November-December - The Gospel Magazine

266 The Gospel Magazine
the prophets have a foundational, that is to say, temporary, noncontinuing
function in the history of the church and so pass away with
the apostlis with whom they are closely associated here. The following
obseivations bear on this conclusion and efforts to resist it:
(a) As a guideline for interpretation, it needs to be appreciated that
Ephesians i:20 and I Corinthians 12-14 ought not to be given the same
,,weight" exegetically. The latter passage, while it may well reflect
circuirstancesln other churches, in most of its considerable detail has
a relatively narrow focus confined to the particular situation at
corinth. Ephesians, on the other hand, while certainly occasional like
the other eiistles of paul, is probably a circular letter, and 2:20 is part
of a section that surveys the thurch as a whole in a most sweeping and
comprehensive fashion. It seems fair, then, to suggest that Ephesians
2:20 with its broad scope ought to be given a pivotal and controlling
role in seeking to understand other New Testament statements on
prophecy ' having a narrower focus.
(b) rtre frequent counter to the above conclusion is that in addition
and.more or iess parallel to the foundational function of prophecy
that has ceased are other functions (in view, for instance, in I Cor. 14)
that are intended to continue on in the church. However, granted the
fully revelatory character of prophecy (cf. the above discussion of the
nature of prophecy), such a view tends toward a dualistic
understanding of revelation: canonical revelation for the whole
church -private revelations for individual believers or groups of
believers: an understanding which conflicts with the covenantal,
redemptive-historical character of all revelation.
The appeal to the prophecies of Agabus to support the notion of
privatized, localized revelation for specific individual needs and circumstances
is particularly inept because their redemptive-historical
character seems apparent. In the one instance (Acts I l:28) prophecy is
directed toward cementing the newly established bond of fellowship
within the church between Jew and Gentile (verses 29,30:, cf.20), in
the other instance (Acts 2l:loff.) toward the unfolding of Paul's
apostolic ministry (ct. 20:23).
(c) The issues'touched on ih the preceding point inevitably-bring
into'view the relationship between prophecy and the canon. It will
hardly do to reject this as a false or irrelevant question' The
foundational peribd of the church is as such an open canon period or,
better, a period in which material for the new covenant canon is in the
pro..it of formation. Prophecy is one of the principal word gifts
bperative in this period, not only in producing what is eventually
recognized to be canonical (e.g., the Book of Revelation, which as a
whol-e is called prophecy, l:3; 22:7,10,18,19) but also and primarily in