Bible Challenge - Malachi

We don't know anything about who Malachi was.  Malachi means "my messenger" in Hebrew, so it could be a pen name taken by or assigned to a prophet.

However, the book tells us a lot about what the author thinks.  He probably lived between 500 and 450 BC - after the return from captivity in Babylon.  He respects the priesthood and holds the priests in high esteem.  He talks a lot about the covenant.

The question and answer style of the book is different from other books of prophecy.  However, his emphasis on sin, judgement and repentance is very similar to that of other prophets.

The central theme of the book is being true to the covenant and teachings of God and condemning those who have not been faithful to the covenant.

This ends the study of the minor prophets.  We begin the major prophets next week.