Prophet
A prophet is a religious figure recognized for delivering divine messages and revelations, primarily within the context of the Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. These religions, which trace their roots back to Abraham, regard prophets as vital conduits through which God communicates vital knowledge, often concerning future events or hidden truths. In addition to well-known figures like Moses and Jesus, each tradition has its own set of recognized prophets, with Islam identifying Muhammad as the last and most significant prophet. While the Abrahamic religions share common beliefs about God, they differ in their interpretations of prophetic figures and their roles. For example, Christians view Jesus as the Messiah, while Judaism does not accept this designation, regarding him instead as a false prophet. Furthermore, while Hinduism and Buddhism also feature significant figures akin to prophets, their classification and relevance to the Abrahamic notion of prophecy is a subject of scholarly debate. Overall, the concept of prophecy spans various cultures and religions, presenting a complex interplay of belief that is both historically and theologically significant.
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Prophet
In religion, a prophet is a figure who delivers messages and revelations of divine origin. The concept is most prevalent in faith traditions of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, which are collectively known as the Abrahamic religions due to their shared belief in Abraham as the first true prophet.
The prophets of the Abrahamic religions bear revelations known as prophecies, which are frequently concerned with future events but also claim to illuminate hidden knowledge and divine mysteries related to the past. Prophecies convey knowledge and wisdom with origins beyond the natural limits of the human mind and are delivered to prophets through supernatural means. Prophets are considered bound by duty to share these revelations with the greater faith community, as prophecies are believed to convey vital information about the nature and will of God.
Hinduism and Buddhism also feature prophet-like figures, although there is considerable debate among scholars and experts as to whether it is accurate to describe these figures as prophets in the Abrahamic sense of the term. Prophecy is also a feature of some pagan faiths, including the polytheistic religion that was practiced in ancient Greece. The Oracle of Delphi, a shrine dating to about 1400 BCE, was used by priests and priestesses of Apollo, the Greek sun god, to receive and interpret divine predictions.
Background
The Abrahamic faith tradition dates to the Bronze Age, when Abram, the leader of a nomadic people living in the Middle East, received what is regarded as Judaism's foundational prophecy: that there is only one true God. Prior to this revelation, the people of the region worshipped many different gods and divinities. As foretold by the prophecy, Abraham came to be regarded as a great leader by those who followed his teachings.
Abraham has long been recognized as the founder of Judaism, and is also a major figure in Christianity and Islam. Christianity began as an offshoot sect of Judaism, with both religions accepting the tenets of the Abrahamic faith as described in the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, which is analogous to the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Muslims consider Islam to be the true, pure form of the monotheistic religion originally founded by Abraham, as it was revealed to the prophet Muhammad in the early seventh century CE. All three religions share a belief in the same supreme divinity, which is called God the Father (or simply God) in Christianity, Allah in Islam, and Yahweh in Judaism.
The Abrahamic religions are particularly divided on the status of Jesus Christ. Christians accept Jesus as the Messiah, God's long-promised leader on Earth and the anointed savior of humankind whose purpose is to lead humanity to an ultimate and eternal reunion with God. However, Judaism rejects the messianic status of Jesus, contending that he does not fulfill the qualities of the Messiah as laid out in Jewish scripture. Prevailing Jewish interpretations of Jesus consider him one of numerous so-called "false prophets," which are prophets who bear false witness to divine revelations or are incorrectly held up as legitimate prophets by their followers.
Islam differs from Judaism in that Muslims accept Jesus as a legitimate prophet. Jesus, who is known to Muslims as Isu, is mentioned on twenty-five occasions in Islam's holy book, the Quran. Muslims accept that Jesus was the bearer of a divine gospel and regard him as a righteous and holy figure. However, they contend that his life and work functioned as a lead-in to the eventual coming of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, who Muslims regard as God's final and most important prophet.
Overview
Abrahamic conceptions of prophets are conceptually rooted in the pagan polytheistic traditions that preceded the rise of Jewish monotheism in the Middle East. Passages in the Old Testament's Book of Deuteronomy and Book of Numbers make explicit references to these pagan traditions, characterizing them as the domain of wizards, soothsayers, and necromancers who used idols, charms, and other magical artifacts to glimpse the divine and attempt to harness the power of the hereafter to influence the world of the living. God is said to abhor such practices, and instead elected to use prophets and prophecies as conduits through which to reveal himself to his chosen people.
Major prophets in the Abrahamic tradition include Moses, David, Samuel, and Isaiah. Christians, Jews, and Muslims accept Moses as a prophetic figure, and he is traditionally characterized as a highly influential lawmaker who delivered important revelations including the Ten Commandments. David, the second king of Israel, is credited with composing many of the lyrical verses contained in the Old Testament's Book of Psalms. Like Moses, Samuel has universal acceptance among all three major Abrahamic religions as a prophet, and he is presented as a spiritual and political leader who received prophetic messages directly from God rather than through an intermediary source. From a spiritual perspective, Isaiah is considered the author of the Book of Isaiah, an Old Testament work that details the coming of the Messiah. Despite this traditional view, many modern scholars believe that the historical Isaiah and the author(s) of the Book of Isaiah were not the same. Judaism also officially recognizes seven female prophets: Sarah, Miriam, Devorah, Hannah, Avigail, Huldah, and Esther.
Although Christianity and Judaism share many of the same prophetic figures, Islam is unique among the Abrahamic religions for officially recognizing numerous prophets that are not accepted by Christians or Jews. The Quran identifies twenty-five prophets by name, and refers to several others who remain unnamed. The most important of these uniquely Islamic prophets is Muhammad, who is regarded by Muslims as Allah's final and most venerated earthly messenger. Muhammad's life is held as an example to be followed by all devout Muslims. However, Islamic claims that Muhammad's coming was foretold in the Old Testament are widely rejected by both Christian and Jewish scholars, and very few canonical Jewish texts make any explicit mention of Muhammad.
Bibliography
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