Prophecy

The biblical prophet conveys divine words, messages, images and truths, and communicates divine promises, commands and admonitions, to the Israelites and their neighbors, in rhetorical forms at once compelling and equivocal. No surprise that the phenomenon of prophecy has raised such a broad range of questions for Jewish philosophers throughout the ages, questions that pull together myriad domains of philosophical inquiry itself. This essay will survey themes, questions and doctrines in the history of Jewish philosophy that pertain to prophetic knowledge; prophetic normativity(in turn divided into prophetic politics and prophetic ethics); prophetic language; and prophetic hermeneutics. Along the way, the essay will draw connections to contemporary philosophical approaches and questions, and suggest some directions for future philosophical studies of prophecy.