
Nahum), era un piccolo villaggio della Galilea, mentre secondo Epifanio (De
vitis prophet., 17) era in Giudea presso Beit Gibrīn. Questa opinione è, delle
due, la più probabile; mentre è priva di fondamento quella d'identificare detto
villaggio con l'Alqōsh posto sulla riva orientale del Tigri, a nord di Mossul,
come se N. fosse nato in Assiria.
Il Libro. - Per breve che
sia, si divide spontaneamente in due parti: I-lI,1, 3; e II, 2, 4-III.
La prima parte, assai
differente dalla seconda, descrive l'avanzarsi di Jahvè che viene a vendicare
chi ha oppresso Israele, e a restaurare la sua nazione prediletta; questa parte
non ha però nessun esplicito riferimento a un ben determinato fatto storico, ed
è di tipo piuttosto generico. Inoltre sembra certo che essa, poetica come
l'intero libro, sia stata composta originariamente in forma di acrostico
alfabetico, in modo cioè che all'inizio dei singoli stichi risultassero per
ordine tutte le lettere dell'alfabeto ebraico; tuttavia, nello stato odierno
del testo, buona parte dell'artificio acrostico è scomparsa per lo
sconvolgimento subito dal testo lungo la trasmissione manoscritta, e i critici
si sforzano in varie maniere di restaurarlo.
La seconda parte
descrive, in tante scene vigorosamente delineate, l'imminente distruzione di
Ninive, la città dominatrice dell'Asia anteriore. Contro essa marcia un potente
esercito, che la prende d'assalto e la devasta (II, 2, 4-14); la devastazione è
descritta minutamente e presentata come castigo divino per i delitti di quella
città (III,1-7); è ricordata in proposito la distruzione della grande metropoli
egiziana ho-Amon (Tebe; la Volgata falsamente Alexandria populorum),
avvenuta poco tempo prima (III,8-11); simile a quel di No-Amon sarà la sorte di
Ninive, e la sua potenza sarà distrutta (III, 12-19).
Questa seconda parte, ben
compatta e uniforme, offre una piena giustificazione al titolo premesso
all'intero libro, che dice: Vaticinio di Ninive. Libro della visione
di Nahum l'Elqoshita (I,1). Non così la prima parte, la quale con la sua
intonazione generica non ha nulla che la riporti direttamente a detto titolo. I
critici inoltre hanno rilevato che l'inizio della seconda parte è un ex
abrupto, il quale, mentre non si ricollega letterariamente con la parte
precedente, introduce improvvisamente il nuovo argomento. Da queste e altre
considerazioni, fra cui quella dell'artificio acrostico della prima parte, si
conclude oggi generalmente che la prima parte sia un'aggiunta posteriore fatta al
vaticinio su Ninive; la quale, o sarebbe stata provocata dallo stato acefalo in
cui si trovava lo scritto, ovvero anche avrebbe cagionato questa acefalia,
sostituendosi alla originaria introduzione del vaticinio stesso.
Epoca. - Un sicuro
riferimento per la data di composizione del vaticinio è la menzione della già
avvenuta distruzione di Tebe, che fu conquistata e annientata nel 663 a. C. dal
re assiro Assurbanipal. Perciò il vaticinio è posteriore a questa data; e può
essere posteriore anche di alcune decine d'anni, giacché la distruzione della
grande metropoli egiziana fu un avvenimento di eccezionale importanza, il cui
ricordo rimase vivissimo per lungo tempo nei contemporanei del mondo antico.
D'altra parte la caduta
di Ninive avvenne, secondo i documenti da pochi anni scoperti (Cronaca
babilonese del Gadd), nel mese di Ab (luglio-agosto) del 612 a. C.; perciò
prima di questa data fu scritto il vaticinio, che ha tutte le apparenze di una
descrizione di presagio, come di avvenimento imminente e ineluttabile, in cui
si risolverà fatalmente la crisi attuale. Tale crisi di Ninive e di tutta
l'Assiria era già cominciata nel 612, allorché il caldeo Nabopolassar,
governatore di Babilonia, osò portare il primo attacco contro Ninive; per
allora egli fallì, ma alleatosi con Ciassare re dei Medi, l'attacco dei due
combinato dal nord e dal sud fece cadere Ninive nell'anno suddetto.
A questo periodo, di
vibrante aspettativa per le varie popolazioni soggette alla tirannia di Ninive,
deve riportarsi il vaticinio.
La vivezza delle
descrizioni e la purità dell'ebraico adoperato fanno del libretto di N. uno dei
più fini fra i Profeti Minori.
Bibl.: Oltre alla
bibliografia comune ai Profeti Minori (v. Abacuc, Abdia, Amos, ecc.),
cfr. A. L. Williams, The minor prophets unfolded, Nahum, ecc., Londra
1920; C. J. Goslinga, Nahums Godssprach tegen Ninive, Zupthen 1923; G. W.
Steinhouse e G. W. Wade, The books of the prophets Zephania, Najum, ecc.,
Londra 1929.
© Istituto della
Enciclopedia Italiana fondata da Giovanni Treccani - Riproduzione riservata
SOURCE : https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/nahum_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)/
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