Prophet Malachi
January 3/16
Holy Prophet Malachi lived 400 years before the birth of Christ, during the times when the Jews returned from the Babylonian captivity. Malachi was the last of the Old Testament prophets, which is why the Holy Fathers call him the "seal of the prophets." Being a model of spiritual kindness and piety, he amazed the people and was named Malachi, meaning an angel or a messenger. His prophetic book is included in the canon of Sacred Scriptures, in which he reproached the Jews, foretelling the coming of Jesus Christ and His Forerunner, and the Last Judgment (3:1-5; 4:1-6).
