An Overview of Jeremiah's Life
Jeremiah, who's name means "Yahweh establishes", was born in about 650 B.C. His family belonged to a preistly class, but his family had been excluded from the main Temple cult. In 629 B.c. (according to the intro to the Book of Jeremiah in the Bible), the thirteenth year of Josiah's reign as king, he was called to be prophet. Jeremiah devoted his life to his teachings, and never married. He was a prophet for about 40 years, and died in 586 B.C..
Michelangelo's frescoe of Jeremiah in the Sistine Chapel
Jeremiah's Ministry
Jeremiah was acive during the reign of King Josiah. Josiah began religious reforms in 621 B.C., reforms which Jeremiah supported. Josaih offered Jeremiah protection for Jeremiah because of his support. In 609, Josiah died. The idolatrous sects that took over the temple persecuted Jeremiah and banned him from the temple. A few remaining elders and princes that still believed in the Lord protected him. Because he could not enter the temple, but that was where he needed to be to preach, he got Baruch to be his partner and spokesman. Jeremiah would dictate what Baruch should write down, and then Baruch would pass Jeremiah's message to the priests. His main message was the foretelling of the fall of Jerusalem and the temple. One reason he never married was that he didn't want to have children who would either be put to the sword or taken captive.Jeremiah's life fulfilled the saying about a prophet never being safe in his own country. He first experienced troubles within his home of Anathoth. When he later moved to Jerusalem, he was persecuted even further by King Jehoiakim, Josiah's son and successor. His prophecies were burned and he was imprisoned. However, God still commanded him to keep dictating his word to Baruch to be passed on.
After the Babylonian Invasion that Jeremiah foretold of occurred, he was not exiled along with all the other Jews, but remained a prophet in Canaan. He was later taken to Egypt by the emigrating Jews, where they stoned him for his foretellings of God's punishment.