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CHAPTER FOUR

PROPHECY AND DIVINATION

The issue of false is no doubt the primary concern of Hermas in the 11th Mandate. It is appropriate, then, to begin our detailed investigation here. First, we will analyse the concept or concepts of false prophecy that prevailed in the Christian church of the first and second century A.D., and try to determine the place of the false as described by Hermas within this framework. Next the criteria by which false are judged will be examined. As the false prophet in the 11th Mandate acts as a I-tl1.VTLS (2), our third concern will be that of the relationschip between prophecy and divina­ tion. Finally, we will attempt to gain a picture of his divinatory activ­ ities in the light of the pagan divination of his time.

THE CONCEPT OF FALSE PROPHECY

When we attempt to identify the false prophet of the 11th Mandate we need a framework within which to place him. A survey of the most important data on false prophets in Christian sources may serve to provide such a framework. To begin with the , we can distinguish four types of false prophets: (a) itinerant false prophets; (b) apocalyptic false prophets; (c) pagan false prophets; (d) false teachers. (a) The reference to false prophets in :15: 7TPOUI.X€T€ ,\ ~ ./. t' '" ~.,,, \ t ~ , 't' , a7TO TWV 'f'€VOO7TP0'f''Y/TWV OtTLV€S €PXOVTat 7TPOS v/-tas €V €vov/-tautv 7Tpo{3aTwv, €uw()€V 81. €lUlV AVKOl ap7Tay€S, refers to itinerant Christian prophets. They are branded false because they do not show forth the fruits that might be expected from them (vv. 16-20). As this is also the basic thought of vv. 21-23 these may be considered as an elabora­ tion of v. 15f. Then v. 22 gives a description of what the false prophets do: they prophesy, they cast out demons and they perform ; and they think that all this shows that they are genuine prophets. But their behaviour is totally incompatible with their prophetic activities and that reveals them as false prophets. Though the content of their prophetic utterances is not disclosed, it is probable that the PROPHECY AND DIVINATION 59 false prophets envisaged here are not teachers but claimed to be inspired speakers of the word of the Lord. l (b) The references to apocalyptic prophets are found in Mark and Matthew, and in the Apocalypse of John. In the latter if;€VOO1TPO• cpf]T'Y}S occurs only in the singular and does not refer to an existing false prophet but denotes an eschatological topOS.2 In the first two Gospels the word occurs in :22 II :24 together with if;€VOOXptUTOt. In Matthew 24:11 it occurs alone. Whether real false prophets are referred to is doubtful. Also here we may have to do with a topos. If, however, the reference is to actual prophets they are of the same type as those mentioned above under (a) because they attempt to authenticate themselves and their message by means of signs and miracles. (c) There is one reference to a if;€VOO1TpOcpf]T'Y}S who operates in the pagan world, namely Acts 13:6ff. Here the most surprising thing is that a Jewish IULYOS practices his divinatory and magical trade at the court of a Roman governor, and that he is called if;€VOO1TPOCPf]TrJS. This implies an admission of some common ground between the (Christian) prophet and the pagan diviner and shows that if;€VOO1TPO• cpf]'r'Y}s could also be used in the conflict between Christianity and its pagan environment.3 (d) In 1 John the situation is totally different. Here the content of their teaching discloses the false prophets as what they are. This does not mean that the denial of Christ's coming in the flesh was the only doctrine they taught. It is quite natural to assume that the false prophets were teachers. The prophetic and the teaching ministry overlap, and Schnackenburg rightly compares the if;€voOOtOauKq,AOt in 2 Peter 2: 1. 4 This does not exclude the presence of true prophets

1 Cf. 8upra, p. Sf. That it refers to Jewish figurcs, either Zealots comparable to the false porphets which mentions as Schlatter, Der Evangeli8t Mattheu8 (Stuttgart, 1945), p. 25lff. thinks, or exorcists like Bar·Jesus (Acts 13:6ff.), is improbable, since in either case the phrase €v €vSv}LaulV 7Tpo{Jarwv would be inappropriate. Conceivably, this phrase refers to "die asketische Standestracht der jiidischen Propheten" (0. Bocher, WOlfe in Schafspelzen; zum religionsgeschichtlichen Hintergrund von Matth. 7, 15, Throl. ZeitBchriJt 24 (196S), p. 405-426, esp. p. 412), and serves to identify those who wear the sheep's clothing as prophets. 2 Apoc. 16:13;19:20; 20:10. The close connection between the false prophet and suggests that a typical, not an actual prophet is envisaged. 3 Cf. H. Conzelmann, Die Apo8telgeschichte, H. N. T. 7 (Tiibingen, 1963), p. 73f., ad loco 4 R. Schnackenburg, Die JolmnnesbrieJe, H. Th. K. N. T. XIII 3 (19632) p. 213.