Prophet Malachi (c. 400 Before the Nativity of Christ)

The holy Prophet Malachi lived more than 400 years before the Nativity of Christ, when the Persian King Cyrus had subdued the Babylonian kingdom and allowed the Jews to return to their homeland. The prophet amazed the people by his goodness and virtue, and so he was called “Malachi”, which means “angel, messenger”. The prophecy of Malachi is included among the canonical books of the Old Testament. In it he denounces the Jews and foresees the coming of Jesus Christ and of His Forerunner, and the Last Judgement (3:1–5; 4:1–6). Malachi is called “the seal of the prophets”, because he was the last of those righteous men on whom the Lord bestowed the grace of foresight. From Malachi until the coming of John the Baptist, for more than 400 years, the prophetic word was not heard among the Hebrews.