The Prophet Hosea (+820 Before the Nativity of Christ)

The Prophet Hosea lived in the kingdom of Israel in the ninth century before the Nativity of Christ, and was a contemporary of the holy prophets Isaiah, Micah and Amos. By that time many of his fellow tribesmen had turned their backs on the true God and were worshipping idols. By his wise admonitions the holy prophet called those who had gone astray to piety.

He also foretold the deportation of the Hebrews into Assyrian captivity. Almost a thousand years before the incarnation of the Saviour, Saint Hosea foresaw by the grace of the Holy Spirit that the sacrifices of the Old Testament would cease and that the knowledge of the true God would spread throughout the whole world (Hosea 2:20). Hosea foretold the Saviour’s return from Egypt (Hosea 11:1), His Resurrection from the dead on the third day (Hosea 6) and the overthrow of death (Hosea 13:14). The saint’s prophecies are included among the books of the Old Testament. The blessed Hosea’s prophetic ministry lasted more than sixty years. He committed his soul to the Lord in deep old age.