Resumo de The Prophets

The Prophets
Prophets in the Bible were not primarily foretellers. Simply read through the book of Amos at one sitting and you will hear how little Amos is concerned to predict. Most of his words are addressed to criticizing present wrongdoing. Injustice, oppression, and rich, even luxurious, worship while the poor starve, are the issues he speaks about most. Where he looks to the future most often it is to warn: if you act like this God's punishment will come. On the punishment itself his descriptions vary, from seeming to envisage invasion through earthquake and drought to God's personal intervention.

Prophecy in Israel
Israel's Historical Traditions tell us of the importance of prophets to her political life. Remember the story of the institution of the monarchy and the rise to power of Saul, where Samuel plays a major role in the decisions and actions. Samuel was also at the forefront in the appointment of David. Gad is described as David's seer. However it is Nathan's relationship to his king which illustrates best the prophet's role: on building the temple; the Bathsheba affair and during Adonijah's rebellion when David was old, Nathan's advice and criticism sway the king. Nathan is active too in the moves to anoint Solomon, while his father still lives.

These early prophets were consulted about the future. They were thus in conflict with other less personal ways of predicting, such as omens, necromancy and astrology. However they were by no means simply fortune tellers. They were powerful to bless or curse, as the story of the Moabite prophet Baalam illustrates.

The prophets whose names are attached to books in the Bible: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos, Micah and the like, stand apparently isolated. However, this may well reflect the scarcity of stories about them rather than suggesting that they were individualists. Even Jeremiah, who sometimes stresses his own isolation had friends and supporters in Jerusalem e.g. the sons of Shaphan and Baruch.

Certainly prophets were often found in groups in Israel. They lived together and shared in activities which encouraged the ecstasy which most sought as a way of being more receptive to the word of God. Members of these groups were known as sons of the prophets, a phrase which does not mean that the office of prophet was hereditary!

Words for Prophet in the Bible
The common word for prophet in Hebrew is nabi' and the LXX usually renders it by the Greek word prophetes which is also used for prophets in the NT. Both are commonly rendered prophet in English translations. Two other Hebrew words are associated with prophetic figures: ????? hozeh and ????? ro'eh both mean someone who sees and can be literally rendered seer. However ro'eh was already an old fashioned word when was written.

The words nabi' and hozeh are close synonyms, Amaziah calls Amos hozeh, but suggests that he prophesy in Judah (verb naba' ??? from same root as nabi' ??????), while in the noun verb hazah has prophet as its subject and nabi' & hozeh are in parallel. However see below for a discussion of their different usage in North and South

Views of Prophecy in Israel and Judah
There may be an interesting difference in usage between hozeh and nabi' in North and South. In texts associated with the Deuteronomic movement nabi' is the preferred term for these respected people. Texts associated with more purely Judean traditions (Amos, Micah, Isaiah, Chronicles) use prophet less, and often in negative ways (e.g. of false prophets). The title hozeh, or at least the notion that their revelation was received by visions is preferred here. (Wilson) Certainly there is an interesting difference in the frequency of use for nabi' and the verb hazah (of which hozeh is a participle) between the prophetic books.

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