FAQ

The 41st chapter of the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah recounts very specific historical events. As is well known, prior to the Babylonian conquest, many prophets, including Jeremiah, proclaimed that the impending Babylonian captivity would be the result of the iniquities of God's people and, at the same time, a means of their purification. For those who would submit to the king of Babylon as an instrument of purification, the captivity would become an opportunity for renewal in faith and a renewal of their relationship with God. Considering this to be the primary and, in essence, the sole value, the prophets exhorted the people to surrender "under the hand" of the king of Babylon. However, the rulers of the Kingdom of Judah at that time fiercely opposed such an understanding of events; the prophet Jeremiah was cast into a pit as a renegade, a traitor to the motherland, and a defeatist.

Having captured Jerusalem, the Babylonians took a portion of the people into captivity. Those who posed no threat from their perspective (including Jeremiah) were left in the half-ruined Jerusalem. Gedaliah, a man of noble birth, was appointed as governor to rule Judea on behalf of the king of Babylon. However, among the Jews remaining in the country, there was a number of "ultra-patriots" who believed that Babylonian rule could not be tolerated, and that national prestige demanded a struggle at any cost, even a struggle against the yoke sent by God. They sought to raise a rebellion and appeal to Egypt for help, so that a "limited contingent" of Egyptian troops would be brought into Judea. Throughout the centuries, many prophets had warned against such a policy, as it typically ran contrary to the commandments of God and was rooted in a lack of trust in Him.

One way or another, the patriots, led by Ishmael, shattered the fragile peace established in Judea under Gedaliah, just as the country had barely begun to heal the wounds of war. They murdered Gedaliah and many individuals whom they deemed collaborators, and raised a rebellion against Babylon. The rebellion was brutally suppressed, Jerusalem was utterly destroyed, and new caravans of captives were led away to Babylon. The leaders of the rebellion themselves fled to Egypt, forcibly taking the prophet Jeremiah with them. According to ancient tradition related by Tertullian, the prophet was murdered in Egypt by the rebellious Jews.

It is about the beginning of this rebellion and the godless cruelty of the rebels that the 41st chapter of the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah recounts.