Saint Jeremiah

In the arts, Jeremiah is characterized by a text from his prophecies, traced on a cartouche, and by stones—the instrument of his death—which he holds in the folds of his robe. See the works of Michelangelo, Martin de V os, Jean Leclerc, etc.

Jeremiah, the second of the four great prophets, came from a priestly family and was born in Anathoth, a small town near Jerusalem, around the year 645 BC. He was sanctified in his mother's womb and destined from that moment for the mission he was soon to fulfill; for he began to prophesy, having barely emerged from childhood, around the year 629 BC, under the reign of Josiah, King of Judah, and he continued under his successors. The misfortunes he predicted to the Jews on behalf of God, such as the capture of Jerusalem, the captivity of its inhabitants, the plague, and other scourges, turned the leaders of the nation against him; but what brought their anger to its peak was the holy freedom with which he rebuked them for their disorders. When Jerusalem was taken, in the year 606 BC, by Nebuzaradan, general of the Babylonians, the victor left him the freedom to remain in Judea. Jeremiah took advantage of this to console and encourage those of his compatriots who had escaped death and captivity. But, as he continued to predict calamities to them as punishment for their crimes, they threw him into a pit filled with mud, and he would have perished there had it not been for a minister of King Zedekiah, who had him pulled out in time. When the Babylonians came to besiege Jerusalem again, in the year 598 BC, the holy Prophet was plunged into a dungeon, and the capture of the city restored his freedom. It was against his will, and by trampling his prophetic threats underfoot, that the Jews, to escape the tyranny of Nebuchadnezzar, emigrated to Egypt, and he was forced to accompany them with Baruch, his disciple and secretary. As he did not cease to announce to them on behalf of God the evils that were about to descend upon them, they resolved to get rid of a man who only made sinister predictions to them, and they stoned him at Daphne or Tanis, in the year 590 BC. "Christians," says Saint Epiphanius, "were accustomed to go and pray at his tomb, and the dust they took from it served as an antidote against the bite of asps." He is honored by the Greeks and the Latins; among the latter, his feast is celebrated nowhere with more pomp than in Venice, which prides itself on possessing a portion of his bones. His Prophecies, in fifty-two chapters, are followed by his Lamentations. "Jeremiah," says Saint Jerome, "has a less elevated diction than Isaiah and other prophets, but his simplicity is sometimes sublime. In his typical language, one encounters expressions full of energy. Nothing is more touching and exhales a deeper and more heartfelt sorrow than his Lamentations."

Jeremiah, the second of the four great prophets, came from a priestly family and was born in Anathoth, a small town near Jerusalem, around the year 645 BC. He was sanctified in his mother's womb and destined from that moment for the mission he was soon to fulfill; for he began to prophesy, having barely emerged from childhood, around the year 629 BC, under the reign of Josiah, King of Judah, and he continued under his successors. The misfortunes he predicted to the Jews on behalf of God, such as the capture of Jerusalem, the captivity of its inhabitants, the plague, and other scourges, turned the leaders of the nation against him; but what brought their anger to a head was the holy freedom with which he rebuked them for their disorders. When Jerusalem was taken, in the year 606 BC, by Nebuzaradan, general of the Babylonians, the victor left him the freedom to remain in Judea. Jeremiah took advantage of this to console and encourage those of his compatriots who had escaped death and captivity. But, as he continued to predict calamities to them as punishment for their crimes, they threw him into a pit filled with mud, and he would have perished there had it not been for a minister of King Zedekiah, who had him pulled out in time. When the Babylonians came again to besiege Jerusalem, in the year 598 BC, the holy Prophet was plunged into a dungeon, and the capture of the city restored his freedom. It was against his will, and by trampling upon his prophetic threats, that the Jews, to escape the tyranny of Nebuchadnezzar, emigrated to Egypt, and he was forced to accompany them there with Baruch, his disciple and secretary. As he did not cease to announce to them on behalf of God the evils that were about to descend upon them, they resolved to rid themselves of a man who only made sinister predictions to them, and they stoned him at Tahpanhes or Tanis, in the year 590 BC. "Christians," says Saint Epiphanius, "were accustomed to go and pray at his tomb, and the dust they took from it served them as an antidote against the bite of asps." He is honored by the Greeks and by the Latins; among the latter, his feast is celebrated nowhere with more pomp than in Venice, which prides itself on possessing a portion of his bones. His Prophecies, in fifty-two chapters, are followed by his Lamentations. "Jeremiah," says Saint Jerome, "has a diction less elevated than Isaiah and other prophets, but his simplicity is sometimes sublime. In his typical language, one encounters expressions full of energy. Nothing is more touching and exhales a deeper and more heartfelt sorrow than his Lamentations."

In the arts, Jeremiah is characterized by some text from his prophecies, traced on a cartouche, and by stones—the instrument of his death—which he holds in the folds of his robe. See the works of Michelangelo, Martin de Vos, Jean Leclerc, etc.