THE PROPHECY OF JOEL
INTRODUCTION
Joel, whose name, according to St. Jerome, signifies the Lord God, (or, as others say, the coming down of God) prophesied about the same time in the kingdom of Juda as Osee did in the kingdom of Israel. He foretells, under figures, the great evils that were coming upon the people for their sins; earnestly exhorts them to repentance, and comforts them with the promise of a teacher of justice, viz., Christ Jesus, our Lord, and of the coming down of his Holy Spirit (Challoner) upon the hundred and twenty faithful assembled in Sion. [Acts i. 15. and ii. 4.] He describes the land of the twelve tribes made desolate, and the people cast off. (St. Jerome ad Paulin.) — Yet he speaks chiefly of the kingdom of Juda, and mentions the house of God, sacrifices, &c. (Worthington) — St. Jerome infers from his being placed after Osee, without any fresh title, (Calmet) that he lived in that order of time. (Worthington) — But this rule is not general, as Jonas lived before Amos; and [the] Septuagint observe not the same disposition of the prophets as we do. The exact time of the famine, when Joel prophesied, cannot be ascertained. It seems he addressed the people in autumn, when a second year’s famine was apprehended. He paints every thing with great force and beauty of style. (Calmet)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Commentary of St Jerome
Prologus
non idem ordo est duodecim prophetarum apud septuaginta interpretes, qui in hebraica ueritate retinetur. illi enim secundum ponunt amos, tertium michaeam, quartum ioel, quintum abdiam, sextum ionam, septimum naum, octauum abacuc, nonum sophoniam, decimum aggaeum, undecimum zachariam, duodecimum malachiam; hebraei autem post osee, qui apud utrosque primus est, secundum legunt ioel, tertium amos, quartum abdiam, quintum ionam, sextum michaeam, septimum naum, octauum abacuc, nonum sophoniam, decimum aggaeum, undecimum zachariam, duodecimum, qui et ultimus est, malachiam. et quia semel omnes unius uoluminis prophetas enumerauimus, utile nobis uidetur etumologias~g singulorum et graece et latine breuiter annotare. osee interpretatur sôzôn~g, quem nos saluantem possumus dicere. ioel archomenos~g, id est incipiens. amos bastazôn~g, qui apud latinos portans dicitur. abdias doulos~g kuriou~g, id est seruus domini. ionas peristera~g, hoc est columba. michaeas tis~g hôs~g ex duabus orationis partibus nomen compositum, quod apud nos sonat quis quasi, aut quis uelut? naum paraklêsis~g, id est consolatio.
abacuc perilambanôn~g, id est amplexans siue luctans. sophonia kekrummenos~g kuriou~g, hoc est arcanus domini. aggaeus, heortazôn~g, quem nos festiuum siue sollemnem possumus dicere. zacharias mnêmê~g kuriou~g, id est memoria domini. malachias aggelos~g mou~g, id est nuntius meus. quae omnia quo sensu accipienda sint, in suis uoluminibus disseretur. quattuor autem reliqui prophetae, ut sedecim compleamus, esaias, hiezechiel, hieremias, daniel, hanc habent intellegentiam: isaias sôtêria~g kuriou~g dicitur, id est salus domini; hiezechiel kratos~g kuriou~g, quod nos robur uel imperium domini possumus appellare; hieremias hupsêlos~g kuriou~g, id est excelsus domini; daniel ekrine~g me~g kurios~g, id est iudicauit me dominus. quae cum ita se habeant, obsecro, mi pammachi, qui omni arte pugnandi aduersum diabolum dimicas, ut nobis contra amalec pugnantibus leues cum moyse ad dominum manus, et aduersarios israel orationibus superes. nuper de aegypto egressi sumus, et in osee pharaone submerso, rubrum transiuimus mare; nunc post latam eremi uastitatem, multo nobis labore sudandum est, ut ad septuaginta palmas et fontes apostolicos peruenire ualeamus. insurgat licet scorpio, et arcuato uulnere ferire conetur; tu comes itineris et excantator uenenatorum morsuum, spiritalem nobis psullea~g exhibe; quod que sanctae ac uenerabili paulae parenti tuae polliciti sumus, pius haeres suscipe; et quicquid uel ingenio uel doctrina minus tua exspectatione possumus, amici fauore sustenta, nec in nobis uires consideres, sed uoluntatem.