How Did Prophets Function In Israel - Research Paper Example

Other than just being conveyer of God’s messages, these spiritual figures attempted to make humankind revert back to God after facing moral decay (Taylor 2). There are 48 prophets and 7 Prophetesses that have emerged during eighth century in Israel. Functions of the Prophets in Israel A critical analysis of literature available on prophets in Israel helped in understanding that some of the major missions performed by Prophets included reformation instead of new innovation of religion, urging conformity to law along with infrequent mention of it, lack of prescription in the law, testing and serving as a watch man and intercessor (Wood n. pag.).

Once their missions were ascertained, the methods that were used to achieve them described the ways through which prophets functioned in Israel. Since prophets acted as a foreteller and an oracle of God, they also adopted certain other roles in the society in order to ensure that these teachings were known to people and duly followed. Some of the major leadership roles in Israeli society included lawgiver, wise men, prophets, psalmists and priests. These were the instructors that Israelis turned to whenever they needed guidance and Prophets of Israel held some of these roles simultaneously in order to achieve their goals. a. Roles of the Prophets Firstly, the role of lawgivers in Prophets began with the advent of Moses who was also the very first Prophet that appeared in Israel.

Second role adopted by the Prophets was wise man whose function was to guide and provide counseling in the light of religious teachings. Hence, through this role, prophets attempted to convince general public and leaders of the society with logic instead of appealing to their conscience (Taylor 5). Lastly, some of the prophets also acted as priests who were also responsible for enforcement of law however they were responsible for major sacrifices along with bringing civil justice in the society.

In addition to that, Prophets in Israel were majorly responsible for oracular revelations as well. Most of these prophets held leadership roles in their times and were also followed by major social figures who were judges and military heads being responsible for ensuring that the teachings of Prophets prevail. Joshua is one such example who was a strong political figure however he was not a prophet and did not delivered messages of God to people of Israel. In addition to some of these basic functions, Prophets of Israel were also seen as acting as a balancing factor for King’s rule as they received God’s word about King’s actions that were going to be taking place along with the outcomes of those that have already been taken place.

Such prophets were not only oracular but were also perceived as a symbol of justice. In order to function effectively, they sometimes also formed part of King’s court and used their oracular powers to provide guidance to the King (Wilson). Over the period of time, the prophets were limited to oracular function only instead of acting as leaders of the society and sources of miracles (Bremmer 159). b. Methods Used By Prophets These roles allowed prophets to use various methods for conveying their messages which included preaching, individual contacts with the kings and main leaders of the society and using symbolism for disseminating messages of God along with object lessons (Wood n. pag.).