eto.tcs as the scconiol yeo.r of Darius the king, i.e. B.C . .520. He continued hie addressee a.t intervals during four months of that year; but whether he lived to see the foll result of his labours by the completion of the building in the sixth year of Darius, is uncertain. Jewish tradition makes him to have been a member of the great synagogue, and other accounts, equally unsubstantiated, assign to him an honoured burial in the sepulchre reserved for priests. Some manuscripts of the Septuagint attribute to Haggai and Zechariah the authorship of Ps. cxxxvii. and oxlv.-oxlviii. To them, too, in the Syriac are assigned Ps. oxxv., oxxvi., oxlv.-cxlvii., and in the Latin Vulgate Ps. oxi. and oxlv. "It may be," says Mr. Wright (' Diet. of Bible,' sub voce " Haggai"), "that tradition assigned to these prophets the arrangement of the above-mentioned psalms for use in the temple service, just as Ps. lxiv. is in the Vulgate attributed to Jeremiah ann Ezekiel, and the name of the fonner is inscribed at the head of Ps. oxx:xri. in the LXX." From certain coincidences in style, and for other reasons connected with the minuteness of details given, it has been conjectured that Haggai is the author of that part of the Book of Ezra which extends from eh. iii. 2 to the end of eh. vi., with the exception of the fragment in eh .. iv. 6-23. The grounds for this opinion are given in Smith's 'Diet. of the Bible,' i. 607; but they do not seem very conclusive. Pseudo- Epiphanius says (' De Vit. Proph.') that Haggai and Zechariah were the first to sing" Hallelujah" and ".A.men" in the second temple, which probably means that they took the lead in chanting the Hallelujah psalms. References to Haggai occur in Heb. xii. 26 ; Ecclus. xlix. 10, 11 ; 1 Esdras vi. 1 ; vii. 3 ; 2 Esdras i. 40. § III. GENERAL CHARACTER.
The language of Haggai is generally considered tame and featnrelees, indulging in unnecessary repetitions, and rarely rising above the level of ordinary prose. But in estimating the character of his addresses, we must remember that in their present form they a.re probably only the outline of the original utterances, and that what may seem poor and curt in the summary may have been telling and eloquent in its fuller form when spoken. Even as we have them, the addresses in their simplicity are full of force; outward ornament and rhetorical artifice were not needed in order to set forth the work which the people were expected to perform. Haggai had one distinct message to deliver, and he announced it in plain, unvarnished language, which came home to the hearts of his hearers, not only with conviction, but with persuasive force, so that they did not merely say, "How true!" and do nothing in consequence, but they put their conviction into action, and began at once to build. He is indeed concise, antithetical, aud impressive; but the great point is that he gained the end which be had in view. The highest efforts of oratorical power could n.ttompt and effect no more. vi INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF HAGGAI.
§ IV. LITERATURE. The chief commentaries on He.ggai are these: Abarbe.nel, Heh. cum Vere. Lat, a Scherz. (Liflll,, 1663) ; Melanchthon, Opp. ii.; Eckius (Saligne.c, 1538); Pilkington, 'Exposition' (London, 1560); Mercier (Paris, 1581); Grynams (Genev., 1681), trans- lated into English by C. Featherstone (London, 1586); Tarnovius (Rost., 1624); Raynolds (London, 1649) ; Pfeffinger (Strasburg, 1703); Kohler, ' Die W eissng. Hag.' e.ngen, 1860); Moore, 'The Prophets of the Restoration ' (Lon<lon, 1868) ; Reinke 68); McCurdy (Edinburgh); Pre~sel (lSi0); Archdeacon Perowne, in 'The bridge Bible for $chools' (Cam bridge, 1886)
§ V. ARRANGEMENT IN SECTIONS,
The book le divided into four addresses, delivered at specified dates. Part I. (Ch. i.) The first address: Ex.horte.tion to build the temple, and its result. § 1. (Oh. i. 1-6.) The people are reproved for their indifference with regard to the erection of the temple, and admonished that their present distress is a chastisement for this neglect. f 2. (Ch. i. 7-lL) The prophet urges them to work zealously at the building as the only remedy for the unfruitfulness of the sea.son. § 3. (Ch. i. 12-15.) The appeal is obeyed, and for a time the people apply themselves diligently to the work. Part II. (Ch. ii. 1-9.) The second address: The glory of the new temple. § L {Cb. ii 1-5.) The prophet comforts those who grieve e.t the oomparative poverty of the new building, with the assurance of the Divine protection and favour. § 2. (Ch. ii. 6-9.) He foretells a future time when the glory ot' the new temple should exceed that of the old, ad umbra.ting the Messianic ere.. Part III. (Oh. ii 10-19.) The third address: The cause of their calamities, and promise of blessing. § 1. (Ch. ii 10-17.) By an analogy drawn from the Law Haggai shows that residence in the Holy Land and offering of sacrifice do not suffice to make the people acceptable, as long as they themselves are unclean through neglect of the house of the Lord. Hence comes the punishment of sterility. § 2. (Ob. ii. 18, 19.) On -their obedience the blessings of nature shall ag&in be theirs. Part IV. (Ch. ii 20-23.) The f~~ addres1: Promise of the reeto_re.tion and establishment of the house of Dano., w.11.en the storm bursts on the kingdoms of the world. THE BOOK OF HAGGAI.