Micah (prophet)

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Micah the titular prophet of the Book of Micah, also called "The Morasthite". He is not the same as another prophet, Micaiah son of Imlah. He is counted among the minor prophets in the Tanakh (Old Testament).

[edit] Authorship

Micah prophesied throughout the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, roughly 735–700 BC. Micah was brought up in a small hometown, and it was in this small village that God supposedly revealed information for Micaiahu of Moresheth (likely Moresheth-Gath in the Philistine Plain). The prophet's name, in its elongated form "Micaiahu", is commonly translated "Who is like Yahweh?" or possibly, "He who is like Yahweh", and his pursuit of the ministry in response to this question continued the prophetic tradition of calling Israel back into communion with God. Micah's teaching is often compared to the other minor prophet, Hosea, on his teaching about social insecurities.

Micah grew up in the poorer, working class area of his small farming community. The quality of his prophecy, however, has caused many scholars to believe that he received a good education and/or may have been one of the wealthier members of the community, a land owner. Still others consider him as an elder of the community, indicating his respect among his people. At any rate, because he grew up in such a community, he was well aware of the avarice and injustices of the rich.

[edit] Liturgical commemoration

He is commemorated with the other Minor prophets in the Calendar of saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on July 31. In the Eastern Orthodox Church he is commemorated twice in the year. The first feast day is January 5 (for those churches which follow the traditional Julian Calendar, January 5 currently falls on January 18 of the modern Gregorian Calendar). However, since January 5 is also the Eve of the Theophany (Epiphany), his major celebration is on August 14 (the forefeast of the Dormition).

[edit] External links

• Prophet Micah Orthodox icon and synaxarion for January 5
• Prophet Micah Orthodox icon and synaxarion for August 14

v • d • e Prophets of Judaism & Christianity in the Hebrew Bible
Abraham · Isaac · Jacob · Moses (rl) · Aaron · Miriam · Eldad & Medad · The seventy elders of Israel · Joshua · Phinehas
Deborah · Samuel · Saul · Saul's men · David · Jeduthun · Solomon  |  Gad · Nathan · Ahiyah · Elijah · Elisha  |  Isaiah (rl) · Jeremiah · Ezekiel
Hosea · Joel · Amos · Obadiah · Jonah (rl) · Micah · Nahum · Habakkuk · Zephaniah · Haggai · Zechariah · Malachi
Shemaiah · Iddo · Azariah · Hanani · Jehu · Micaiah · Jahaziel · Eliezer · Zechariah ben Jehoiada · Oded · Huldah · Uriah
Judaism: Sarah (rl) · Rachel· Rebecca · Joseph · Eli · Elkanah · Hannah (mother of Samuel) · Abigail · Amoz (father of Isaiah) · Beeri (father of Hosea) · Hilkiah (father of Jeremiah) · Shallum (uncle of Jeremiah) · Hanamel (cousin of Jeremiah) · Buzi · Mordecai · Esther · (Baruch)	Christianity: Abel · Enoch (ancestor of Noah) · Daniel (rl)
Non-Jewish: Kenan · Noah (rl) · Eber · Bithiah · Beor · Balaam · Balak · Job · Eliphaz · Bildad · Zophar · Elihu