Jeremiah

or Yermiyahu (יִרְמְיָהוּ). His writings are collected in the book of Jeremiah, and the Book of Lamentations. Jeremiah is considered by some modern scholars (as well as some Ancient Rabbis) to have written, or redacted much of the Old Testament, as we have it today. His language in "Jeremiah" and "Lamentations" is quite similar to that in Deuteronomy and the "Deuteronomic history" of Joshua, Judges, the Books of Samuel, and the Books of Kings. Jeremiah is also famous as "the broken-hearted prophet" (who wrote or dictated a "broken book", which has been difficult for scholars to put into chronological order), whose heart-rending life, and true prophecies of dire warning went largely-unheeded by the people of Judah. YHWH told Jeremiah, "You will go to them; but for their part, they will not listen to you".

According to the Book of Jeremiah, he was called to the prophetical office when still young; in the thirteenth year of Josiah (628 BC). He left his native place, Anatoth, (where Jeremiah was perhaps a member of the priesthood) and went to reside in Jerusalem; where he assisted Josiah in his work of reformation.

Comments by Leonard Bernstein regarding his "Symphony No. 1, Jeremiah"

"Jeremiah is dedicated to [my father] after all, that was our great reconciliation piece. When he walked into that hall and he saw an audience rise to its feet and acclaim a symphony I had written and shout and cry and throng back stage and then it won the Music Critic’s Prize. I mean he saw that this had something to do with what could be called ‘practical living.’That was only moments after he had seen the debut in which I had taken over from Bruno Walter that was the first time he had ever realized completely that I could do music and support a family and he came back in tears, backstage, there was an enormous reconciliation. It was very moving and in that moment I dedicated my Jeremiah Symphony to him which was performed a few months later."
—Bernstein on Bernstein -- "Jeremiah"

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