Prophet

Prophet, Prophecy

Judaism

In the Jewish Bible, a prophet (nabi; pl., nebiʾim) is one who speaks on behalf of God. In origin, they were a part of a Near Eastern phenomenon (e.g. at Mari), cultic functionaries who make known the unknown. Among these functionaries were also the ḥozeh (‘seer’) and roʾeh (‘seer’), and ʾish ha-Elohim (‘the man of God’). The relationship between these is unclear, 1 Samuel 9. 9 simply affirming that he who is now called a prophet was in former times called a seer.

The classical or literary prophets are those whose oracles were preserved in writing, i.e. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the twelve Minor Prophets. Like the pre-classical prophets, some at least were subject to ecstatic seizures (e.g. Hosea 9. 7), they performed symbolic acts (e.g. Isaiah 20. 2 ff.), and they were intimately involved in the current affairs of the nation. The prophets constantly pleaded with Israel to repent (e.g. Amos 5. 4). The later classical prophets realized that humanity could not by its own efforts return to God and they looked forward to a time when God would initiate a ‘new covenant’ when ‘I will write my law upon their hearts …’ and ‘I will remember their sin no more’ (Jeremiah 31. 33–4). In that day, the faithful remnant of Israel would live in peace and God's glory would again be manifest through all the earth (Isaiah 40. 5). It was generally agreed that prophecy had ceased in the time of the second Temple: after the Exile, authority was transferred to the Temple and its priests, interpreting Torah (to ensure holy behaviour and thus no repetition of the Exile).

Christianity

Early Christians experienced the consequences of the Holy Spirit, and believed that this ‘return’ of the Holy Spirit in visible gifts was a mark of the redemptive will of God. Thus in addition to accepting the earlier Jewish prophets (who were seen to have been foretelling the coming of Christ and events surrounding and arising from that advent), prophets returned as functionaries in the early Church. However, the problem arose of what control Church leaders could have over the inspired (or claimed-to-be inspired) utterances of an individual. The problem became acute in relation to Montanism; and prophets ceased to have a major role, until the revival of their importance in African Christianity.

Islam

See NABĪ; RASŪL.