Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 89 No. 3, 2019.
Pregledni rad
The Biblical Understanding of the Role of the Prophet: the Primacy of Kingly and Priestly Office in Relation to the Prophetic Office
Dubravko Turalija
orcid.org/0000-0002-8806-3967
; Katolički bogoslovni fakutet Sveučilišta u Sarajevu, Bosna i Hercegovina
Sažetak
One gets an impression, although this is not confirmed in practice, that the prophetic dimension is seen in the Church like dr. Seuss´s fictional »thing-a-ma-jigger«, according to which everything unreal can turn into real and everything little and insignificant can become big and significant. Prophecy is, however, very low on the hierarchical scale of social structures in biblical times and, as such, it is limited in its power and possibilities. The New Testament confirms this view, while structuring it additionally in its late phase. The key role in the social context of the biblical world belonged to the administrative and sanctifying power of the people. The present and the future of the national being depended on these two levers. Only in moments of crisis, i.e., when one of these two levers failed, there was a need for prophetic office, although its status was not sufficiently high to allow it to serve as a measure of harmony of ruling consciousness, while its authority and intensity were not nearly enough to change the national mood. Prophecy was, as a religious biblical movement, very adaptable, while having a tendency to dislocate the bearer of the five-member privilege (propositional, prerogative, deterministic, functional, and result-oriented), characteristic for the Pentateuch, Acts of Apostles, and Epistles. It was dislocated by prophecy in favour of its central topic – the human being on the margins of society, who is trying to correct it by standing in opposition – brought about through the image of the ideal righteous person who, suffers (Historical book and the Gospels). Prophecy is, therefore, in the global biblical perspective, a reaction to inefficiency of the main hierarchical structures of God´s people. It is true that as a »crisis headquarters« it offered solutions that call to radical conversion to God, not by force or as an imperative, but rather in the form of incentive, guidance and without being pushy.
Ključne riječi
hierarchy; king; crisis; patriarch; prophet; priest.
Hrčak ID:
229168
URI
Datum izdavanja:
3.12.2019.
Posjeta: 2.005 *