Habakuk

The largely unknown book of Habakkuk is an unusual book of prophets. It contains few instances of public proclamationparticularly in the words of woebut mostly prayers with harsh accusations against God. The prophet feels that God's actions in history are absurd. For him it stands in contradiction to God's nature, as handed down in the confession. But God's answer to his prayers and above all the great vision of a theophany lead Habakkuk to trustingly waiting for God's salvation, which he is now certain of. In this way, the prophet becomes a role model for his readers. In his commentary, Jörg Jeremias tries to distinguish between the intention of the prophet and the literary form of his book and to appreciate both theologically.