Álvarez Barredo, Miguel. Habacuc: Un Profeta Incorformista. Perfiles Literarios y Rasgos Teológicos del Libro. Murcia: Instituto Teológico Franciscano, 2007. Pp. 252. ISBN 978-84-86042-66-0.
(ANGEL APARlCIO, O.P., Philippiniana Sacra XLV, 133 (2010)) Miguel Álvarez Barredo, professor of Sacred Scriptures in the Pontifical University of St. Antoninus of Rome and Theological Institute of Murcia, Spain, has authored this study on prophet HabakkuK entitled Habakkuk: AN Uncompromising Prophet. Literary Profiles and Theological Strokes of his Book. This work is part of a series of publications by the Franciscan 'Theological Institute of Murcia, Spain.
Barredo has divided the study into three parts. First, hi situates the prophet Habakkuk in his historical context, which is the reign of Joachim in 605-598 B.C., afier the Egyptian forces, which had earlir gone to the aid of the last Assyrian King, were routed by the Babylonians under Nabopolosar and Nebuchadnezzar, who pursued them as far as the Egyptian border. Habakkuk had even probably lived to see the initial fulfillment of his prophecy when Jerusalem was attacked by the Babylonians in 587 B.C.
Then secondly, the author discusses the literary forms of the first two chapters of this
small prophetic book. It consists of a dialogue between the prophet and God on God’s apparent lack of control on events. This part ends in a series of "waw" or judicial condemnation.
Lastiy, Barredo focuses on the literary analysis and the theological intention of the book's third chapter, which is a confession of God’s action in human history that is marked by violent cycles, whereby it seems that individuals are taken for granted and thousands upon thousands are brought to slaughter without knowing the purpose of their hves. Their lives have become mere instruments in the hands of the powerful who merely wish to achieve their selfish ambitions. Prophet Habakkuk reflects on this state of things and questions his and his people's faith in a just divinity. Habakkuk does not find the answers in traditional faith. Faced with the wickedness of the great powers, together with the corruption of the small kingdoms, the prophet feels puzzled and directly confronts God. He asks the following questions:Is God absent from history? Is God insensitive to human suffering? How long will this situation last?
God makes it clear, however, that eventually the corrupt destroyer will himself be destroyed. Through a beautiful hymn ni Chapter III, Habakkuk responds to the questions raised ni the first and second chapters. In a mythological language, he expresses his trust in God’s providence. He declares that even if God should send suffering and loss, the prophet would still rejoice in God his Savior.
Chapters 1 and 2 of Habakkuk, says the author, describe the extent to which human beings can be degraded in the service of some ideologies. The prophet, the man of God, cannot remain silent. He must denounce the thnigs that are contrary to God. 'Ihe prophet represents innumerable people, and the answers enumerated in the third chapter of Habakkuk should reach them too.
The author concludes that the message of prophet Habakkuk should not be relegated to the past, for it sheds light on multiple modern situations that defy human logic and the laws of causality. The man of faith will find light ni his opennig to God. Barredo echoes the conviction of Habakkuk that God is the only warrantor of salvation and the prosecutor ni any human situation that impairs human dignity,
The book is written in Spanish. Though its subtitle, Un Profeta Incorformista (An Uncompromising Prophet), may sound redundant for it is quite obvious that true prophets are uncompromising, one finds no serious fault in this study on one of the so-called Twelve Prophets.
(ANGEL APARlCIO, O.P., Philippiniana Sacra XLV, 133 (2010)) Miguel Álvarez Barredo, professor of Sacred Scriptures in the Pontifical University of St. Antoninus of Rome and Theological Institute of Murcia, Spain, has authored this study on prophet HabakkuK entitled Habakkuk: AN Uncompromising Prophet. Literary Profiles and Theological Strokes of his Book. This work is part of a series of publications by the Franciscan 'Theological Institute of Murcia, Spain.
Barredo has divided the study into three parts. First, hi situates the prophet Habakkuk in his historical context, which is the reign of Joachim in 605-598 B.C., afier the Egyptian forces, which had earlir gone to the aid of the last Assyrian King, were routed by the Babylonians under Nabopolosar and Nebuchadnezzar, who pursued them as far as the Egyptian border. Habakkuk had even probably lived to see the initial fulfillment of his prophecy when Jerusalem was attacked by the Babylonians in 587 B.C.
Then secondly, the author discusses the literary forms of the first two chapters of this
small prophetic book. It consists of a dialogue between the prophet and God on God’s apparent lack of control on events. This part ends in a series of "waw" or judicial condemnation.
Lastiy, Barredo focuses on the literary analysis and the theological intention of the book's third chapter, which is a confession of God’s action in human history that is marked by violent cycles, whereby it seems that individuals are taken for granted and thousands upon thousands are brought to slaughter without knowing the purpose of their hves. Their lives have become mere instruments in the hands of the powerful who merely wish to achieve their selfish ambitions. Prophet Habakkuk reflects on this state of things and questions his and his people's faith in a just divinity. Habakkuk does not find the answers in traditional faith. Faced with the wickedness of the great powers, together with the corruption of the small kingdoms, the prophet feels puzzled and directly confronts God. He asks the following questions:Is God absent from history? Is God insensitive to human suffering? How long will this situation last?
God makes it clear, however, that eventually the corrupt destroyer will himself be destroyed. Through a beautiful hymn ni Chapter III, Habakkuk responds to the questions raised ni the first and second chapters. In a mythological language, he expresses his trust in God’s providence. He declares that even if God should send suffering and loss, the prophet would still rejoice in God his Savior.
Chapters 1 and 2 of Habakkuk, says the author, describe the extent to which human beings can be degraded in the service of some ideologies. The prophet, the man of God, cannot remain silent. He must denounce the thnigs that are contrary to God. 'Ihe prophet represents innumerable people, and the answers enumerated in the third chapter of Habakkuk should reach them too.
The author concludes that the message of prophet Habakkuk should not be relegated to the past, for it sheds light on multiple modern situations that defy human logic and the laws of causality. The man of faith will find light ni his opennig to God. Barredo echoes the conviction of Habakkuk that God is the only warrantor of salvation and the prosecutor ni any human situation that impairs human dignity,
The book is written in Spanish. Though its subtitle, Un Profeta Incorformista (An Uncompromising Prophet), may sound redundant for it is quite obvious that true prophets are uncompromising, one finds no serious fault in this study on one of the so-called Twelve Prophets.
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