Prophecy is not usually about telling the future

By Patricia Kasten
Compass Associate Editor

Prophetic literature in Bible The first prophets - Abraham, Moses, Miriam, Deborah, Elijah and Elisha - are included in Bible books that are not named for them, but for the events in which they lived: Genesis, Exodus, First and Second Kings and Judges. However there are also books attributed to prophets. These are broken into two groups: Major and Minor prophets. The groupings are not meant to show the importance of each prophet, but the length of teachings in the book: Major prophets: Isaiah Jeremiah (Baruch, who was Jeremiah's scribe, is considered an extension of Jeremiah, not a separate prophet) Ezekiel Daniel Minor prophets (12): Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zachariah Malachi

We're nearing the end of the church year and facing a new Advent season. Many of our Mass readings focus on prophecies: stories of the end of the age, the coming of the Son of Man, and the coming of the Messiah.

It is easy to think a prophet's role is to tell people about the future. However, while that is one role of Bible prophets, it is not their only role. In fact, it is not even their main role.

Prophet is a word that comes from a Hebrew word navi (which was translated into the Greek word prophetes). Navi (sometimes written as nabi) comes from two letters which, when put together, mean "being open," as in waiting to be filled. In Hebrew tradition, prophets were open to receiving God's word and were sent to proclaim that word.

The biblical prophets served as spokespersons for God - they were filled with the Word of God to speak with, and for, God. The first prophet was Abraham, who was filled with faith in God's promise to him. The most famous of these divine spokesmen was Moses, who saw God "face-to-face."

Other great prophets followed: Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah and Isaiah. Their role continued in the New Testament with John the Baptist - who was filled with Elijah's spirit - and then Jesus himself. However, while Jesus was known as a prophet - because he spoke the Word of God - he was more than a prophet, since he is God's very word made flesh.

Prophets played such an important role in Hebrew Scriptures that their words and work take up one-third of the Hebrew bible, called the Tanakh. The Tanakh's first part consists of The Law (corresponding to the first five books of our Old Testament). The final part of the Tanakh is called Ketuvim (the writings) and includes books such as the Psalms and Proverbs. In the middle of Hebrew Scriptures is Nev'im - the Prophets. (The Christian Bible has four sections in the Old Testament.)

This middle part of the Jewish Scriptures, the longest of the three sections of the Tanakh, demonstrates how the prophets walked with the Hebrew people through most of their history. It also shows that the prophets' main purpose was to guide the Chosen People, reminding them of the Law and keeping them close to God - both in good times and in times of trouble. As The Catholic Encyclopedia explains, "The Hebrew prophet ... had to maintain and develop the knowledge of the Old Law among the Chosen People, lead them back when they strayed, and gradually prepare the way for the new kingdom of God ..."

We see this leadership role lived by great prophets like Moses of the Exodus; Elijah, who stood against the pagan gods; Samuel, who anointed Israel's first kings; Isaiah and Jeremiah, the prophets of Exile; and Daniel and Joseph, who were visionaries, leading even foreign kings to work in accord with God's will. We can also see this same role in lesser prophets, such as Hosea, whose own troubled marriage served as a model about God's faithful love to an unfaithful people.

Unlike priests and kings of Israel - inherited positions - prophets came from all walks of life. They were personally called by God. Some were nobles, like Daniel, or workers in the field, like Amos. Some were women, like Deborah or Miriam, Moses' sister.

God called to the prophets from burning bushes (Moses), or the whisper of the wind (Elijah), in dreams (Joseph) or voices in the night (Samuel).

The time of prophets began long ago - Abraham lived around 1,950 B.C. However, the role of prophets did not end with the Old Testament prophets. In fact, prophecy was very present to early Christians. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul spoke frequently of prophesy as a gift from God, given "so that the church may be built up" (14:5).

And the role of prophet continues . It is seen in those who remind people of God's ways - from popes to saints of the streets like Mother Teresa. It exists in the teaching of bishops and the preaching of priests. It is found in the "church in the modern world" as Vatican II reminded us: "The people of God believes that it is led by the Spirit of the Lord who fills the whole world. Moved by that faith, it tries to discern in the events, the needs and the longings which it shares with other people of our time, what may be genuine signs of the presence or of the purpose of God" (GS, 11).

The prophets of the Council taught us to discern the Spirit at work in our own life experiences: marriage and family, at work, in economic development, education, leisure time, labor negotiations, finances, political life and even in the conflicts that can lead to war.

By hearing God's word in the world - like prophets of old - Christians become prophets. By calling attention to God's word and leading lives of faith, today's prophets also show the way that leads to a future of "surpassing peace and happiness" (GS 93) that is heaven.