MALACHI, BOOK OF. One of the smaller prophetic boors of the Old Testament. The work belongs to a period in which Judah is ruled by a governor (I. 8), and the Temple has been rebuilt (i. 10; iii. 1, 10); in which also the people made defective offerings (i. 7, 8, 12), and the priests despised the name of Jehovah (i. 6). " The conditions thus reflected are very similar to those which Nehemiah found when he visited Jerusalem about 445 B.C. In many ways Nehemiab's reform work, especi ally in eliminating the social evils and in improving the temple worship, was the fulfilment of the prophet's hope that Jehovah would speedily send his messenger to prepare the way for a better and nobler era. The pre sence of the evils which Nehemiah endeavoured to correct and the absence of any references to that great restorer of Judaism favour the conclusion that the book of Malachi was written not long before 445 B.C." (C. F.
Kent). Cornill points out that the book is noteworthy on account of the way in which it anticipates the methods of discussion practised by the later rabbis. We have, in the style of Talmudic dialogue, assertion, objection, refutation. Kent even says that the work " also formu lates in words which might almost have been taken from the mouth of Job the problems which are treated in the great wisdom book which bears his name." It is not unlikely that the work was anonymous. " Malachi " (which means " my messenger ") was probably not intended to be understood as a personal name. In any case, nothing is known about a person Malachi. See C. Cornill, Intr.: G. H. Box; O. C. Whitehouse; C. F. Kent, The Sermons, Epistles and Apocalypses of Israel's Prophets, 1910.