Biblical prophets.

The topic of this publication is the Great Prophets of the Bible. In order to tell about all the people who carried and carry such a ministry, you will need to write a book, or maybe more than one. Also, at this time, we are only interested in the Bible, the interpretation of which is becoming more accessible to people who have an idea of ​​its purpose, meaning and content.

Let's start with the fact that if not the first, then one of the first is now considered to be Judaism. Monotheistic - this means that her religious teaching implies the existence of only One God, categorically denying the presence of other deities in the Universe. In this case, Yahweh is recognized as such a God, who is the Creator of all that exists and reigns in the invisible and visible worlds. Accordingly, the Jews began to believe in the prophets as mediators between God and people. In 2 Chronicles 20:20, the king encourages the people to trust God and his prophets in order to achieve success in life.

In some ways, the role of prophets in Judaism is similar to that of pagan priests. They both brought sacrifices to God (gods), receiving revelations, instructions that should be passed on to the people, the king or a certain person. For example, the biblical prophet Samuel once came to Jesse's house in order to inform that God had chosen his son David as his Anointed One - King. Samuel also performed the anointing of David for the kingdom by means of the sacred oil from the horn.

The biblical prophet is Old and have radical differences. New Testament ministers no longer sacrifice animals to God. In ancient times, sacrifices symbolized the Savior of the World Christ, who would be crucified on the Cross. The prophets mainly predicted the coming of the Messiah, born of the Virgin. The aforementioned King David is also a Biblical prophet like his son Solomon. They knew that Christ - the Messiah would appear to the world from a kind

There are very few people in the world who do not know the Biblical prophet Moses. He was born in Egypt when his people were enslaved by the rulers of this country - the pharaohs. The Bible tells how little Moses was hidden in a basket in the middle of the thickets of the Nile River. There he was safely found by the daughter of Pharaoh and taken to the palace for education. In fact, his life was thus saved, since Jewish babies at that time were deprived of their lives immediately after their birth.

When Moses grew up, he learned about his origin and could not look calmly at how his people were suffering in the heavy "Egyptian yoke." He saw how the overseer beat the Jew and, unable to restrain himself, killed the Egyptian. As a result, Moses had to take flight and live in the wilderness for some time. There he met God, who spoke from a burning bush. This is how Moses became God's servant and prophet. He returned to Egypt and demanded the release of his people from Pharaoh. This story is described in the book of Exodus. Later, it was the biblical one who received from God the 10 commandments of the Old Testament.

The Bible tells us about other people, whose prophecies are recorded in it and collected in separate books, the so-called "Prophets". They are classified into small and large. The point is not that some are more important, but the size of the texts. The books of Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the prophet Daniel are considered great prophets. The rest are small ones: Joel, Obadiah, Nahum, Micah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Hosea, Zechariah, Malachi and others. If you take selectively, for example, the book of the prophet Zephaniah, you can find in it the following ideas:

• Any events that take place on Earth are the result of God's Will.
• One day the Day of the Lord will come, which will bring cataclysms, in scale comparable to that only true believers, God-fearing people, will be able to be saved.
• God will reveal salvation to his chosen children and grant them the Kingdom of Eternal Peace, Happiness and Joy.

The prophets of the New Testament mainly carry messages to the Church of Jesus Christ, edifying and confirming Christians in the faith.

The concept of prophets and the timing of their ministry

A characteristic feature that unites all the natures of the Old Testament biblical history is the ministry of the prophets, or the so-called Old Testament prophetism.

Prophet, in Hebrew "Navi", from the verb "Navat" - to speak, to convey the will of another. "Navi" also corresponds to such concepts as "to be full, to overflow". These concepts accompany the image of an inspired, oratorical speech, freely pouring from the overflowing heart of the prophet. Prophets are often referred to as "the mouth of Jehovah." In the same sense, Aaron is also called a prophet, who transmitted the commands of the tongue-tied Moses to the people and Pharaoh. "Go ... he will be your mouth (your prophet), and you will be instead of God" (Ex. 4:16) - the Lord said to Moses.

In the Greek language "Navi" corresponds to the word "profitis". But it has a narrower meaning - it denotes a predictor of the future, a seer, a soothsayer. This word was used to describe the Greek oracles, priests of pagan religions, who think that they convey the will of the gods.

A prophet is an intermediary between God and people who reveals to people the divine will concerning either the present moment, or the past, or the future.

The ministry of the prophets runs like a red thread throughout the history of Old Testament mankind. Prophetism is the concept in the light of which one can simultaneously view both the external course of the main events of biblical history and their internal ideological connection.

The Bible, offering us the history of the Old Testament mankind, puts the emphasis on the issue of communication between the Creator and the creation. Revealed religion, as a true religion, certainly presupposes a certain way of interconnection between God and man. Prophetism, in the broadest sense of the word, embraces all those forms by which God reveals His will to humanity.

In the broadest sense of the word, the prophet ("navi") in the Bible often refers to all God's chosen people, to whom the Creator revealed His will and showed special protection and mercy. Israel was to be the mouthpiece, the mediator through which God announced His will to all mankind. In this sense, Israel is called "the people of the prophets", destined to serve as "a light for the enlightenment of the Gentiles" - people who "sit in darkness and the shadow of death." But Israel, due to its "tough-mindedness", was unable to fulfill the high assignment. Because of his sinfulness, he could not stand directly to the Face of God; for himself, mediators-prophets were required. All Old Testament patriarchs (Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), all judges, leaders and many pious Jewish kings should be recognized as prophets in this capacity.

From the moment the Old Testament theocracy was established, a special period of prophetic ministry begins, understood in a narrower, biblically-specific sense of the word. Since the law of Sinai, Jehovah has become not only God, but also the King of Israel. The founder and leader of the theocracy, the mediator of the Sinai legislation, awarded a special, exclusive closeness to Jehovah - Moses was the greatest of all the Old Testament prophets. Due to the specifics of his ministry, he had no successors among the Old Testament prophets, for he was the prototype, the type of Christ, the Founder of the most perfect New Testament theocracy, or the kingdom of God.

The era from Moses to Samuel is known under the name of "the non-prophet." The Bible says this about this period: "The word of the Lord was rare in those days and visions were not frequent" (1 Samuel 3: 1).

Samuel opens a special period of Old Testament prophetism. The internal state of Israel by this moment was more than deplorable: the spirit of national unity disappeared, faith weakened, there was a real threat of political death for Israel. At this critical moment, God raised up the prophet Samuel for his people. Samuel and subsequent prophets of this period, thanks to the divine grace that illuminated them and their own efforts, rose high above the general moral level of their people. They deeply comprehended the true meaning of the events taking place and saw the distant future with the eyes of faith. "Anticipating the breeze of New Testament grace" (St. Basil the Great), living in body in the Old Testament, in spirit they were citizens of the New Testament.

In the Bible, prophets are sometimes called differently, for example: 1) "the man of God" - this is the name of the prophet who predicted the destruction of his house to the high priest Elijah; 2) "seer" - this is the name of Samuel; 3) "seer" - the meaning is the same as the seer, i.e. a person who sees the future with the eyes of faith; 4) "guardian of the house of God": the prophets guarded or protected Israel from spiritual enemies; 5) "angel of God" in the sense of a messenger of the will of God.

The time of the prophets' ministry

Prophetic ministry is intrinsically inextricably linked with theocracy: together they were born at the foot of Sinai, but together they go through the entire independent political history of Israel. If theocracy is the essence of Israel's history, then prophetism is the soul of theocracy. If Moses (c. 1250), as noted above, due to the specifics of his ministry stands apart from the origins of theocracy, then from Samuel the prophetic ministry acquires certain characteristic features (c. 1040).

From this time on, prophetic communities or schools appeared in Israel. They could be joined by godly Israelites of all kinds and conditions. At the head of each of these communities was a popular prophet, whose spirit she lived and whose name she was called. The main task of such a school was to spread the spiritual influence of its prophet and establish his authority among the people. Therefore, the prophetic schools were the centers of religious and moral life, hotbeds of theocratic enlightenment among the people.

But one should not think that the schools trained prophets. The prophets existed before the schools and were assigned to this high ministry through a mysterious, grace-filled vocation. Disciples of the prophets came out of schools, having studied the Word of God, singing and music well. These assistants to the prophets, the people's teachers spread prophetic revelations throughout the kingdom of Israel, fulfilling the command of their teacher.

As you know, the establishment of royal power in Israel was not down to God, and in this regard it is interesting to trace the relationship of the prophetic institution with the monarchical. The establishment of kingship in Israel brings about a significant change in the ministry of the prophets. From now on, the ministry of the prophets, among other things, takes on a strictly protective character in relation to the basic principles of the theocratic system. At first, prophetism positively dominated monarchism. The prophets not only severely denounced the kings for violating the Law of God, but also imperiously meted out a judgment on them, deposed some from the throne and erected others worthy. But the situation soon changed. Since the division of Israel (931) into the Northern and Southern kingdoms for the prophets, the most crucial period of ministry begins, fraught with constant danger. Not a trace remained of true theocracy: the kings live with one thought - to strengthen the political position of their kingdoms. For this purpose, forbidden alliances are concluded with pagan kings and their peoples. The result of this is religious wandering and moral corruption of the people. A particularly heavy burden fell on the prophets of Israel, where the true priesthood was destroyed and forcibly replaced by the Jeroboam priests of the Baal cult. Here the prophets were almost the only "guardians of the house of Israel". Researchers call this period "the heroic era of prophetism."

Most of all, the prophecy developed during the period of wicked kings, when the royal power, ready to seduce the people from the true path, had to be opposed with a spiritual force that would keep the people from temptation. But a particularly flourishing time of the prophetic ministry was in the period of Elijah and Elisha (874-790).

However, the influence of the prophets and their disciples was not able to prevent the natural course of history traced by divine Providence. Both Jewish kingdoms were nearing their inevitable political end. The heralds of this end, its eyewitnesses and foretellers of the new messianic kingdom were the so-called prophets-writers.

A characteristic feature of the prophets-writers was not so much their personal intervention in the course of state and public life, as their free influence on the souls of people through the spoken and written word, a lively and powerful sermon of repentance, combined with gratifying pictures of the future spiritually renewed messianic kingdom.

For 4 centuries before the coming of the Messiah, the prophecy fell silent.

The last prophet to leave the scriptures was Malachi, after which the true prophecy disappeared, and the scribes and Pharisees sat on the great prophetic seat of Moses.

Thus, the ministry of the prophets is a specific sign of God's chosen people. It is only thanks to the development of prophetism that Israel has taken an exceptional place in world history. The Old Testament prophetism represents, as it were, the axis of the religious history of all mankind. Professor M.M. Tareev says this about the connection between prophetism and the history of Israel: “The Jewish religion is the religion of the prophets. kingdom and prophecy. "Christian, 1907, November, p. 536.).

Not a single people of ancient history possessed the treasure that the Jewish people of God had. The treasure is the revelation of the will of God through the "word" which the living, personal God guided and instructed His people on the true path.

The teachings of the prophets

The role of the prophets in the religious development of Israel is extremely great. The Old Testament religion, which presupposes a two-way relationship with the God of man, had in the person of the prophets those sources through which the Revelation of God was poured out on God's chosen people. The teaching of the prophets consists of three main elements characteristic of the Old Testament religion: monotheism, moralism, expectation of salvation.

1. Monotheism. For a long time, the Israelites assumed that other peoples could have their own "other" gods. This did not bother them: they called only Yahweh, the most powerful of the gods, who requires worship to Him alone. From practical henotheism to a fully conscious strict monotheism, Israel passed under the influence of the preaching of the prophets. The Sinai Revelation of one God was associated with the establishment of the Covenant, and therefore Yahweh was represented as the God of Israel proper, connected with the Israelite land and the sanctuaries. And only since the time of the prophets (Amos, mid. VIII century) God is already understood as the Almighty, commanding the forces of nature, reigning supreme over all people and history. He judges small states and great empires (Amos 1-2), gives them power and takes it away (Jer. 27, 5-8); they serve as an instrument of His punishment (Amos 6, 11; Isa 7, 18-20); He also stops them (punishments) when it pleases Him (Is. 10, 12). Declaring Israel to be the land of Yahweh (Jer. 7: 7), the prophets at the same time predict the destruction of the sanctuary (Micah. 3:12; Jer. 7: 12-14), and Ezekiel sees the glory of Yahweh leave Jerusalem (Ezek. 10, 18-22; 11, 22-23).

In an effort to protect Israel from pagan cults, the prophets show the falsity and impotence of the idols of neighboring nations. The criticism of idolatry becomes especially acute during the period of captivity. Then, solemnly confessing monotheism, the prophets in their speeches emphasize His transcendence (incomprehensibility), transcendence, holiness. And although God is surrounded by mystery (Isa. 6; Ez. 1), He is at the same time close to His people and shows His goodness to them.

2. Moralism. The holiness of God is opposed by the defilement of man, and, seeing this contrast, the prophets are especially acutely aware of human sinfulness. This moralism, like monotheism, is not something new: it was already inherent in the 10 commandments. But in the books of the prophets, the topic of sin becomes one of the main ones, a special emphasis is placed on it. Sin separates man from God (Isaiah 59: 2), offends a righteous God (Am.), Many-merciful (Hos.) And holy (Is.). The problem of sin is at the center of Jeremiah's preaching work. It is the rampant of evil that causes God's punishment. Since the sin is committed by the entire nation, it also requires collective punishment, but Jeremiah (31, 29-30) already has an idea of ​​individual retribution.

It is important to note that the preaching of the purity of life, high morality, the so-called. The "ethical monotheism" of the prophets is based on the Sinai legislation. That is, the prophets expand and deepen in the consciousness of the people what God once gave. At the same time, the understanding of religious life is deepening. We must "seek God", "fulfill His laws." The prophets teach that God requires inner righteousness, inner purity and holiness, and therefore rituals that are not associated with concern for morality are condemned.

3. Expectation of salvation. Condemning sin and speaking about God's punishment for sins, the prophets (starting with Amos) speak of the special, happy lot of the chosen righteous, called the "remnant." The "remnant" includes all who during their lifetime escaped sin, and directly those who are worthy to live to the era of great happiness. The time will come when the exiles of Israel and the scattered Jews (Isa. 11, 12-13) will return to the Holy Land, and a period of prosperity, material prosperity and power will come. But the main thing is that the coming of the Kingdom of righteousness and holiness will precede the internal conversion of all Jews, God's forgiveness and knowledge of God, bringing peace and joy (Is. 2, 4; 9, 6; 11, 6-8). To establish His Kingdom on earth, King Yahweh will send His representative, the "anointed one" ("Messiah" - Hebrew). Messianic prophecies are an Old Testament treasure.

The Purpose of Prophetic Ministry

The purpose of the prophetic ministry was threefold: religious, moral, and political.

1. The prophets, first of all, were called to support the people of faith in the One God and the coming Messiah and to prepare them to receive the latter. In accordance with this appointment, the prophets orally and in writing tried to keep the people from idolatry, pointing out its falsity. They also pointed out that to please God, external ritual actions are not enough, but heartfelt fulfillment of the Law of God and faith in the Messiah are necessary.

2. The moral goal of the prophetic ministry is that the prophets monitored the purity of the life of Israel, exposed sin in all its ugliness, called for repentance, and explained the Law of Moses. The best way to achieve success in this area of ​​ministry was their own example of a selfless, God-pleasing life.

3. The prophets did not disregard the political side of the people's life. They tried to reveal to the Jews that their King is Jehovah Himself and that they should not do anything in political life without His permission. Due to the close connection of Jews with pagans, the prophetic ministry also concerned paganism. Providently, the influence of the prophets extended to the Gentiles, since the Gentiles also had to enter the kingdom of the Messiah. The prophets denounced the pagans for enmity towards the people of God and turned them to the right path, predicting that they would receive the promised salvation if they were worthy of it.

The concept of prophetic books and their meaning

In the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament, the department of prophetic books occupies one of the most significant places. All 16 prophets-writers, according to the volume of their books, are traditionally divided into great and small prophets (4 great: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and 12 small: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi).

Prophetic books are those holy Hebrew books in which divine Revelations, given to the prophets regarding the fate of the kingdom founded by God, are recorded by divine men.

In the Greek, Russian and Slavic Bibles, the prophetic section is placed after the teaching books in the above order with the addition of the following books after the book of the prophet Jeremiah: Lamentations of Jeremiah, the Epistle of Jeremiah and the books of the prophet Baruch (2 last non-canonical).

In the European Bible, where all the books are divided into 3 sections - Law, Prophets and Scriptures, the prophetic books follow under the heading "Later Prophets" immediately after the "Early Prophets", which includes the books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth and the four books of Kings. The book of the prophet of Denmark is here placed in the section of the Scriptures (hagiographers).

Although from the total number of prophets we conditionally single out the so-called "prophets-writers", i.e. those to whom, according to the biblical canon, a book belongs, however, this name may not be completely understood, for it does not quite accurately reflect the prophetic ministry. The prophet was not a writer, but an orator, a preacher. The prophetic books, in the form in which we now have them, were not known to the contemporaries of the prophets, for the latter could leave only small records of their own experience, which were later edited either by the disciples of the prophets or by their followers. This idea is confirmed by three main elements that can be clearly traced in the method of presentation of the material. The first is the prophecies proper - i.e. The words of God Himself or poetic pictures expressing their meaning: a proclamation, a terrible warning, a promise. The second is a first-person narration; the prophet himself speaks of his experience. The third is a story from the third person - a description by someone of the life, ministry and teachings of the prophet. All these 3 elements are often combined in one book, which indicates a later edition of the book, which included not only the words and writings of the prophet himself, but also something about himself, transmitted by oral tradition.

The significance of the prophetic books is great. The significance of the books of prophecy, as well as of the books of Holy Scripture in general, is based, first of all, on their canonical dignity, i.e. on the conviction that these Scriptures were brought into being not by human will and art, but by the will of God, and therefore everything that is put into them edifying, useful and saving. Let us single out 3 main, in our opinion, aspects of the significance of prophetic books: apologetic, moral and historical.

1. Apologetic. Prophetic books prove the existence of God, for they speak of such subjects that surpass human wisdom, predict such events that can only be known to the Supreme Being who knows the secrets of the future. Ex .: prophecies about the birth of Emmanuel from the Virgin, the prediction of the 70-year Babylonian captivity, 70 weeks remaining until the coming of the Messiah; sufferings of Christ, etc.

2. Moral or the educational value of the prophetic books is based on those many moral examples of true faith, virtue (Elijah and the Sarepta widow; the behavior of 3 youths in captivity). Sermons of repentance are of great importance, helping to cleanse the soul from sin.

3. Historical the significance of the prophetic books is given by those testimonies that point to or other circumstances of the historical life of Israel, the divided kingdoms, to the life of the Jews in captivity. The pictures of the morals and customs of the peoples surrounding Israel are given.

The main subject of prophecy

Central to the prophetic ministry is the preaching of the coming Messiah. The personality and activities of the Messiah are reflected in the prophecies with amazing detail and accuracy. So the prophets predicted that the Messiah would be born of the Virgin (Isaiah), that He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah), that He would appear 490 I years after the captivity (Daniel), that He would come from the lineage of David at the time when the house of David would be cut off to the root (Is.), that He will conclude a New Covenant with Jews and Gentiles (Jeremiah), that He will solemnly enter Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah), that He will enter the new 2nd temple, built after the Babylonian captivity (Haggai), that He will suffer, die (Is.), rise from the dead (Hosea) and create a world spiritual kingdom, into which only worthy ones will enter (Is.).

The unity and difference of prophecy

All prophecies in general terms and in one direction are similar to each other: they predict the judgment of God over the wicked Jews and Gentiles and the coming salvation for those who repent through the Messiah.

But in particular, the prophecies differ markedly. For example: one prophet says that salvation through the Messiah is available only to Jews, another says that both Jews and Gentiles will be saved. Some teach that the kingdom of the Messiah is the highest, earthly prosperity, while the other speaks of it as a spiritual state of reconciliation with God. One claims that Jehovah saves, the other points to the Messiah.

The reasons for this difference in prophecy are to be seen in the context of the prophet's ministry. There are 3 main reasons:

1st. Prophecy depends on the personality of the prophet, on his intellectual level of development. For example, the word of Isaiah, who was brought up at the royal court, of course, differs from the word of Amos, who came from the shepherds.

2nd reason: the spiritual and moral state of Israel. Just as infants are fed first with milk, and only then with solid food, so Israel until a time could not rise to the idea of ​​universal salvation, to the idea of ​​a spiritual Kingdom.

3rd reason. Political circumstances left their mark on prophecies. When the king was in glory and greatness in Israel, the Messiah was portrayed as the King, and when the state power was all concentrated in the hands of the high priest, the prophets call the Messiah the High Priest. When the house of David was threatened with complete destruction, the prophets especially emphasized that the race of David could not be destroyed, since the Messiah must come from it.

On prophetic inspiration and on how prophets receive revelations from God

The ministry of all true prophets usually began with their calling by God to this mysterious work. Many prophets, for example, Isaiah (Chapter 6), Jeremiah (Chapter 1), Ezekiel (Chapter 1-3), left testimonies about their calling to high ministry. A vocation is that unifying feature that, firstly, put people of the most varied origins in one row, and secondly, it emphasized the specificity of the prophetic ministry, which differed from the high priestly and priestly ministries.

First of all, the prophetic ministry was not hereditary, like the ministry of the Old Testament priesthood associated with the tribe of Levi and the family of Aaronic.

In addition, when comparing the ministry of prophets and priests (especially the New Testament Church), the gift of prophecy cannot be considered permanent, i.e. continuing continuously from the moment of calling until death. Prophecy has always depended on two factors: the will of God and the spiritual state of a person. Only with the harmonious interaction of both of these principles was true prophecy uttered.

The grace of God given to the prophet at the moment of his calling was of a preparatory nature, i.e. helped the prophet to maintain himself in a state of spiritual vigor, the ability to feel the will of God, to hear His word.

At the moment of the manifestation of the Divine will, a person, in order to receive revelation from above, must turn entirely to God, put his whole being in the service of God, i.e. all spiritual and physical strength. Therefore, the main spheres of the prophet's soul - reason, feeling and will - were most actively involved in receiving revelation.

Reason, or intellectual abilities, put the received "information" into a word. Feeling gave the prophetic word vitality, relevance, color. Will, obeying the will of God, impelled to defend the prophetic word even to death; manifested itself as a conviction of righteousness.

With such an active participation of a person in the transmission of the prophecy, one might get the impression that the prophet speaks from himself, especially since, due to their humility, the prophets often did not emphasize the charisma of their ministry. The best proof that God Himself spoke through the prophets was the fulfillment of the prophecies.

It may also be noted that the Lord did not allow the prophets to proclaim a prophetic word based only on human wisdom. There are a number of passages in the Bible from which it is clear that the prophets did not always know the will of God, and if they prophesied at that moment, then their word was wrong. So, the prophet Elisha does not know the reason for the grief of the Shunammite woman (the death of her son). "The Lord hid from me and did not tell me," he says (4 Ts. 4:23). Another example: the prophet Nathan approves, but the Lord does not approve of David's desire to build a temple, about which the prophet receives a revelation (2 Ts. 7, 1-5). And another example: the prophet Isaiah first advises King Hezekiah to prepare for death, and then, having received a revelation from God, speaks of extending his life by fifteen years. It follows that each prophecy required a special revelation from God.

Many prophecies could not be the product of the human mind in their mystery, supernaturalness.

But if the prophet received revelation from God, if "the hand of the Lord touched the prophet," then no external factors could hinder the prophecy. Therefore, the prophecies were pronounced (or recorded) both in freedom and in prison (Jer. 33, 1), and during a meal (1 Kings 13, 10) and in front of strangers (Ezek. 8, 1), and in solitude among fields (Ezek. 37: 1).

But it happened that irritation, anger made the prophet incapable of receiving revelation. So, Elisha calmed himself with the sounds of ghusli, only after which he was able to prophesy (2 Kings 3:15).

The Lord Himself pointed out (Num. 12, 6-8) to three ways of receiving revelations by the prophets: through dreams, through words, through vision. "If the Lord happens to you, the prophet, then I am revealed to him in a vision, in a dream I speak to him; but not as with My servant Moses ... mouth to mouth I speak with him, and explicitly, and not in fortune-telling .. . "

1. Through a dream - one of the oldest ways of revelation. So the Lord revealed His will to the patriarchs Jacob, Joseph (Gen. 28, 11-15; 37, 6-9), from the prophets - especially often to Daniel.

2. Through the word - a rarer revelation that has varieties: sometimes the prophet heard the word within himself (1 Sam. 16, 6-7), sometimes it was an external voice (the calling of Samuel 1 Sam. 3, 2-14); the highest, but also the rarest way should be called a conversation with God "face to face" (Numbers, 12, 8).

3. Through vision - the most difficult way to understand. The vision could have two degrees - the lowest and the highest.

At the lowest degree of vision, a person lost consciousness and self-determination and was like pagan soothsayers. This method was rarely used when it was necessary to isolate the will of a person. Example: the prophet Balaam instead of a curse pronounced a blessing on Israel (Num. 22-24).

The highest degree of vision is characterized by an unusual state of a person, although quite conscious. By the inspiration of the grace of God, the soul of a person is renounced from everything earthly, ascends to the higher. The prophet sees and hears what others do not see or hear, asks questions and receives answers. The vision is vividly imprinted in the memory of the prophet, which allows him to later write it down or turn with a word of edification to people.

Methods of communicating prophecies to the people

As already mentioned, the prophets could not keep the received revelation in themselves, hide, therefore, in various ways (depending on the content of the revelation, on external circumstances) they communicated the prophecy to the people.

When transmitting revelations to the people, the prophets used three methods - spoken word, scripture and symbolic actions.

1. Spoken word is the most ancient way. The prophets with fiery speeches uttered impromptu addressed the people. A living word that emanated from a flaming heart, like no other, was received with attention by people, penetrated into the soul and brought abundant fruits: repentance, a virtuous life. Many ancient prophets preached this way, including Elijah and Elisha, but no scriptures remained of them.

2. Written prophecies began to appear no earlier than 800 BC. The circumstances of the recording were different. Sometimes they first preached orally, and then the prophecy was written down for the edification of posterity. In other cases, the prophet, unable to proclaim the revelation directly to the people, wrote it down and passed it on for reading. The prophet Jeremiah uses this method while in prison; the prophet Ezekiel writes a prophecy in captivity and sends it to Jerusalem to be read. Thanks to the recording of prophecies, they have survived to this day.

The prophets used the most diverse literary forms to express the ideas of their sermons: in the speeches of the prophets there are lyrical passages, prose narratives, direct, inflow or allegorical speech, various forms of exhortations, harsh criticism and denunciations, proverbs, psalms set out in poetic form, songs of love, satire, elegies (lamentable songs), etc.

3. One of the most compelling ways of communicating revelation was through symbolic actions by the prophets. By drawing attention to himself in this way, the prophet often immediately explained the meaning of the symbolic action. Especially often the prophet Jeremiah used symbolic actions for preaching.

There is an opinion that some symbolic actions were not performed by the prophets due to either physical or moral impossibility, while the prophets only spoke about them. For example: Jeremiah's walking for Euphrates is a physical impossibility. Concerning the marriage of Hosea to a harlot (moral impossibility), the opinions of the interpreters differ. Bl. Theodorite says: "This union was cleaner than any marriage, for it was based on obedience to the will of God."

Ways to Explain Prophecy

In order to correctly understand and explain the prophecies, one must always remember that the prophecies were given for the Jews. Therefore, one should first of all keep in mind the literal meaning of the prophecies, i.e. to understand them the way the prophets themselves and their contemporaries understood them, and to attribute them to the Old Testament.

2 ways (principles).

Lexigraphic- involves the study of the text and the correctness of the translation from the Hebrew language.

Psychological the method involves explaining the text through acquaintance with the life of the writer, with the state of the people. The psychological method also involves the study of the context (close and distant) and familiarity with parallel passages (close context - the study of the entire paragraph, chapter in order to understand what dictated this or that, the phrase of the prophet; distant context - involves the analysis of the content of the entire book, era or the whole life of the prophet).

When explaining prophecies, it is imperative to point out their fulfillment.

According to the content, the prophecies are divided into typological and messianic. Typological prophecy - primarily about history, the fate of the Jewish people. It fits into the framework of the events of the Old Testament, but sometimes also of the New Testament time. Messianic prophecy is primarily about the Messiah. For example: the prophecy about the Babylonian captivity is typological, and the prophecy about the birth of Emmanuel from the Virgin is messianic.

The difference between the true prophets of the Lord and false, uncalled prophets and pagan soothsayers

In addition to true prophets, the Jews also had false prophets who were not called by God to this high ministry. "I did not send these prophets, but they themselves ran, I did not speak to them, but they prophesied" (Jer. 23, 21).

True prophets are prophets by calling; false prophets are prophets by profession, feeding on their craft. False prophets can be divided into 2 groups.

1. Conscious deceivers who served for selfish purposes.

2. Self-deceived, deluded, misunderstanding the scriptures about the Messiah; they were often influenced by an evil spirit. They may have come from prophetic communities; such are denounced by the prophet Micah (Ch. 22, 39). "The prophets of it (Jerusalem) foretell for money ... they preach peace, and whoever does not put anything in their mouths, they declare war against him" (Micah 3, 11, 5). The latter were often in opposition to true prophets who tried to dissociate themselves from professional prophets. In this sense, says the prophet Amos:

"I am not a prophet and not a son of a prophet ... But the Lord said to me:" Go prophesy to my people Israel "(Am. 7, 14-15). And the prophet Elisha punishes his servant Gehazi for taking payment for healing from Naaman the Syrian (4 Ts. 5:20).

Contemporaries could not always easily distinguish the true prophets of God from the uncalled, false prophets. The final difference between the two was achieved only by the test of time.

The pagans had a kind of prophets-soothsayers who were called oracles or mantics (from - to be in a frenzy, to rave, to rave).

Rational criticism often puts true prophets on a par with Greek and other pagan oracles and mantics. But there are significant differences between them. The difference concerns, firstly, the essence of the inspiration of the prophets and mantics, secondly, the conditions of prophecy and, thirdly, the content of predictions.

1. The Jewish prophets, prophesying from the influence of the power of God on them, the grace of the Holy Spirit, at the same time retained full consciousness and self-determination. Prophesying, they talked with God, asked, answered, rejoiced, sometimes wondered and refused high service, realizing its difficulty, their youth, unworthiness, and other reasons. (Ex .: Isaiah confesses his sinfulness; Jeremiah - youth;

Zechariah talks to an angel in a vision.) All this is clearly engraved in their memory, which allows them to record the vision, testify of their calling.

The inspiration of the pagan mantics, which was produced artificially, through various drugs, had a different character. At the time of the prophecy, the oracles lost consciousness, were insane. So, for example: Pythia, the soothsayer of the temple of Apollo of Delphi, came into an ecstatic state from inhaling intoxicating sulfur fumes emanating from the crevices of the Parnassian rock, and then she prophesied. Other oracles came to a state of ecstasy through wine, a special water mixed with narcotic substances. The ancient poet Ovid wrote about these sources: "Whoever drinks from them goes berserk, flee from them everyone who cares about the health of their minds."

2. The second difference relates to the conditions of prophecy. True prophets were independent of place and time. "The spirit breathes where it wants." Mantics prophesied in a certain place and at a certain time. The Pythia prophesied only 2 times a year in spring and autumn at the crevasses of the Parnassian rock, when a narcotic vapor emanated from there.

The oracles' divinations, on the contrary, related to private or national life, concerned only the present, represented a number of vague sayings that had no connection with each other.

These prophecies were often "deciphered" by the priests, who interpreted them at their discretion, depending on the gift brought.

Often pagan divinations were of a fortune-telling nature: they were uttered by the cry or flight of birds, by the insides of sacrificial animals, by the rustle of leaves of a sacred tree and other superstitious objects.

Biblical and chronological order of the prophets

The prophetic books are not arranged chronologically in the Bible. Ranking them in importance, the editors gave them the following places: In the Jewish canon - 1. Jeremiah, 2. Ezekiel, 3. Isaiah and the Twelve (the book of the prophet Daniel, like the Lamentations of Jeremiah, were placed in the hagiographic section).

Seventy commentators put 12 minor prophets in the first place. In the Vulgate (lat.) And later Christian editions, the book of the prophet Isaiah is placed in first place - as containing the clearest information about the Messiah. In the Slavic and Russian Bibles, the following order: at the beginning are placed 4 great prophets (so called according to the volume of their writings) Isaiah, Jeremiah (+ Lamentations of Jeremiah, the Epistles of Jeremiah and the book of the prophet Baruch), Ezekiel, Daniel; and 12 minor prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.

If we put the prophets in chronological order, then we get the following list, consisting of 3 sections: the doped prophets, the time of the captivity and the post-prisoners.

Chronological table of prophets-writers

I. Pre-Babylonian period.

1. Jonah between 793-753 under Jeroboam II (793-753).

2. Amos "770-750 under Jeroboam II, Uzziah.

3. Hosea "760-725 under Jeroboam II, Uzziah

Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah.

4. Isaiah "740-690 with Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah.

5. Micah "740-695 under Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah.

6. Zephaniah "639-621 under Josiah.

7. Nahum "621-612 under Josiah.

II. Babylonian period

8. Jeremiah between 625-586 under Josiah, Joachim, Zedekiah.

9. Avvakum "608-597

10. Obadiah about 586

11. Jezakiel between 592-571 in Babylonia.

12. Daniel "597-539 in Babylonia until the 3rd year of Cyrus.

III. Persian period.

13. Haggai 520 under Darius Hystaspes.

14. Zechariah between 520-515 - "-

15. Joel "500-450

16. Malachi "460-430

Prophet Micah

The Personality and Ministry of the Prophet

The prophet Micah (from Hebrew "who is like God") came from the village of Morasphus (to the southeast of Jerusalem), prophesied in Judea under the kings Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, i.e. from about 740-695 BC, and was a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea. The era of these prophets was filled with stormy historical events that agitated the entire East and were reflected in the history of Israel and Judah. But the different living conditions in which the prophets were, in particular Isaiah and Micah, were reflected in the writings of both prophets. At the same time, Isaiah, who by his aristocratic position was in close relations with the royal court, displays a keen interest in the political movements of the time, seeks to give direction to these movements and describes the life and customs of the capital; Micah, a native of the village of Morasphus, in his sermons for Judea was the same as Amos was for Israel. He, like Amos, in his book acts mainly as a moralist, does not at all touch upon the political situations of his time and everywhere speaks as a native of the people. His language is distinguished by simplicity, concreteness, and sometimes even harshness, bold alternation of images and a play on words. His closeness to the common people is expressed in that special sympathy for the offended when Micah speaks about the crime of the rich against the poor, vividly depicting how the Jewish velimozhes on their lodges invent means to enrich themselves at the expense of the poor (2, 1-2. 3-9; 3, 3). The book contains many figurative, lively expressions borrowed from village life (2, 12; 4, 6-7; 5, 3-7; 7, 17).

Micah is mentioned in the book of prop. Jeremiah. Some of the elders, supporting Jeremiah's predictions about the sad fate of Jerusalem, reminded the entire assembly of the people that Micah the Morasphite prophesied about this in the days of Hezekiah (Jer. 28, 17-18). The memory of the prophet Micah is celebrated by the Church on August 14/27.

The prophet Micah the Morasphite should be distinguished from the more ancient ministry of the prophet. Micah, the son of Iemblai, who prophesied in the kingdom of Israel at the time of the prop. Elijah, under the wicked king Ahab, and who did not leave the scriptures (3 Ts. 22 chap.).

Composition and content of the book

The book of the prophet Micah consists of 7 chapters and can be divided into 3 parts.

Part 1 (1-3 chap.) - contains predictions about the destruction of Samaria and the devastation of Jerusalem.

Part 2 (chap. 4-5) - speaks of the salvation of Israel and the pagan nations through the Elder from Bethlehem.

Part 3 - contains denunciations against Israel and the proclamation of the hope of salvation.

1 part (1-3 chap.). The prophet begins his speeches by proclaiming the destruction of Samaria along with its idols, then, with the same threat, he turns to Jerusalem (1 ch.)

Jewish nobles at night on their lodges invented plans to rob the poor and carried them out during the day: by violence they took away other people's fields, houses and property, depriving children of parental inheritance (2, 1-2, 9). The prophet returns to this topic several times.

False prophets flattered the people and, out of selfish motives, misled them, proclaiming peace and prosperity when disaster was imminent. For a reward, they "preach peace, and whoever does not put anything in their mouth, declare war against him" (2, 5).

Describing the moral state of all Jews, the prophet says with sorrow: "If any windbag invented a lie and said: I will prophesy to you about wine and strong drink, he would be a pleasing preacher for this people" (2, 11). “For these crimes,” says the prophet, “Zion will be plowed up, and Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of this House will be a wooded hill” (3, 12). These threats are interrupted by the promise of the future unification of Israel and Judea and their return from captivity (2, 12-13).

Part 2 (chap. 4-5)- contains comforting prophecies announced after the fall of Samaria in 722 and addressed to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that they would not fall into despair from a similar fate.

Here, in the 4th eye, Micah literally repeats Isaiah's prophecy about the rise of Mount Zion (the Lord's). The time will come, says the prophet, when Mount Zion will be glorified more than all mountains, for all nations will gather to her to learn the law that will come out of Zion and Jerusalem (Mk. 4, 1-4; cf. Isa. 2, 2-5) ... The exegetes have the following opinions on this matter, there are 4 of them: 1) both prophets may have received the same revelation; 2) Micah cites the prophecy of Isaiah, which all the Jews knew then, thereby confirming its importance and indispensability of fulfillment. 3) Prophet. Isaiah cites Micah's prophecy in his book. 4) Both prophets borrowed an older prophecy about the Lord's mountain. The faithful, obviously, have to accept the second opinion, for Isaiah speaks in detail about the revelation from God that happened to him (see Isa. 2, 1).

This prophecy was considered by many Church Fathers (St. Justin Martyr, St. Irenaeus, Tertulian, Blessed Theodorite, St. Clement of Alexandria, St. Ephraim the Syrian, St. John Chrysostom) and all emphasized that the messianic meaning of this prophecy is much broader in terms of content, rather than its historical understanding (return from captivity). Here, according to Sts. Fathers, the prophet Micah predicts the spread of the gospel preaching among Jews and Gentiles.

The comforting prophecies of this part end with the prediction of the coming of the Elder from Bethlehem, who will protect the remnant of John, make him a peaceful and holy people, among which there will no longer be horses, chariots and objects of false worship.

Part 3 (6-7 chap.) contains the speeches of the prophet relating to different periods of his ministry.

Calling mountains and hills as a witness, the prophet denounces Israel of ingratitude and apostasy from God. The Lord, through Micah, reminds His people of the many benefits shown to them after the exodus from Egypt. Further, it speaks of the innumerable sins of the people of God - all around lies, deceit and oppression of the poor.

Traders profit from deception by using scale reduction, wrong scales and weights; rulers and judges forsaken all righteousness. "The best of them is like a thorn, and a fair one is worse than a thorny hedge" (7, 4). In this state of affairs, the poor person is completely defenseless. Proclaiming the punishment, the prophet, however, expresses the hope that the Lord will have mercy on the remnant of His inheritance, blot out its iniquity and, as in the days of the exodus from Egypt, will reveal His wondrous deeds (7, 7-20).

Micah's prophecy about the birthplace of the Savior

"And you are in Bethlehem, the house of Ephraths, you have little food, you can only be in thousands of Jews, an Elder will come out of you for me, you can be a prince in Israel, but He proceeded from the beginning, from the days of the age" (5, 2; Heb. 5 , 1).

"Bethlehem" means "house of bread", as it is named for the fertility of the fields. "Ephrath" is an older name for Bethlehem, after the name of the ancestor of the inhabitants - the great-grandson of Judas (Ruth. 1, 2; 1 C. 17, 12; 1 Pro. 4, 4).

"Thousands of Judah" - significant Jewish cities, in which the adult male population (subject to the census) has reached a thousand or more people. According to the meaning of the prophecy, Bethlehem, although a small city, but in the future it will be glorified when the Messiah comes from it.

"Elder" (Greek "abbot") - this word is not in the Hebrew text, it is a gloss, that is. explanatory box.

The expression: "proceed from the beginning from the eternal days" - the fathers and teachers of the Church explain as an indication of the pre-eternal birth of Christ according to the Divine (cf. Ps. 109: 3). "It will happen to Me" - i.e. God, for the glory of God, in fulfillment of God's plans and promises.

From the Gospel of Matthew it is clear that the text of Micah 5, 2 is always understood as a prophecy about the birthplace of the Messiah. When Herod, alarmed by the arrival of the Magi, summoned the high priests and asked them where Christ should be born, the latter answered: "In Bethlehem of the Jews" and cited the text of the prophecy of Micah 5, 2 (Matt. 2, 5-6). Not only the scribes knew about this, but the whole people, as can be seen from the Gospel of John 7:42. “Isn't it said in the Scriptures that Christ will come from the seed of David and from Bethlehem, from the place where David was? For him there is strife among the people. "

Art. 3. "Therefore He will leave them until the time when she has given birth." Some interpreters meant the Church (Jerome, Theodorite), others - the Blessed Virgin Mary (Ephraim the Syrian, Cyril of Alexandria and many exegetes of our time) by "having to give birth". The second interpretation is preferred over the first. The prophet Micah himself did not explain these words, as they think, because at that time Isaiah's prophecy about the birth of the Messiah from the Virgin was widely known. Micah, thus, only supplements this prophecy with the indication of the place of birth of the Savior (Isa. 7, 14).

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BIBLICAL PROPHETS(in the Old and New Testaments) - characters Bible, people endowed with a providential gift, called to proclaim the Divine word. The prophet is a charismatic person, the chosen one By god to convey your will. At the same time, the content of the message and the act of prophecy itself were made completely dependent on the will of God, calling for the prophetic ministry of the elect. The holders of the prophetic gift are both men (Enoch, Abraham, Aaron, Samuel, Solomon, Elisha, John the Baptist, etc.) and women (Miriam, Deborah, etc.). V Old Testament there are also mentioned pupils of the prophetic schools established by Samuel (“sons of the prophets”), some of which also became biblical prophets. Prophets played an important role in public and political life, advising and predicting the future on behalf of God. According to the Bible, they clearly understood their destiny and therefore sought to influence the adoption of the most important political and religious decisions (for example, Samuel helped David's accession, Nathan supported Solomon in his struggle for the throne). To fulfill their mission and affirm the greatness of God, the prophets could perform miracles (Moses used his rod to deliver Egypt to "executions", Elijah raised the dead). At the same time, the biblical texts contain a sharp condemnation of witchcraft, fortune-telling, divination - this activity is prohibited under the threat of death. Soothsayers are here contrasted with prophets as "impostors," false prophets who utter predictions without being called by God. Biblical legends claim that the prophets had the gift of clairvoyance and predicted the future (for example, Ahijah predicted the accession of Jeroboam when he was still a simple caretaker, Agabus predicted hunger, etc.). Because of their visionary ability, all prophets were originally called "seers". Later, this name began to be used only in relation to some of them - Sadok, Gad, Samuel, Ananias, etc. communities. Emphasizing the unity of the biblical texts, the Christian tradition recognizes not only the New Testament, but also the Old Testament prophets, claiming that they predicted all the most important events in the earthly life of Jesus Christ, the future of the Christian faith and the Church, as well as the last destinies of the world. A number of Old Testament texts are named after some biblical prophets. Since the Middle Ages, four prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel) are called great, or great prophets, and the other twelve (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi) - small. The arrangement of the prophetic books in the Old Testament is fixed by the canon (the small prophets are placed after the large ones, while the order of the books of the small prophets is not related to the chronological principle or their size). The earliest in the time of appearance of the book (that is, the doped ones) - Isaiah, Hosea, Amos, Micah; the most recent - Jonah, Joel, Daniel; the rest of the prophetic books refer to the period of the Jews in the Babylonian captivity.

First Prophet