The Anti-Eschatological Elijah and the Reinterpretation of the “Day of YHWH” in Malachi 3

A major theme of Israel’s prophetic tradition is the concept of the coming “day of YHWH,” understood to be a divine intervention in history consisting of judgment and vindication. The concluding verses of Malachi (3:23–24) contain a striking appropriation of that prophetic tradition, associating it with the return of Elijah as an eschatological messenger. The consensus in scholarship on this passage is that this innovation is to be ascribed to eschatologically oriented scribal editors in Persian- or Hellenistic-era Judaism. In this article, I highlight several underappreciated features of the passage to offer a new proposal regarding the introduction of Elijah as an eschatological figure. I argue that the purpose of Mal 3:23–24 is the opposite of what many have asserted: rather than an eschatologically oriented conclusion, it represents an anti-eschatological reinterpretation of the promised “day of YHWH.” The prophetic hope of the classical tradition is maintained, but deferred to the remote future. Indeed, the function of the scribal innovation appears to be to create an eschatological prerequisite that requires verification by authorized interpreters, who are none other than the scribes themselves

Aesthetics · Ancient history · Reinterpretation · Theology · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · History · Philosophy