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#Post#: 1371--------------------------------------------------
Degrees of Prophecy
By: Kerry Date: November 1, 2012, 7:49 am
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Rabbi Maimonides said there were twelve types or degrees of
prophecy. Wikipedia
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prophecy
says of his ideas:
The rabbinic teachings, notably Maimonides (Rambam), suggest
there were many levels of prophecy, from the highest such as
those experienced by Moses, to the lowest where the individuals
were able to apprehend the Divine Will, but not respond or even
describe this experience to others, mistakenly citing Noah.
Maimonides' theory of prophecy contains two elements (1) an
explanation of what prophecy is, and (2) a ranking of the
various types of prophecy and prophecy-like phenomena. I think
we can use the ranking of prophecy implicate in Maimonides to
substantiate our thesis that the rationalism of Maimonides is
essentially a moral rationalism.[20]
Maimonides, in his The Guide for the Perplexed, outlines twelve
modes of prophecy[21] from lesser to greater degree of clarity:
1. Inspired actions
2. Inspired words
3. Allegorical dream revelations
4. Auditory dream revelations
5. Audiovisual dream revelations/human speaker
6. Audiovisual dream revelations/angelic speaker
7. Audiovisual dream revelations/Divine speaker
8. Allegorical waking vision
9. Auditory waking revelation
10. Audiovisual waking revelation/human speaker
11. Audiovisual waking revelation/angelic speaker
12. Audiovisual waking revelation/Divine speaker (that refers
implicitly to Moses)
Of the twelfth mode, Maimonides focuses his attention on its
"implicit superiority to the penultimate stage in the above
series", and therefore above all other prophetic and
semi-prophetic modes.[20]
Experience of prophecy in the Torah and the rest of Tanakh do
not restrict it to Jews. Nor is the prophetic experience
restricted to the Hebrew language.
The Tanakh contains prophecies from various Hebrew prophets (55
in total) who communicated messages from God to the nation of
Israel, and later the population of Judea and elsewhere. In
Jewish tradition Daniel is not counted in the list of prophets.
Malachi, whose full name was Ezra Ha'Sofer (the scribe), is
acknowledged to have been the last prophet of Israel if one
accepts the opinion that Nechemyah died in Babylon before 9th
Tevet 3448 (313 BCE).
Going slowly, let me post only Maimonides' comments on the first
category or degree.
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-------------------------------------------------
After having explained prophecy in accordance with reason and
Scripture, I must now describe the different degrees of prophecy
from these two points of view. Not all the degrees of prophecy
which I will enumerate qualify a person for the office of a
prophet. The first and the second degrees are only steps leading
to prophecy, and a person possessing either of these two degrees
does not belong to the class of prophets whose merits we have
been discussing. When such a person is occasionally called
prophet, the term is used in a wider sense, and is applied to
him because he is almost a prophet. You must not be misled by
the fact that according to the books of the Prophets, a certain
prophet, after having been inspired with one kind of prophecy,
is reported to have received prophecy in another form. For it is
possible for a prophet to prophesy at one time in the form of
one of the degrees which I am about to enumerate, and at another
time in another form. In the same manner, as the prophet does
not prophesy continuously, but is inspired at one time and not
at another, so he may at one time prophesy in the form of a
higher degree, and at another time in that of a lower degree; it
may happen that the highest degree is reached by a prophet only
once in his lifetime, and afterwards remains inaccessible to
him, or that a prophet remains below the highest degree until he
entirely loses the faculty: for ordinary prophets must cease to
prophesy a shorter or longer period before their death. Comp.
"And the word of the Lord ceased from Jeremiah" (Ezra i. 1);
"And these are the last words of David" (2 Sam. xxiii. 1). From
these instances it can be inferred that the same is the case
with all prophets. After this introduction and explanation, I
will begin to enumerate the degrees of prophecy to which I have
referred above.
(1) The first degree of prophecy consists in the divine
assistance which is given to a person, and induces and
encourages him to do something good and grand, e.g., to deliver
a congregation of good men from the hands of evildoers; to save
one noble person, or to bring happiness to a large number of
people; he finds in himself the cause that moves and urges him
to this deed. This degree of divine influence is called "the
spirit of the Lord"; and of the person who is under that
influence we say that the spirit of the Lord came upon him,
clothed him, or rested upon him, or the Lord was with him, and
the like. All the judges of Israel possessed this degree, for
the following general statement is made concerning them:--"The
Lord raised up judges for them; and the Lord was with the judge,
and he saved them" (Judges ii. 18). Also all the noble chiefs of
Israel belonged to this class. The same is distinctly stated
concerning some of the judges and the kings:--"The spirit of the
Lord came upon Jephthah" (ibid. xi. 29); of Samson it is said,
"The spirit of the Lord came upon him" (ibid. xiv. 19); "And the
spirit of the Lord came upon Saul when he heard those words" (1
Sam. xi. 6). When Amasa was moved by the holy spirit to assist
David, "A spirit clothed Amasa, who was chief of the captains,
and he said, Thine are we, David," etc.(1 Chron. xii. 18). This
faculty was always possessed by Moses from the time he had
attained the age of manhood: it moved him to slay the Egyptian,
and to prevent evil from the two men that quarrelled; it was so
strong that, after he had fled from Egypt out of fear, and
arrived in Midian, a trembling stranger, he could not restrain
himself from interfering when he saw wrong being done; he could
not bear it. Comp. "And Moses rose and saved them" (Exod. ii.
17). David likewise was filled with this spirit, when he was
anointed with the oil of anointing. Comp. "And the spirit of God
came upon David from that day and upward" (1 Sam. xvi. 13). He
thus conquered the lion and the bear and the Philistine, and
accomplished similar tasks, by this very spirit. This faculty
did not cause any of the above-named persons to speak on a
certain subject, for it only aims at encouraging the person who
possesses it to action; it does not encourage him to do
everything, but only to help either a distinguished man or a
whole congregation when oppressed, or to do something that leads
to that end. just as not an who have a true dream are prophets,
so it cannot be said of every one who is assisted in a certain
undertaking, as in the acquisition of property, or of some other
personal advantage, that the spirit of the Lord came upon him,
or that the Lord was with him, or that he performed his actions
by the holy spirit. We only apply such phrases to those who have
accomplished something very good and grand, or something that
leads to that end; e.g., the success of Joseph in the house of
the Egyptian, which was the first cause leading evidently to
great events that occurred subsequently.
#Post#: 1379--------------------------------------------------
Re: Degrees of Prophecy
By: Runner Date: November 1, 2012, 12:31 pm
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Being a Rabbi he is most likely only writing about the
OT..right?
I see a great difference between the old and the new.
Today I believe we only have what was sited as ..
#2. Inspired words. and #10. Audiovisual waking revelation/human
speaker
even then, far and few between.
Do you think there is a need for prophets in the 'Church' today?
Are there really any prophets like Agabus in the 'church' today?
He gave an inspired word to Paul, and Paul ignored it! Maybe
Paul was waiting for the "second witness" to it and it didn't
come. ( "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word
be established..")
I strongly believe there is no such thing as judgemental
prophesy in these NT days. We hear of prophesies of judgement on
America, or on
San Francisco...I can't believe them...judgement is reserved for
later.
1 Corinthians 14:3 "But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to
edification, and exhortation, and comfort."
I don't know much at all, but one thing I do know...somewhere
there needs to be men of God who have the anointing to stand up
with the "Inspired words" in their mouth,TODAY!!
We need the words of God in Edification and Exhortation...most
of what I hear is hot-air...and I'm not even sure of the 'hot'
part!
#Post#: 1383--------------------------------------------------
Re: Degrees of Prophecy
By: Leaf Date: November 1, 2012, 2:53 pm
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[quote]Runner wrote:
I see a great difference between the old and the new.
Today I believe we only have what was sited as ..
#2. Inspired words. and #10. Audiovisual waking revelation/human
speaker
even then, far and few between.[/quote]
I tend to think that there are many more than just these mainly
because I think I have had experiences with more than just these
two. But that remains to be seen as the explanations become
available.
Kerry, I really look forward to reading the rest! Thank you for
doing this. :D
#Post#: 1387--------------------------------------------------
Re: Degrees of Prophecy
By: Kerry Date: November 1, 2012, 5:25 pm
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[quote author=Runner link=topic=156.msg1379#msg1379
date=1351791107]
[size=12pt]Being a Rabbi he is most likely only writing about
the OT..right?
I see a great difference between the old and the new. [/quote]
There is a big difference, and I think Maimonides' ideas help
explain it.
The Gospels and Epistles are not written in the style of "the
Prophets" of the Old Testament. I'd say only Revelation
resembles the prophets of the Old Testament.
[quote]Today I believe we only have what was sited as ..
#2. Inspired words. and #10. Audiovisual waking revelation/human
speaker
even then, far and few between.[/quote]Let me dodge that.
[quote]Do you think there is a need for prophets in the 'Church'
today?
Are there really any prophets like Agabus in the 'church'
today?[/quote]
I don't know.
[quote]He gave an inspired word to Paul, and Paul ignored it!
Maybe Paul was waiting for the "second witness" to it and it
didn't come. ( "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall
every word be established..")[/quote]
Believe it or not, I am not familiar with what you're
referencing. However on the second point, I would doubt that.
It is a common idea among Christians to use that phrase about
"in the mouth of two or three witnesses" to refer to how they
interpret the Bible; but I can't agree with that. I say the
teachers who teach this need to show me where the Bible says
that even once!
Many prophets stood as the lone voice. Digging a little deeper,
we find the two or three witnesses are not God's requirements
for the truth of His Word which can be established by one. It
is in the courts of judgment that accusers must establish guilt
by having more than one witness.
Paul is writing in the context of weeding out sin.
2 Corinthians 12:21 And lest, when I come again, my God will
humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have
sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and
fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.
3:1 This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of
two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
2 I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the
second time; and being absent now I write to them which
heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again,
I will not spare:
We ought not to condemn someone else on the say-so of one person
who may be biased or mistaken. Thus Paul agrees with the other
texts:
Numbers 35:30 Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be
put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall
not testify against any person to cause him to die.
Deuteronomy 17:6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three
witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but
at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
Deuteronomy 19:15 One witness shall not rise up against a man
for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at
the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses,
shall the matter be established.
Matthew 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee
one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses
every word may be established.
[quote]I strongly believe there is no such thing as judgemental
prophesy in these NT days. We hear of prophesies of judgement on
America, or on San Francisco...I can't believe them...judgement
is reserved for later.[/quote]I agree that most of them are
bunk; but I wouldn't say it's impossible. If someone is a man
of God, it could happen.
[quote]1 Corinthians 14:3 "But he that prophesieth speaketh unto
men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort."
I don't know much at all, but one thing I do know...somewhere
there needs to be men of God who have the anointing to stand up
with the "Inspired words" in their mouth,TODAY!!
We need the words of God in Edification and Exhortation...most
of what I hear is hot-air...and I'm not even sure of the 'hot'
part![/quote]
I don't think we need to be prophets to agree with that. Nor do
we need to be prophets to forecast that God will do something
about it. So I think anyway; and it is written that God does
nothing unless He first tells His prophets.
Two or three are better than one, much better; but sometimes
even one is enough. But back to Maimonides' first class of
prophecy. It reminds me of what James wrote: That to see good
and not do it is sin to that person. What good is organizing
"good events" in order to pile up good works if we resist the
Spirit when it shows us things we could do which we know to be
good? I would say we also need more prophecy of this first
category, where people allow the Spirit to move them to good
deeds.
I also believe that this kind of prophecy is more common than
we might think at first -- but people need to see how it has
worked for them in the past so they trust it more in the future.
People suddenly get an idea about something good they can do
-- they're looking at something or thinking about someone, and
the idea comes to mind. Sometimes it seems to come from
nowhere. If we can see it's a good idea, we should obey the
Spirit even if we can't tell where the idea came from. James
said it's a sin not to.
#Post#: 1388--------------------------------------------------
Re: Degrees of Prophecy
By: Kerry Date: November 1, 2012, 5:43 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=Leaf link=topic=156.msg1383#msg1383
date=1351799605]
[quote]Runner wrote:
I see a great difference between the old and the new.
Today I believe we only have what was sited as ..
#2. Inspired words. and #10. Audiovisual waking revelation/human
speaker
even then, far and few between.[/quote]
I tend to think that there are many more than just these mainly
because I have had experiences with more than just these two.
Kerry, I really look forward to reading the rest! Thank you for
doing this. :D[/quote]
I found this section of his book enjoyable myself. I also
liked how he provided examples and explained what phrases mean.
Looking back, it occurred to me that the Spirit must have come
over me even as a young child. I think I was about five when
this happened. One day my Mother and a neighbor woman were
walking down the road we lived on. Cars seldom came by, so we
were walking on the road. When we heard a car coming, the
youngest child was really too far ahead of the neighbor and my
Mother for them to get the child off the road. They both began
wailing. I was about half as far. I did not even think. My
mind was blank. I just rushed forward, picked the kid up and
carried him to the side of the road.
My Mother and the neighbor asked me how I knew to act so fast?
I said I didn't know. I still don't understand it to be honest.
It just happened. If you asked me beforehand if I would have
done it, I would said, "I don't think so. I think I'd be afraid.
I'd probably just hope the driver could stop in time."
The bad thing about the driver is he often drove drunk. He may
or may not have been drinking that day for all we knew.
That's a dramatic example, I know; but I think most people have
had experiences similar to it where they saw things and acted
without thinking and things turned out right. You see and know
what to do without thinking. I'd say it's the Spirit on them
or in them.
#Post#: 1389--------------------------------------------------
Re: Degrees of Prophecy
By: Leaf Date: November 1, 2012, 5:52 pm
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[quote]That's a dramatic example, I know; but I think most
people have had experiences similar to it where they saw things
and acted without thinking and things turned out right. You see
and know what to do without thinking. I'd say it's the Spirit
on them or in them. [/quote]
Yes, I would agree that most people have had these types of
things happen in their lives too. Or even the situation where
they were in a situation that they did not know what to do and
called out to the Lord and they just started doing what was
needed to be done and all turned out okay... again without
thinking their actions out first. The Lord directed them as was
needed. Surely many have had this experience too.
#Post#: 1397--------------------------------------------------
Re: Degrees of Prophecy
By: Kerry Date: November 1, 2012, 10:22 pm
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Here is the second degree. (The descriptions get shorter
later.)
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--------------
(2) The second degree is this: A person feels as if something
came upon him, and as if he had received a new power that
encourages him to speak. He treats of science, or composes
hymns, exhorts his fellow-men, discusses political and
theological problems; all this he does while awake, and in the
full possession of his senses. Such a person is said to speak by
the holy spirit. David composed the Psalms, and Solomon the Book
of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon by this
spirit; also Daniel, Job, Chronicles, and the rest of the
Hagiographa were written in this holy spirit; therefore they are
called ketubim (Writings, or Written), i.e., written by men
inspired by the holy spirit. Our Sages mention this expressly
concerning the Book of Esther.
In reference to such holy spirit, David says: "The spirit of the
Lord spoke in me, and his word is on my tongue" (2 Sam. xxiii.
2); i.e., the spirit of the Lord caused him to utter these
words. This class includes the seventy elders of whom it is
said, "And it came to pass when the spirit rested upon them,
that they prophesied, and did not cease" (Num. xi. 25); also
Eldad and Medad (ibid. ver. 26); furthermore, every high priest
that inquired [of God] by the Urim and Tummim; on whom, as our
Sages say, the divine glory rested, and who spoke by the holy
spirit; Yahaziel, son of Zechariah, belongs likewise to this
class. Comp. "The spirit of the Lord came upon him in the midst
of the assembly, and he said, Listen, all Judah and inhabitants
of Jerusalem, thus saith the Lord unto you," etc. (2 Chron. xx.
14, 15); also Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the priest. Comp. "And
he stood above the people and said unto them, Thus saith God"
(ibid. xxiv. 20); furthermore, Azariah, son of Oded; comp. "And
Azariah, son of Oded, when the spirit of the Lord came upon him,
went forth before Asa," etc. (ibid. xv. 1, 2); and all who acted
under similar circumstances. You must know that Balaam likewise
belonged to this class, when he was good; this is indicated by
the words, "And God put a word in the mouth of Balaam" (Num.
xxiii. 5), i.e., Balaam spoke by divine inspiration; he
therefore says of himself, "Who heareth the words of God," etc.
(ibid. xxiv. 4)
We must especially point out that David, Solomon, and Daniel
belonged to this class, and not to the class of Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Nathan the prophet, Elijah the Shilonite, and those
like them. For David, Solomon, and Daniel spoke and wrote
inspired by the holy spirit, and when David says, "The God of
Israel spoke and said unto me, the rock of Israel" (2 Sam.
xxiii. 3), he meant to say that God promised him happiness
through a prophet, through Nathan or another prophet. The phrase
must here be interpreted in the same manner as in the following
passages, "And God said to her" (Gen. xxv. 26); "And God said
unto Solomon, Because this hath been in thy heart, and thou hast
not kept my covenant," etc. (1 Kings xi. 11). The latter passage
undoubtedly contains a prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, or
another prophet, who foretold Solomon that evil would befall
him.
The passage, "God appeared to Solomon at Gibeon in a dream by
night, and God said" (ibid. iii. 5), does not contain a real
prophecy, such as is introduced by the words "The word of the
Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying" (Gen. xv. 1) or, "And
God said to Israel in the visions of the night" (ibid. xlvi. 2),
or such as the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah contain: in all
these cases the prophets, though receiving the prophecy in a
prophetic dream, are told that it is a prophecy, and that they
have received prophetic inspiration. But in the case of Solomon,
the account concludes, "And Solomon awoke, and behold it was a
dream" (1 Kings iii. 15); and in the account of the second
divine appearance, it is said, "And God appeared to Solomon a
second time, as he appeared to him at Gibeon" (ibid. ix. 2); it
was evidently a dream. This kind of prophecy is a degree below
that of which Scripture says, "In a dream I will speak to him"
(Num. xii. 6). When prophets are inspired in a dream, they by no
means call this a dream, although the prophecy reached them in a
dream, but declare it decidedly to be a prophecy. Thus Jacob,
our father, when awaking from a prophetic dream, did not say it
was a dream, but declared, "Surely there is the Lord in this
place," etc. (Gen. xxviii. 16); "God the Almighty appeared to me
in Luz, in the land of Canaan" (ibid. xlviii. 3), expressing
thereby that it was a prophecy. But in reference to Solomon we
read And Solomon awoke, and behold it was a dream" (1 Kings iii.
15).
Similarly Daniel declares that he had a dream; although he sees
an angel and hears his word, he speaks of the event as of a
dream: even when he had received the information [concerning the
dreams of Nebukadnezzar], he speaks of it in the following
manner--"Then was the secret revealed to Daniel in a night
vision (Dan. ii. 19). On other occasions it is said, "He wrote
down the dream" "I saw in the visions by night," etc.; "And the
visions of my head confused me" (Dan. vii. 1, 2, 15); "I was
surprised at the vision, and none noticed it" (ibid. viii. 27).
There is no doubt that this is one degree below that form of
prophecy to which the words, "In a dream I will speak to him,"
are applied. For this reason the nation desired to place the
book of Daniel among the Hagiographa, and not among the
Prophets. I have, therefore, pointed out to you, that the
prophecy revealed to Daniel and Solomon, although they saw an
angel in the dream, was not considered by them as a perfect
prophecy, but as a dream containing correct information. They
belonged to the class of men that spoke, inspired by the
ruaḥ ha-kodesh, "the holy spirit." Also in the order of
the holy writings, no distinction is made between the books of
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Daniel, Psalms, Ruth, and Esther; they
are all written by divine inspiration. The authors of all these
books are called prophets in the more general sense of the term.
#Post#: 1499--------------------------------------------------
Re: Degrees of Prophecy
By: Kerry Date: November 5, 2012, 6:07 am
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(3) The third class is the lowest [class of actual prophets,
i.e.] of those who introduce their speech by the phrase, "And
the word of the Lord came unto me," or a similar phrase. The
prophet sees an allegory in a dream--under those conditions
which we have mentioned when speaking of real prophecy--and in
the prophetic dream itself the allegory is interpreted. Such are
most of the allegories of Zechariah.
(4) The prophet hears in a prophetic dream something clearly and
distinctly, but does not see the speaker. This was the case with
Samuel in the beginning of his prophetic mission, as has been
explained (chap. xliv.).
----------------------------
Let me backtrack and quote that chapter now:
----------------------------
CHAPTER XLIV
PROPHECY is given either in a vision or in a dream, as we have
said so many times, and we will not constantly repeat it. We say
now that when a prophet is inspired with a prophecy he may see
an allegory, as we have shown frequently, or he may in a
prophetic vision perceive that God speaks to him, as is said in
Isaiah (vi. 8), "And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom
shall I send, and who will go for us?" or he hears an angel
addressing him, and sees him also. This is very frequent, e.g.,
"And the angel of God spake unto me," etc. (Gen. xxxi. 11); "And
the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Dost
thou not know what these are" (Zech. iv. 5); "And I heard one
holy speaking" (Dan. viii. 13). Instances of this are
innumerable.
The prophet sometimes sees a man that speaks to him. Comp., "And
behold there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance
of brass, and the man said to me," etc. (Ezek. xl. 3, 4),
although the passage begins, "The hand of the Lord was upon me"
(ibid. ver. 1). In some cases the prophet sees no figure at all,
only hears in the prophetic vision the words addressed to him;
e.g., "And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Uali"
(Dan. viii. 16); "There was silence, and I heard a voice" (in
the speech of Eliphaz, Job iv. 16); "And I heard a voice of one
that spake to me" (Ezek. i. 28). The being which Ezekiel
perceived in the prophetic vision was not the same that
addressed him: for at the conclusion of the strange and
extraordinary scene which Ezekiel describes expressly as having
been perceived by him, the object and form of the prophecy is
introduced by the words, "And I heard a voice of a man that
spake to me." After this remark on the different kinds of
prophecy, as suggested by Scripture, I say that the prophet may
perceive that which he hears with the greatest possible
intensity, just as a person may hear thunder in his dream, or
perceive a storm or an earthquake; such dreams are frequent.
The prophet may also hear the prophecy in ordinary common
speech, without anything unusual. Take, e.g., the account of the
prophet Samuel. When he was called in a prophetic vision, he
believed that the priest Eli called him; and this happened three
times consecutively. The text then explains the cause of it,
saying that Samuel naturally believed that Eli had called him,
because at that time he did not yet know that God addressed the
prophet in this form, nor had that secret as yet been revealed
to him. Comp., "And Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the
word of the Lord was not yet revealed to him," i.e., he did not
yet know, and it had not yet been revealed to him, that the word
of God is communicated in this way. The words, "He did not yet
know the Lord," may perhaps mean that Samuel had not yet
received any prophecy; for in reference to a prophet's receiving
divine communication it is said, "I make myself known to him in
a vision, I speak to him in a dream" (Num. xii. 6). The meaning
of the verse accordingly is this, Samuel had not yet received
any prophecy, and therefore did not know that this was the form
of prophecy. Note it.
#Post#: 1596--------------------------------------------------
Re: Degrees of Prophecy
By: Kerry Date: November 7, 2012, 6:57 am
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(5) A person addresses the prophet in a dream, as was the case
in some of the prophecies of Ezekiel. Comp. "And the man spake
unto me, Son of man," etc. (Ezek. xl. 4).
(6) An angel speaks to him in a dream; this applies to most of
the prophets: e.g., "And an angel of God said to me in a dream
of night" (Gen. xxxi. 11).
(7) In a prophetic dream it appears to the prophet as if God
spoke to him. Thus Isaiah says, "And I saw the Lord, and I heard
the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go
for us?" (Isa. vi. 1, 8). Micaiah, son of Imla, said likewise,
"I saw the Lord" (1 Kings xxii. 19).
(8) Something presents itself to the prophet in a prophetic
vision; he sees allegorical figures, such as were seen by
Abraham in the vision "between the pieces" (Gen. xv. 9, 10); for
it was in a vision by daytime, as is distinctly stated.
(9) The prophet hears words in a prophetic vision; as, e.g., is
said in reference to Abraham, "And behold, the word came to him,
saying, This shall not be thine heir" (ibid. xv. 4).
(10) The prophet sees a man that speaks to him in a prophetic
vision: e.g., Abraham in the plain of Mamre (ibid. xviii. 1),
and Joshua in Jericho (Josh. v. 13)
(11) He sees an angel that speaks to him in the vision, as was
the case when Abraham was addressed by an angel at the sacrifice
of Isaac (Gen. xxii. 15). This I hold to be--if we except
Moses--the highest degree a prophet can attain according to
Scripture, provided he has, as reason demands, his rational
faculties fully developed. But it appears to me improbable that
a prophet should be able to perceive in a prophetic vision God
speaking to him; the action of the imaginative faculty does not
go so far, and therefore we do not notice this in the case of
the ordinary prophets; Scripture says expressly, "In a vision I
will make myself known, in a dream I will speak to him"; the
speaking is here connected with dream, the influence and the
action of the intellect is connected with vision; comp. In a
vision I will make myself known to him" (etvadda‘, hitpael of
yada‘, "to know" but it is not said here that in a vision
anything is heard from God. When I, therefore, met with
statements in Scripture that a prophet heard words spoken to
him, and that this took place in a vision, it occurred to me
that the case in which God appears to address the prophet seems
to be the only difference between a vision and a dream,
according to the literal sense of the Scriptural text.
But it is possible to explain the passages in which a prophet is
reported to have heard in the course of a vision words spoken to
him, in the following manner: at first he has had a vision, but
subsequently he fell into a deep sleep, and the vision was
changed into a dream. Thus we explained the words, "And a deep
sleep fell upon Abram" (Gen. xv. 12); and our Sages remark
thereon, "This was a deep sleep of prophecy." According to this
explanation. it is only in a dream that the prophet can hear
words addressed to him; it makes no difference in what manner
words are spoken. Scripture supports this theory, "In a dream I
will speak to him." But in a prophetic vision only allegories
are perceived, or rational truths are obtained, that lead to
some knowledge in science, such as can be arrived at by
reasoning. This is the meaning of the words, "In a vision I will
make myself known unto him." According to this second
explanation, the degrees of prophecy are reduced to eight, the
highest of them being the prophetic vision, including all kinds
of vision, even the case in which a man appears to address the
prophet, as has been mentioned. You will perhaps ask this
question: among the different degrees of prophecy there is one
in which prophets, e.g., Isaiah, Micaiah, appear to hear God
addressing them; how can this be reconciled with the principle
that all prophets are prophetically addressed through an angel,
except Moses our Teacher, in reference to whom Scripture says,
"Mouth to mouth I speak to him" (Num. xii. 8)? I answer, this is
really the case, the medium here being the imaginative faculty
that hears in a prophetic dream God speaking; but Moses heard
the voice addressing him "from above the covering of the ark
from between the two cherubim" (Exod. xxv. 22) without the
medium of the imaginative faculty. In Mishne-torah we have given
the characteristics of this kind of prophecy, and explained the
meaning of the phrases, "Mouth to mouth I speak to him"; "As man
speaketh to his neighbour" (Exod. xxxiii. 11), and the like.
Study it there, and I need not repeat what has already been
said.
#Post#: 1628--------------------------------------------------
Re: Degrees of Prophecy
By: Rita Date: November 8, 2012, 4:43 am
---------------------------------------------------------
What an interesting thread, I am still reading the earlier
posts, I have never really considered that their were different
levels of prophecy before. I guess I have always just percieved
certain things as ' gifting ' -
Like with the first level of prompting someone to do something
good, I would never have classed that as prophecy before. I have
often ' felt words ' ( that's the only way I can describe it )
and I have had certain words given to me in the past relaying
that certain things will come to pass within my family, linked
more to my X husbands life being turned around. I wrote
everything down over a two year period, and just held it in my
heart.
The when I was working through the abuse a few years ago I felt
led to write out a care with the date on it and just the words '
I forgive you ' - I felt inside that one day I would give it to
someone, I have no idea who as my memory is only partially
there. These things I would class as prophecy, but would never
claim myself as a prophet- although I have been given words for
others at times- I class those as insights.
Anyway just wanted to let you know that I am reading what has
been written and find it really interesting.
Rita
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