Looking at Prophecies

Prophecies usually describe the revealing of the information which is not recognized to prophet by any ordinary means. In belief, this is considered to be an exquisitely inspired interpretation or revelation. Though the idea is found all through the beliefs of the globe, the phrase has found well-liked approval through the work as well as control of the Hebrew prophets.

Rabbinic scholar Maimonides, recommended that "prophecy is, in reality, an emanation sent forward by the heavenly Being through the intermediate of the lively Intellect, in initial case to man's rational faculty, as well as then to his creative faculty. This directly relates to definition by Al-Fârâbî who founded the theory of prophecy in Islam. The Catholic Encyclopedia describes prophecy as "known in its strict sense, which means the foreknowledge of upcoming events, although it might at times concern to past proceedings of which there is no reminiscence, as well as to present concealed things that cannot be recognized by natural light of reason.

The word "prophecy" in sense of "function of prophet" emerged in Europe from 1225, from Old French prophecies (12^th century), as well as from Late Latin prophetia, Greek prophetia "reward of understanding the will of gods", from Greek prophets. One of the initial recorded uses the term "prophecy" is nevuah, and appears from Hebrew divrei nevuah as well as forms the name of major subdivision of Tanakh, the Nevi'im, and means “prediction", from root "Nuv" means to bear fruit, or make grow. This might narrate to the nature of the prophecy from Jewish perception where, in Rabbinic civilization, Ezra is symbolically referred to the "flowers which appear on earth" suggesting the spring time in national history of the Judaism.

In the initial Jewish source, Torah, prophecy usually comprised of a caution by God of consequences should the civilization, particular communities or the leaders not stick to Torah's commands in time contemporary with the life of prophet. Prophecies at times comprised promises of blessing for conforming God, as well as returning to behaviors and laws written in Torah. Warning prophecies feature in all the Jewish works of Tanakh.

The rabbinic teachings, particularly Ram Bam, recommend there were a lot of levels of prophecy, from the maximum like that experienced by Moses, to lowest where the persons were able to detain the Divine Will, however not reply or even illustrate this experience to others, like Noah. Maimonides' theory of prophecy holds 2 elements: first clarifications of what prophecies is, and second a ranking of the different kinds of prophecy as well as prophecy-like phenomenon.

Maimonides in his work, Guide for Perplexed, draws 12 modes of prophecy from smaller to larger level of clarity:

1. Encouraged actions
2. Inspired words
3. Audiovisual dream revelations/human speaker
4. Allegorical vision revelations
5. Auditory vision revelations
6. Audiovisual delusion revelations/angelic speaker
7. Audiovisual vision revelations/Divine speaker
8. Allegorical waking dream
9. Auditory waking exposure
10. Audiovisual waking revelation or angelic speaker
11. Audiovisual waking revelation or human speaker
12. Audiovisual waking revelation or Divine speaker.