“Question & Answer”

Question:
Why do we know more about Jeremiah and his inner life than any other prophet?
Answer:
Jeremiah, Hebrew Yirmeyahu, Latin Vulgate Jeremias, (born probably after 650 BCE, Anathoth, Judah—died c. 570 BCE, Egypt), Hebrew prophet, reformer, and author of a biblical book that bears his name. He was closely involved in the political and religious events of a crucial era in the history of the ancient Near East; his spiritual leadership helped his fellow countrymen survive disasters that included the capture of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BCE and the exile of many Judaeans to Babylonia. In the book of Jeremiah reveal a strong conflict between Jeremiah’s natural inclinations and his deep sense of vocation to deliver Yahweh’s message to the people. Jeremiah was by nature sensitive, introspective, and perhaps shy. He was denied participation in the ordinary joys and sorrows of his fellowmen and did not marry. He thus could say, “I sat alone,” with God’s hand upon him. Jeremiah had periods of despondency when he expressed the wish that he had never been born or that he might run away and live alone in the desert. He reached the point of calling God “a deceitful brook,…waters that fail” and even accused God of deceiving and overpowering him. Yet there were times of exaltation when he could say to God, “Thy words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart,” and he could speak of Yahweh as “a dread warrior” fighting by his side. We have not only his own sermons and memoirs, sometimes called the confession of Jeremiah, but also biography materials assembled and set down on his secretary, Baruch.