Historical Minas Gerais: CONGONHAS: The Twelve Prophets X: Habacuc (Habakkuk)

Congonhas, MG
The 12 Prophets: Habacuc (Habakuk)

(Click here for the complete overview of ‘Historical Minas Gerais’)

Congonhas is a small historical city at 75 km south of Belo Horizonte, along the ‘Estrada Real’ to Rio de Janeiro. The city is well known for the statues of Brazilian artist Aleijadinho.
The prophets by Aleijadinho: prophet Habacuc (Habakkuk).

Habacuc (Habakkuk, the “beloved”) is the eighth of the twelve minor prophets. Habacuc’s prophecies are about the rise and fall of the Chaldeans, the rulers of the Israelites.

The prophets (with clickable links),from left to right (names in Portuguese):

Amos – Joel – Ezequiel – Isaías – Jonas – Abdias – Daniel – Jeremias – Naum – Habacuc – Oséias – Baruc

Complete photo gallery

Habacuc

Statues of twelve prophets carved from soap stone are located in front of Santuário do Bom Jesus Matosinhos. Aleijadinho had sculpted them between 1795 and 1805.

Habacuc, Habakkuk in English (likely meaning “the beloved”), is the eighth of the twelve minor prophets. Very little is known about the life of Habakkuk. He must have live in the seventh century B.C.. Probably at the time of King Jeoachim, when the Babylonians were powerful. The prophecies of Habakkuk concern about the rise and fall of the Chaldeans, rulers of the Israelites. The Book of Habakkuk – the first two chapters are found in the Dead Sea Scrolls – is divided into three chapters. The first chapter is the contact between the prophet and Yahweh, with the prophet doubting Yahweh’s wisdom. The second chapter reveals the punishments for both Israel and the Chaldeans. The third chapter is an anthology, in which Habakkuk describes his unconditional loyalty to Yahweh.

On the shield that Habacuc is holding, one can read the following motto:

“Te Babylon,/

Babylon,Te te/

Chaldæe te/

Arguo: Te in/

Psalmis Te Deus/

Almecano.

Habacuc/

Cap.1″.

(“Ó Babilônia, Babilônia, eu te arguo ó tirano da Caldéia: mas ti, ó Deus benigno; canto em salmos. Habacuc, cap.1”).

(O Babylonia, Babylonia, I argue with you about the tyranny of the Chaldeans: But You, good God, I sing for You)

Statue

The statue of Habacuc is very similar to that of Jeremias, Ezequiel, Oseias, Joel and Jonas. The clothing of Habacuc corresponds to that of Naum and Jonas. The prophet is wearing a turban, which is wound in a complicated way. .The statue was probably sculpted by master Aleijadinho himself, given the many masterly details.