Prophet

Grünewald, Hebrew Prophet (Naby), 1515.

The term prophet in religious belief refers to a person who serves as an intermediary between humanity and divinity. Strictly speaking, a prophet is someone who claims to have had a personal experience of God receiving from him the mission to communicate his revelations and, as a consequence, speaks in his name to human beings. The prophet possesses qualities of intercessor for the people before God and in turn is a messenger of his word. His charisma of interpreting history from God's perspective is called the gift of prophecy.

Eventually, the term is used to designate someone who predicts future events, usually when he does so by interpreting signs or based on a supernatural revelation; but this can lead to misunderstanding, which is why seer is usually used in such a case, in order to differentiate it from the prophets, who communicate the word of God.

Although the word prophet derives from the Greek profētēs (προφήτης, whose meaning is 'messenger', 'spokesman' and ' political incident'), the use of the word prophet with a strictly monotheistic meaning dates back to the culture of the Hebrews through the word navi (נְבִיא), a term which was gradually introduced and used by the Jewish, Christian and Muslim cults (in Arabic, نبي‎ nabi).

In Judaism

In the Judeo-Christian tradition

The Law: Moses receives the Ten Commandments. Gebhard Fugel, 1900.

The Prophet Isaiah. Rafael Sanzio, 1511-1512. Fresco in Sant'Agostino, Rome.

The word prophet comes from the Septuagint, where translators use the Greek word profētēs for the Hebrew term nāḇîʾ; however, when the Hebrew word nāḇîʾ refers to prophets who do not speak on behalf of the god of Israel or who speak falsehoods, it is usually translated as "pseudoprofētēs", that is, "pseudo-prophet".

By nǝḇîʾîm (prophets) is also meant the second major section of the Hebrew Bible. It figures between the Torah (Law, Instruction or Pentateuch) and the Ketuvim (Writings). The nǝḇîʾîm comprise two subgroups: the Initial prophets (נביאים ראשונים i nǝḇîʾîm rishônim, with the narrative of the Books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings) and last prophets (נביאים אחרונים or nevi'im aharonim, with the narrative from the Books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the Twelve Minor Prophets). Prophets are also the three great rulers of Israel during the times of their territorial unity as a kingdom (united monarchy), that is, Saul, David and Solomon (1030-926 BC).

It is important to note that not all of the Prophets of Israel necessarily figure in the second major section of the Hebrew Bible. Within it, and according to Jewish tradition, prophets are also considered different biblical figures whose narrative appears either in the first section of the Hebrew Bible (Moses, Aaron, Miriam) or in the third. section of it (Job, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah).

Judaism groups the prophets as follows:

Prophets of the Torah

• Moses
• Aaron
• Miriam.
• Eldad and Medad.
• Fine.

Early Prophets

• Joshua
• Debora
• Samuel
• Gad
• Natan
• David
• Solomon
• Jedutun.
• Ajías
• Elijah
• Elisha
• Shemaia.
• Ido.
• Janani.
• Jehu.
• Micaia.
• Jaziel.
• Eliezer
• Zechariah ben Yehudía.
• Hulda.

4 Major Prophets

• Isaiah
• Jeremiah
• Ezequiel
• Daniel

12 Minor Prophets

• Hosea
• Joel
• Amos
• Obadiah
• Jonah
• Micah
• Nahum
• Habacuc
• Sophonies
• Hageo
• Zacharias
• Malachi

Biblical prophets, also known as the Prophets of the people of Israel, presented in alphabetical order

• 

  Aaron.

• 

  Obadiah.

• 

  Ajías.

• 

  Amos.

• 

  Daniel.

• 

  David.

• 

  Debora.

• 

  Elijah.

• 

  Elisha.

• 

  Ezra.

• 

  Esther.

• 

  Ezekiel.

• 

  Habacuc.

• 

  Hageo.

• 

  Isaiah.

• 

  Jeremiah.

• 

  Job.

• 

  Joel.

• 

  Jonah.

• 

  Joshua.

• 

  Malachi.

• 

  Micah.

• 

  Miriam.

• 

  Moses.

• 

  Nahum.

• 

  Nathan.

• 

  Nehemiah.

• 

  Hosea.

• 

  Solomon.

• 

  Samuel.

• 

  Saul.

• 

  Sophonies.

• 

  Zechariah.

Christianity

For Christianity, the term refers to both prophets before Jesus and those who subsequently fulfilled a prophetic role in the Christian church. Through the Vulgate the word profeta passed into Latin as prophēta and from there to the Romance and Germanic languages.

Within Christianity, John the Baptist is considered the last prophet preceding Jesus of Nazareth, who, in addition to his other titles (Messiah, Savior, King of kings, Son of God, etc.), is in turn considered the greatest Prophet.

• Also prophets according to the Christian tradition
• 

  Baruc.

• 

  Simeon.

• 

  Ana.

• 

  John the Baptist

• 

  Emmanuel.

• 

  Philip the Deacon.

• 

  Silas.

• 

  Barnabas an apostle.

Post-biblical prophets

Christianity teaches that the last prophet of the Old Covenant was John the Baptist. The New Testament also repeatedly mentions the existence of prophets after Jesus' death, such as Philip the Deacon and Silas.

Recognized by the Catholic Church

People recognized as Prophets

• San Paladio de Embrun
• San Jarlath
• San Columba de Iona
• San Malaquias
• Santa Hildegarda de Bingen
• Blessed Jacobo Salomoni
• Santa Juana de Arco
• St. John Bosco
• San Pio de Pietrelcina

People who had prophetic experiences but are not recognized as Prophets

• Alexandrina de Balazar
• Alphonsine Mumureke, Nathalie Mukamazimpaka and Marie Clare Mukangango
• Lucia dos Santos, Francisco y Jacinta Marto
• Juan de la Cruz
• Teresa of Jesus
• Catalina de Ricci
• Mary of Jesus of Aggress
• Elisabeth Leseur

Recognized by other denominations

• Emanuel Swedenborg (New Church)
• William Miller (Adventism Founder)
• Joseph Smith (founder of Mormonism)
• Presidents of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (under the title of "Prophet, seer and revealer")
• Ellen G. White (founder of Seventh-day Adventist Church)
• Nona L. Brooks (Divine Science)
• Malinda Cramer (Divine Science)
• Felix Manalo (Church or Christ)
• Luis Eduardo Moreno (Iglesia de Dios Ministerial de Jesús Internacional)
• María Luisa Piraquive (Cournal Church of Jesus Christ International)

Unacknowledged/complainants

• Montano (founder of Montanism)
• Justus Velsius
• Nostradamus
• Mother Shipton
• Eva Margareta Frölich
• Margareta i Kumla
• Hong Xiuquan
• Joanna Southcott
• Siener van Rensburg
• Helena Konttinen
• Benjamín Solari Parravicini
• William Marrion Branham
• Kenneth E. Hagin
• Kenneth Copeland

In Islam

• Adam (Adam)
• Idris (Henoc)
• Nuh (Noah)
• Hud (Eber)
• Saleh (Sala?)
• Ibrahim (Abraham)
• Lut (Lot)
• Daniel (Daniel)
• Ism'ail (Ismael)
• Ishaq (Isaac)
• Yaqub (Jacob)
• Yusuf (José)
• Ayub (Job)
• Shoaib (Jetró)
• Musa, Mousie (Moses)
• Harūn (Aarón)
• Dhul-Kifl (Ezekiel)
• Dawood (David)
• Sulaiman (Salomon)
• Ilyas (Elias)
• Alyassa (Eliseo)
• Samuel (Samuel)
• Saijo (Jonás)
• Zakariya (Zachariah)
• Yahya (John the Baptist)
• 'Isa (Jesus of Nazareth)
• Muhammad (Mahoma)