JEREMIAH

born , probably after 650 BC, Anathoth, Judah died c. 570 BC, , Egypt Hebrew Yirmeyahu, Latin Vulgate Jeremias Hebrew prophet, reformer, and author of an Old Testament 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 BC and the exile of many Judaeans to Babylonia. Additional reading J. Philip Hyatt, Jeremiah: Prophet of Courage and Hope (1958), is a relatively brief survey. John Skinner, Prophecy and Religion: Studies in the Life of Jeremiah (1922, reissued 1963), is one of the best interpretations of the prophet. Sheldon H. Blank, Jeremiah: Man and Prophet (1961), is an excellent study, especially of Jeremiah's personality and his prayer life. Three good full-scale commentaries on the Book of Jeremiah are John Bright (ed. and trans.), Jeremiah (1965); J.A. Thompson, The Book of Jeremiah (1980); and Robert P. Carroll, Jeremiah (1986).