<P> Another interpretation of the authorship comes from the Septuagint superscription, ὲν χειρὶ ἀγγήλου αὐτοῦ, which can be read as either "by the hand of his messenger" or as "by the hand of his angel". The "angel" reading found an echo among the ancient Church Fathers and ecclesiastical writers, and even gave rise to the "strangest fancies", especially among the disciples of Origen of Alexandria . </P> <P> There are very few historical details in the Book of Malachi . The greatest clue as to its dating may lie in the fact that the Persian - era term for governor (pehâ) is used in 1: 8 . This points to a post-exilic date of composition both because of the use of the Persian period term and because Judah had a king before the exile . Since, in the same verse, the temple has been rebuilt, the book must also be later than 515 BC . Malachi was apparently known to the author of Ecclesiasticus early in the 2nd century BC . Because of the development of themes in the book of Malachi, most scholars assign it to a position after Haggai and Zechariah, close to the time of Ezra and when Nehemiah came to Jerusalem in 445 BC . </P> <P> The Book of Malachi was written to correct the lax religious and social behaviour of the Israelites--particularly the priests--in post-exilic Jerusalem . Although the prophets urged the people of Judah and Israel to see their exile as punishment for failing to uphold their covenant with God, it was not long after they had been restored to the land and to Temple worship that the people's commitment to their God began, once again, to wane . It was in this context that the prophet commonly referred to as Malachi delivered his prophecy . </P> <P> In 1: 2, Malachi has the people of Israel question God's love for them . This introduction to the book illustrates the severity of the situation which Malachi addresses . The graveness of the situation is also indicated by the dialectical style with which Malachi confronts his audience . Malachi proceeds to accuse his audience of failing to respect God as God deserves . One way in which this disrespect is made manifest is through the substandard sacrifices which Malachi claims are being offered by the priests . While God demands animals that are "without blemish" (Leviticus 1: 3, NRSV), the priests, who were "to determine whether the animal was acceptable" (Mason 143), were offering blind, lame and sick animals for sacrifice because they thought nobody would notice . </P>

Who is the book of malachi written to