The Product of Revelation and the Democratization of Prophecy

For both the Jewish and Christian faith, the whole of the Hebrew scripture is divinely inspired. However, rabbinic Judaism has long favored studying Torah over the prophets, while Christianity from the earliest days “attached itself more to the prophets than the law.”[1] Jews sought teaching and instruction on the Torah and Christians sought teachings that illuminated the gospel. My Jewish friends most often refer to the “law” as a designation for the entire Bible and my Christian friends often designate the Old Testament as “the prophets.”[2]While the New Testament writers often point to both the law and prophets as the initial revelations that testified to Christ (John 5:39), the New Testament writers turn to the prophets more than anything else in the Hebrew scriptures. Paul, in Romans, opens and closes his book emphasizing the foundational importance of the prophets as witness to the ultimate revelation in Christ (Rom. 1:2; 16:26). Peter describes the prophets as the preincarnation conduit for Christ, the special few allowed to glimpse God’s salvation plan (1 Pet. 1:10-12). Perhaps more than the law could have, the prophets helped the early church process the confusing death and miraculous resurrection of Jesus as well as the workings of the Holy Spirit. [1] Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 543.[2] Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 543.Support the showConsider donating (one-time or recurring) to www.TheJerusalemConnection.us so we can continue to bring valuable content via podcasts free to the public. Help us increase our audience reach and improve production quality. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible to our non-profit organization. Bible Fiber and The Red Alert Report are available via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. The Jerusalem Connection also engages in additional educational and advocacy programs. Check our "Projects" tab for all the endeavors we invite YOU to be part of.