PROPHET. Someone who speaks on behalf of another–this is the literal definition of a prophet. The slang word is mouthpiece, it refers to pronouncements made by individuals on behalf of a god. The best known of the prophets are those mentioned in the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament)–Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Hosea, and others. Prophecy, however, was not limited to ancient Israel. Evidence of it has been found in all religions, including Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and animism.
It is often mistakenly believed that prophets mainly predict the future. While it is true that prophets have often foretold future events, their predictions were based on analysis of what they saw happening around them. Individuals whose main concern was in making predictions were called diviners. These were people such as astrologers, who studied the planets and stars for indications of future events; or they were people who read omens, such as the flights of birds, as a basis for predictions. The similarity between prophets and diviners was the belief that both received inspiration from gods. The first chapter of Jeremiah’s prophecy, for instance, includes a verse in which God states: “Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.”
What a prophet had to say could come through visions or dreams, or it could be acquired by learning. Even the learning process, however, had a good deal to do with acquiring a mental state by which revelations could be received. Those who were training to be prophets were organized into guilds headed by prophet masters.
Prophets were distinguished from other religious functionaries by their sense of having a vocation, or calling, directly from a god. Priests presided over rituals, and teachers expounded doctrine; but prophets delivered a message, and it was frequently a message that contradicted traditional ritual or doctrine. Prophets were often critics of their societies, and, where they were successful, they were reformers. The preaching of the prophets usually had to do with justice and morality, calling on their audiences to mend their ways.
There were prophets in most of the societies of the ancient Middle East. Often they were simply advisers to kings. Sometimes they were asked to make predictions, especially regarding the outcome of military campaigns. In some cases they were affiliated with temples and were expected to deliver prophecies as a regular feature of religious festivals.
The best-known prophets are those whose work is described in the Hebrew Bible. In the earliest period–around 1100 BC–there was no distinction between priest, diviner, and prophet. The early prophets were connected with sanctuaries at such places as Bethel and Jericho and later with the Temple in Jerusalem.
What is called classical prophecy appeared in Israel during the 8th century BC in the persons of Amos and Hosea. They are called classical for two reasons. Books that are reputedly their own writings, instead of reports about them, appear in the Bible. The emphasis of their prophecy was different; they expressed a hostile attitude to the prophets and gods of other religions, and they exalted a nationalistic concept of Israel’s relationship to its god. Some of the prophetic denunciations were directed against an undue emphasis on rituals and sacrifices. The prophets insisted that God prefers upright and ethical behavior over slavish devotion to details of worship services. Because the prophets believed the people of Israel to be God’s chosen people, they preached against anything Israelites did to compromise this relationship. This included the worship of other gods and alliances with other nations. Prophetic denunciations also included the abuse of power–the oppression of the weak by the strong–and the failure to administer justice.
proph-et (profit)n. 1. A person who speaks by divine inspiration or as the interpreter through whom the will of a god is expressed. 2. A person gifted with profound moral insight and exceptional powers of expression.. 4. The chief spokesperson of a movement or cause.
proph-et (profit).A person who predicts the future : prophet, prophesier, seer, diviner,
proph-e-cy (profi-se)n.pl. proph-e-cies (-sez). 1. An inspired utterance of a prophet, viewed as a revelation of divine will. A prediction of the future, made under divine inspiration. Such an inspired message or prediction transmitted orally or in writing.
proph-e-sy (profi-si)v. proph-e-sied (-sid). proph-e-sy-ing (-siing). proph-e-sies (-siz).v. tr. 1. To reveal by divine inspiration. intr. 1. To reveal the will or message of God. 2. To predict the future as if by divine inspiration.
The Prophets
The term prophet is derived from a Greek word meaning “to speak on behalf of.” The prophets were ancient Israelites who spoke to the nation on behalf of God. In other words, they were preachers. Their purpose was not, as is often mistakenly assumed, to foretell the future. The prophets were men who interpreted Israel’s behavior in the light of God’s laws and frequently found reason to condemn that behavior. The prophets also declared that Israel would be punished for breaking the laws. A series of national disasters that befell Israel seemed to prove the merit of the prophetic warnings: Israel was conquered or subjugated in turn by Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome over a period of seven centuries.
The prophetic books are divided into two groups: the Former Prophets and the Latter Prophets. The Former Prophets include the books Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. In the Christian Old Testament these are considered historical narratives rather than prophetic works. The Latter Prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, plus a group of shorter books called the Twelve. In the Christian Old Testament, the Twelve are called the Minor Prophets–specifically Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. (See also Prophet.)