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.]] A prophet or '''prophetess''' is a person Obligated with the Responsibility of being a ''' Follower ''' from a Holy person or thing with the ''' Purpose ''' of Making Social Change . The bulk of recorded prophetic experience from the Jewish Tanakh suggests that prophets do not seek the gift of Prophecy , and often lack Motivation to fulfill its obligation, and seek no reward for the delivery of the message, indeed facing persecution, incarceration and execution in the process. This aspect of passive receiving of the gift of prophecy by an otherwise often unremarkable person, Differentiate s prophets from other Phenomena and Activities sometimes Confused with prophecy. In these other activities the individual actively participates on professional basis, and in a consultative, usually rewarded performance of Divination (including use of Oracles ), Premonition , Interpretation Of Dreams or Fortune Telling as defined elsewhere in Wikipedia , sometimes through the medium of an animal, in providing sought information which by an individual or a group, often through use of specific object/s, site/s or point in time. Such practices are found in many Culture s through the Ages from pre-Biblical to the 21st century including the Sybilline and Delphic Oracles in Ancient Greece and Rome , the Völuspá in Old Norse , Zoroaster in Persia , and many others. In Abrahamic Religion , a prophet is seen as a person who is encountered by, and speaks as a formal representative of the One God without regard to his or her position in society, age, willingness to accept the message, place or time of the initial contact, or intended place or group of its deliver. The intention of the message is always to effect a social change to conform to God's desired standards initially specified in the Torah dictated to Moses (Heb. Moshe Rabbeinu). The Means of effecting change through prophecy is to include in the message suggestions of positive or negative effects that would be enacted by the Divine towards the society in question, such as rewards or punishments, should the message be accepted or ignored. By default the prophet exists within a system of faith in the Divine that bestows the gift of prophecy. In the late 20th Century the appilation of a 'prophet' has been used to refer to individuals particularly successful at analysis in the field of economics as Prophet Of Greed . Alternatively social commentators that suggested escalating crisis in environment and society due to a lack or failure of due care are refereed to as prophet of doom. SOCIOLOGICAL TAXONOMY The Sociologist Max Weber distinguished two types of prophets, the ''emissary'' type and the ''exemplary''. The emissary type believe that they have received an important message that must be communicated to others. The exemplary type base their religious authority on experience that serves as an example to others. JUDAISM The following list of prophets is based on the Talmud and Rashi. Male prophets Name Source Abraham Genesis 11,26 - 25,10 Isaac Genesis 21,1 - 35,29 Jacob Genesis 25,21 - 49,33 Moses Exodus 2,1 - Deuteronomy 34,5 Aaron Exodus 4,14 - Numbers 33,39 Joshua Exodus 17,9 - 14, 24,13, 32,17 - 18, 33,11; Numbers 11,28 - 29, 13,4 - 14,38; 27,18 - 27,23, Deuteronomy 1,38, 3,28, 31,3, 31,7-Joshua 24,29 Pinchas Exodus 6,25; Numbers 25,7-25,11; Numbers 31,6; Joshua 22,13 - Joshua 24,33; Judges 20,28 Elkanah I Samuel 1,1 - 2,20 Eli I Samuel 1,9 - 4,18 Samuel I Samuel 1,1 - I Samuel 25,1 Gad I Samuel 22,5; II Samuel 24,11-19; I Chronicles 21,9-21,19, 29,29 Nathan II Samuel 7,2 - 17; 12,1 - 25. David I Samuel 16,1 - I Kings 2,11 Solomon II Samuel 12,24; 1 Kings 1,10 - 11,43 Iddo II Chronicles 9,29, 12,15, 13,22 Michaiah son of Imlah I Kings 22,8-28; II Chronicles 18,7-27 Obadiah I Kings 18; Obadiah Ahiyah the Shilonite I Kings 11,29-30; 12,15; 14,2-18; 15,29 Jehu son of Hanani I Kings 16,1 - 7; II Chronicles 19,2; 20,34 Azariah son of Oded II Chronicles 15 Jahaziel the Levite II Chronicles 20,14 Eliezer son of Dodavahu II Chronicles 20,37 Hosea Hosea Amos Amos Micah the Morashtite Micah Amoz (the father of Isaiah) Elijah I Kings 17,1 - 21,29; II Kings 1,10-2,15, 9,36-37, 10,10, 10,17 Elisha I Kings 19,16-19; II Kings 2,1-13,21 Jonah ben Amittai Jonah Isaiah Isaiah Joel Joel Nahum Nahum Habakkuk Habakkuk Zephaniah Zephaniah Uriah Jeremiah 26,20-23 Jeremiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Ezekiel Shemaiah I Kings 12,22-24; II Chronicles 11,2-4, 12,5-15 Barukh Jeremiah 32, 36, 43, 45 Neriah (father of Barukh) Seraiah Jeremiah 51,61-64 Mehseiah (father of Neriah) Haggai Haggai Zechariah Zechariah Malachi who's fill name was Ezra HaSofer Malachi Mordecai Bilshan Oded (father of Azariah) Hanani (father of Jehu) Female propheteses Name Source Sarah Genesis 11,29 - 23,20 Miriam Exodus 15,20-21; Num. 12,1-12,15, 20,1 Deborah Judges 4,1 - 5,31 Hannah I Samuel 1,1 - 2,21 Abigail I Samuel 25,1 - 25,42 Huldah II Kings 22,14-20 Esther Esther Classical Jewish texts teach that the most direct forms of prophecy ended shortly after the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE and the codification of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) by the Men Of The Great Assembly (''Anshei Knessset HaGedolah''). However, various rabbinic Jewish works, including the Midrash , state that other less direct forms of communication between man and God still exist, and have never ended. Many , in particular in his '' Theologico-Political Treatise ''. The 's ''Prophetic Inspiration After the Prophets: Maimonides and Others'' (Ktav) Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote one of the 20th century's classic commentaries on the prophets, entitled "The Prophets". ;See also
Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) In said, "I will put my words in his mouth and he will speak to them all that I command him." Thus, the ''navi'' was thought to be the "mouth" of God. The root nun-bet-alef ("navi") is based on the two-letter root nun-bet which denotes hollowness or openness; to receive transcendental wisdom, one must make oneself “open”. Cf. Rashbam 's comment to Genesis 20:7. Fully a third of the TaNaKh is devoted to books about prophetic experience including a separate book of ‘minor’ prophets known as The Twelve Prophets (Trei-Assar) . According to I r". That could document an ancient shift, from viewing prophets as seers for hire to viewing them as moral teachers. Allen (1971) comments that in the First Temple Era, there were essentially seer-priests, who formed a guild, divined, performed rituals and sacrifices, and were scribes, and then there were canonical prophets, who did none of these (and were against divination) and had instead a message to deliver. The seer-priests were usually attached to a local shrine or temple, such as Shiloh, and initiated others as priests in that priesthood: it was a mystical craft-guild with apprentices and recruitment. Canonical prophets were not organised this way. The similar term "ben-navi" ("son of the prophet") means "member of a seer-priest guild". Some examples of prophets in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) include Abraham , Sarah , Isaiah , Samuel , Ezekiel , Malachi , and Job . In Jewish tradition, Daniel is not counted in the list of prophets. A Jewish tradition suggests that there were 600,000 male and 600,000 female prophets. Judaism recognizes the existence of 48 male prophets who bequeathed permanent messages to mankind. {Link without Title} According to the , Miriam , Devorah , Hannah (mother of the ''prophet'' Samuel ), Abigail (a wife of King David ), Huldah (from the time of Jeremiah ), and Esther . There were, of course, other women who functioned as prophets, and the last prophet mentioned in the Bible, Noahdiah ( Nehemiah 6:14) was a woman. Malachi's full name was Ezra Ha'Sofer (the scribe), and he was the last prophet of Israel if one accepts the opinion that Nechemyah died in Babylon before 9th Tevet 3448 (313 BCE). Divine Pathos In his book ''The Prophets'', Abraham Joshua Heschel describes the unique aspect of the Jewish prophets as compared to other similar figures. Whereas other nations have soothsayers and diviners who attempt to discover the will of their gods, according to Heschel the Hebrew prophets are characterized by their experience of what he calls theotropism — G-d turning towards humanity. Heschel argues for the view of Hebrew prophets as receivers of the "Divine Pathos ," of the wrath and sorrow of G-d over his nation that has forsaken him. He writes: Prophecy is the voice that G-d has lent to the silent agony, a voice to the plundered poor, to the profane riches of the world. It is a form of living, a crossing point of G-d and man. G-d is raging in the prophet's words. (The Prophets Ch. 1) GREEK AND ROMAN ORACLES The role of spokesman for the gods is an archaic one in the Hellenic world. However, the word ''prophet'' itself derives from the Greeks, who used the word ''προφήτης'' to refer to an interpreter or spokesperson of a deity, who "utters forth." In Greek Pantheistic Beliefs the interpreters of Zeus , Apollo , and other God s were the Oracle s, at numerous ancient sites, where the god or goddess spoke through women, sometimes identified as Sibyl s and the utterances, in classical times, were interpreted by men. In various Greek legends, oracles (particularly Apollo's at Delphi ) spoke cryptically of the future, and their meaning was frequently misunderstood. In ''The Iliad'' the Trojan princess Cassandra warns of upcoming events after being gifted premonition by Apollo, but a curse causes her premonition to be disbelieved. CHRISTIANITY Christians shares the Jewish belief that a prophet is a person who speaks for God, in the name of God, and who carries God's message to others. Some Christian ''). Christians recognize that anyone they consider prophetic is still human and fallible, and may make wrong decisions, have incorrect personal beliefs or opinions, and sin from time to time; the human characteristics of a prophet are ''independent'' of the message God has given him and do not negate the validity of his prophecies. Nevertheless, some Christians believe the minimum requirements of a true prophet can be summarized as follows: (1) Clear (not vague) prophecies (2) 100% accuracy in prophesying (i.e. one false prophecy is all it takes to disqualify them as a prophet), and (3) Must not contradict the Bible. Many Christians believe these standards create a conundrum for other Christians who actively support high profile ministers who have large followings who claim to have received prophecies that have later turned out to be mistaken (see Unfulfilled Historical Predictions By Christians ). Some sects of Christianity would also use these guidelines to disqualify other sects as prophets of God. Some Christians, including many who believe in Dispensationalism , believe prophecy ended with the coming of Jesus , who delivered the "fullness of the law." Within this group, many Protestants believe that prophecy ended with the last of the Hebrew prophets of the Torah of the Hebrew Bible, leaving a gap of about 400 years between then and the life of Jesus. The majority, including the Eastern Orthodox , allow an exception for John The Baptist as a prophet contemporary with Jesus. and to give gifts (i.e. abilities) to Christians. These may include the Charism atic gifts such as Prophecy , Tongues , healing, and knowledge. Christians holding a view known as Cessationism believe these gifts were given only in New Testament times and ceased after the last apostle died. Historical records, however, contradict this theory. Christians almost universally agree that certain more mundane " Spiritual Gifts " are still in effect today, including the gifts of ministry, teaching, giving, leadership, and mercy (see, e.g. ). ISLAM See Also: Prophet of Islam The '') to guide humanity. Besides Muhammad , this includes Abrahamic prophets such as Moses and David , and Jesus from Christian religion. According to the '') to guide the whole or a group of the mankind, depending on the mission assigned to each. God is believed to have instructed each of these prophets to warn his community against evil and urge his people to obey God. Although only 25 prophets are mentioned by name in the Qur'an, a Hadith (no. 21257 in ''Musnad Ibn Hanbal '') mentions that there were 124,000 of them in total throughout history, and the Qur'an says that God has sent a prophet to every group of people throughout time, and that Muhammad is the last of the Prophets.() In general, Muslims regard the stories of the Qur'an as Historical . The message of all the prophets is believed to be the same. Many of these prophets are also found in the texts of Judaism (The Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings; collectively known as the Old Testament to Christians) and Christianity .The Bible ; containing both the Old and New Testaments (see Similarities Between The Bible And The Qur'an ) While Islam shares the Jewish tradition that the first prophet is , Abraham , Moses , Jesus , and Muhammad . Also, only a tiny minority of prophets are believed to have been sent Holy Books (such as the Tawrat , Zabur , Injil and the Qur'an ), and those prophets are considered ''"messengers"'' or '' Rasul ''. Muhammad is regarded in Islam ic belief as having undertaken a prophetic mission addressed to all of humanity rather than a specific populace. Although it offers many incidents from the lives of many prophets, the Qur'an focuses with special narrative and rhetorical emphasis on the careers of the first four of these five major prophets. Of all the figures before Muhammad, Moses is referred to most frequently in the Qur'an . As for the fifth, the Qur'an is frequently addressed directly to Muhammad, and it often discusses situations encountered by him. Direct use of his name in the text, however, is rare. Rarer still is the mention of Muhammad's contemporaries. Besides the four Holy Books sent by God to the four messengers, Muslims believe that God also had granted Scrolls Suhuf (contains basic Divine Laws to guide the people) to Abraham and Moses . Muslims believe that evidence for the prophethood of Muhammad is as good as, if not stronger than, the evidence for previous prophets. A common argument is to ask why the Jew or Christian believe in Moses or Jesus, and to use the same answer to prove Muhammad's prophethood. They also maintain that all accusations levied on their prophet can be used against persons such as Abraham, Israel, Moses and Jesus. Thus they hold that the Jews or Christians are not consistent. If they believe in Moses or Jesus for their miracles, the same should apply to Muhammad. If Muhammad is accused of fighting, is not the same said about Abraham, Moses and David? They also argue that prophecies about Muhammad are still in the Old and New Testaments. OTHER PROPHETS Claims of prophecy continued through history and have occurred in many regions around the World. One of greater note is that of Nostradamus who lived in France at the turn of the 16th century. BAHá'í See Also: Manifestation of God The Bahá'í Faith refers to what are commonly called prophets as ''Manifestations of God'', or simply ''Manifestations'' (''mazhar'') who are directly linked with the concept of Progressive Revelation . Bahá'ís believe that God expresses this will at all times and in many ways, including through a series of divine messengers referred to as ''Manifestations of God'' or sometimes ''divine educators''.1 In expressing God's intent, these Manifestations are seen to establish religion in the world. Thus they are seen as an intermediary between God and humanity.2 The Manifestations of God are not seen as an incarnation of God, but they are also not seen as an ordinary mortals. Instead, the Bahá'í concept of the Manifestation of God emphasizes simultaneously the humanity of that intermediary and the divinity in the way they show forth the will, knowledge and attributes of God; thus they have both human and divine stations. This view resembles the Christian view of Christ , as well as the Shi'a understanding of the prophets and Imams . Bahá'u'lláh referred to several historical figures as Manifestations. They include the figures in the Abrahamic Faiths such as Noah , Abraham , Moses , Jesus , and Muhammad , but also include the founders of great non-Western religions such as Zoroaster , Krishna , and Buddha . The Báb , as well as himself, were included in this definition, and Bahá'u'lláh wrote that God will send more Manifestations in the future, when necessary. Thus religious history is interpreted as a series of Dispensations , where each ''Manifestation'' brings a somewhat broader and more advanced Revelation , suited for the time and place in which it was expressed. These Manifestations are taught to be "one and the same", and in their relationship to one another have both the station of unity and the station of distinction. Bahá'u'lláh wrote in the '' Kitáb-i-Íqán '' that in respect to their station of unity "if thou callest them all by one name. and dost ascribe to them the same attribute, thou hast not erred from the truth."3 In this sense, the Manifestations of God all fulfill the same purpose and perform the same function by mediating between God and creation. In this way each Manifestation of God manifested the Word of God and taught the same religion, with modifications for the particular audience's needs and culture. Bahá'u'lláh wrote that since each Manifestation of God has the same divine attributes they can be seen as the spiritual "return" of all the previous Manifestations of God. Bahá'u'lláh then states the diversity of the teachings of the Manifestations of God does not come about because of their differences, since they are one and the same, but because they each have a different mission. In addition to the Manifestations of God, in the Bahá'í view, there are also minor prophets. While the Manifestations of Gods, or major Prophets, are compared to the sun, which produces its own heat and light. The minor prophets, on the other hand, are likened to the moon, which receive their light from the sun. Moses , for example, is taught as having been a Manifestation of God and his brother Aaron a minor prophet. Moses spoke on behalf of God, and Aaron spoke on behalf of Moses ( Exodus 4:14-17). Other Jewish prophets are considered minor prophets, in the Bahá'í view, as they are considered to have come in the shadow of the dispensation of Moses to develop and consolidate the process he set in motion. MODERN PROPHETIC CLAIMS In modern times the term "prophet" is always controversial. For instance, Joseph Smith, Jr. and Ellen G. White , the respective founders of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints and the Seventh-day Adventist Church , are considered prophets by members of those churches, but are vilified in some other branches of Christianity . Latter-day Saints See Also: Prophet, seer, and revelator The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints ("LDS Church", see also Mormons ) and other churches from the Latter Day Saint Movement believes that God continues to communicate with his children. While anyone may receive Revelation for themselves or their own families, Mormons believe certain individuals have been called as prophets throughout history to proclaim God's message to the church and to the world. These prophets (including LDS Apostles ) are regarded as "special witnesses" of Jesus Christ, and are believed to have been foreordained as such as a part of God's Plan Of Salvation --to lead and guide His children on earth. The message of the gospel of Christ, since the time of Adam And Eve , has consistently been a call for people to repent and exercise faith in God and in Jesus' Atonement . A form of Dispensationalism exists where periods of time are introduced by a ''major prophet''. The Book Of Mormon describes the ministries of many of these prophets among the ancient inhabitants of the Americas, and alludes to other prophets who would be chosen in nations other than in the Americas and Bible lands. Latter-day Saints believe that God calls a prophet to lead the Lord's church any time it has been organized on the earth, beginning with Adam, and continuing on with others recorded in the Old Testament such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Isaiah, and Malachi. Jesus did this during his mortal ministry, and Peter acted in Christ's place after His ascension, but because of persecution the church eventually fell into Apostasy . With the Restoration of the Gospel in 1830 through Joseph Smith, Jr. , Latter-day Saints claim the true Christian church was, again, organized and established upon the earth. God is believed to direct affairs of the church through the leadership of the church, especially the President of the Church. He is believed to be authorized to receive revelation for the whole world and is often referred to simply as "the Prophet." He speaks bi-annually at the LDS Church's General Conference , which is broadcast in many areas in addition to being printed and published. Joseph Smith (1805–1844) is called the "Prophet of the Restoration" and was the first in the latter-days and is considered the prophet of the Dispensation Of The Fulness Of Times . The current leader of the church is Gordon B. Hinckley (b. 1910 ). In chronological order, past Presidents of the LDS Church were Brigham Young , John Taylor , Wilford Woodruff , Lorenzo Snow , Joseph F. Smith , Heber J. Grant , George Albert Smith , David O. McKay , Joseph Fielding Smith , Harold B. Lee , Spencer W. Kimball , Ezra Taft Benson and Howard W. Hunter . Hugh B. Brown , a former member of the First Presidency , presented an explanatory dialogue entitled Profile of a Prophet {Link without Title} . Latter-day Saints also believe other good men and women have had important roles among mankind and have been born on earth at particular times based on God's foreknowledge in all things, to guide their societies in true principles based on the light and knowledge they specifically sought after. For example, Mohammed , Confucius , John Wycliffe , William Tyndale , the United States Founding Fathers , and Gandhi were inspired by the Light Of Christ in bringing much goodness and truth to their societies, though theirs was not a revelatory calling through priesthood authority and direct revelation, thus differing from the calling of a prophet.Smith, Joseph F., Gospel Doctrine, 1919, Chapter 22.;Top, Brent L., Life Before, 1988, Chapter 7 Community of Christ Members of Community Of Christ , like the Mormons and other adherents of the Latter Day Saint movement believe that God continues to communicate with his children. While anyone may receive guidance from the Lord for themselves, only those called by God to be the prophet of the Church are able to present revelations that are intended to be presented to the Church as a whole, or to the world. Following the death of Joseph Smith II, the church was loosely re-organized by those whom the modern Church would view as having been faithful to the original teachings of Smith. When his son Joseph Smith III was old enough to take over, they petitioned him to do so, and in time he was sustained as the second prophet of the Church. Joseph Smith III served in that capacity for 54 years. He was succeeded as prophet by Frederick M. Smith, Israel A. Smith, W. Wallace Smith, Wallace B. Smith, W. Grant McMurray and most recently Stephen M. Veazey. Community of Christ (as well as most Latter Day Saint denominations) considers the Book of Mormon to be scripture. This book, for the most part, deals with the history of a group of Israelites who immigrated to the Americas, circa 600 BC. Throughout the history of the resulting civilizations (the Nephites and Lamanites), and one previous society (the Jaredites) several prophets are called into God’s service. Among the more important ones are: Abinadi, Alma the Younger, King Benjamin, Jacob, the Brother of Jared, Lehi, Mormon, Moroni, Nephi, & Samuel the Lamanite, who, like many other figures in the Book of Mormon account, "presented a revelation which was intended to be presented to the church as a whole" even though he was not "called by God to be the prophet of the Church." {Link without Title} . In addition, four prophets of the Old World, not known to exist outside the Book of Mormon, are also mentioned (and occasionally quoted): Ezias, Neum, Zenock and Zenos (the latter was quoted at great length in reference to a prophesy concerning the final fate of the House of Israel). Jehovah's Witnesses and as a result have acknowledged they "have made mistakes in their understanding of what would occur".''Reasoning From the Scriptures'' p.136 Seventh-day Adventist See Also: prophetic gift of Ellen White The Seventh-day Adventist Church believes Ellen White , a cofounder of the church, possessed the gift of prophecy. TENRIKYO Tenrikyo 's prophet, Nakayama Miki or Oyasama {Link without Title} , is believed by Tenrikyoans to have been a kind of microphone of God, as God spoke through Oyasama, directly, to whomever was in the vicinity. She had three aspects: the Shrine of Tsukihi (the body of the woman was occupied by the mind of God), The Parent of the Divine Model (Oyasama taught the people by instructions and examples), and The Truth of the Everliving Oyasama (she continues to watch humanity develop, even after shedding her body). OTHER RELIGIONS
OTHER INDIVIDUALS Other people throughout history have been described as prophets in the sense of foretelling the future (as opposed to forthtelling the message of the Deity). Examples of such prophets include:
SCIENCE-FICTION AND FANTASY
SEE ALSO
NOTES REFERENCES
FURTHER READING
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