The author gives, first, the detailed panorama of the historical situation in Juda in VII century BCE and, second, describes the reforms of Josiah. As regards the exact dating of the life and activity of the prophet Zephaniah there are three main options. One group of scholars puts it at the very beginning of the reign of the king Josiah, so immediately after 640 BCE. The others prefer the time that followed the very beginnings of the reform movement, mentioned in the Second Book of Chronicle, so in the decade before the culmination of the reform activities of Josiah. The third group puts the message of Zephaniah in the period after 622 BCE, suggesting that the prophet strongly supported the king. The first two solutions seem to be the most reasonable.
Keywords:
Kingdom of Judah in VII BCE, Manasses, Josiah, reform of Josiah, prophet Zephaniah, the Book of Zephaniah
Chrostowski, W. (2018). The Historical, Social and Religious Context of the Teaching of Prophet Zephaniah. Collectanea Theologica, 87(4), 5–35. https://doi.org/10.21697/ct.2017.87.4.01
https://doi.org/10.21697/ct.2017.87.4.01
English
Język Polski