Traveling Prophets Around 886 Bce example essay topic

"Soul Catchers" A most interesting film detailing the history and role of the prophet in the Jewish tradition. The first question we must explore is what a prophet is. A prophet by definition is a person who speaks by divine inspiration. Others will say that a prophet is one whose eye is open. A person who can see things that others cannot. In order to understand the prophets and their appearance in history we must first understand the politics of the times.

In the eleventh century BCE Israel is divided into twelve tribes. The prophet Samuel is called upon to bring the people under one ruler or king and lead Israel into a monarchy. However this brings a major split and for the first time we find a military and political leader, the King, along with a spiritual leader, or the prophet. The prophet played the role of moral keeper and would make sure that the King was ruling justly and keeping the Law of God. Prophets began to travel in packs receiving the presence of God through trace like states. The prophet Elijah emerges out of these traveling prophets around 886 BCE and begins to speak publicly.

Elijah had a big problem with the King. The Kings lady was from a pagan religion and had brought about the worship of other Gods. Elijah addresses the King publicly and challenges the other Gods to make fire. They of course can't match the Big Guy and Elijah triumphs and rides away into the sky leaving behind his robe passing on the power of prophecy.

So ends the spoken prophets. Later around 792 BCE, the writing prophets come about with the powerful speaker Amos. Amos says a bunch of things that no one wants to hear such as the downfall of Israel's Northern Kingdom and the death of the King. Then he really upsets everyone by saying that Israel will be sent into exile. About 742 BCE the most known prophet, Isaiah comes on the scene.

Now this far out guy walks the streets naked for three years telling the King not to ally with the Assyrians. He also speaks of how Jerusalem will be saved from the Assyrians. The Assyrians don't invade Jerusalem but the Northern Kingdom is destroyed just as Amos predicted fifty years earlier. Finally one of the last and least liked of the prophets comes about around 626 BCE and his name is Jeremiah. The reason no one liked Jeremiah is because he would preach about how wicked everyone was and how punishment is coming. Of course no one wants to hear this so nobody listened.

He even tried to wear a wooden yoke through the city to symbolize captivity soon to come if the people of Jerusalem didn't change its ways. Nobody listens and the Babylonians come in a send Israel into exile. Along comes Ezekiel about 593 BCE. He is more of a hopeful prophet.

He eats a scroll, sees a UFO and changes Judaism forever. Slowly prophecy disappears and is completely dead around 300 BCE. People are no longer the speakers for God and rabbi's take over as reminders of the message.