prophecy

Prophets and prophecy figure heavily in the Old Testament and play a serious role in our understanding of our Christian faith. Much has been made of the prophet as a religious figure, someone who possesses supernatural knowledge not available to the average person. What is it about prophecy that so intrigues us?

The Greek word προφήτης (prophetes), which means prophet, comes from the verb πρόφημι (prophemi), a combination of a verb meaning “to speak” and the prefix pro. This prefix can mean a number of different things, most notably either “before” in the sense of time or “in front of” in a spatial context. The word prophet, then, has different meanings depending upon whether it is interpreted temporally or spatially. In modern usage, we tend to view prophecy temporally as a prediction of something still to come. The ancients, by contrast, viewed prophecy spatially as someone speaking forth to a group of people. A prophet was anyone who spoke on behalf of the gods.

So what is a prophet in the biblical sense? The mission of the prophet is not to foretell future events, though such predictions do occur. The role of a prophet is to speak for God. What does God think and how does God feel about a given situation? Prophets in every age prophesy or give voice to God’s thoughts and desires and make them known to the people.

related topics: apostle; prophet; word of God

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