Hobbes - Leviathan.pdf

written in man's heart; as Psalms, 37. 31; Jeremiah, 31. 33;
Deuteronomy, 30. 11, 14, and many other like places.
The name of prophet signifieth in Scripture sometimes prolocutor;
that is, he that speaketh from God to man, or from man to God: and
sometimes predictor, or a foreteller of things to come: and
sometimes one that speaketh incoherently, as men that are
distracted. It is most frequently used in the sense speaking from
God to the people. So Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and
others were prophets. And in this sense the high priest was a prophet,
for he only went into the sanctum sanctorum to enquire of God, and was
to declare his answer to the people. And therefore when Caiaphas
said it was expedient that one man should die for the people, St. John
saith that "He spake not this of himself, but being high priest that
year, he prophesied that one man should die for the nation."* Also
they that in Christian congregations taught the people are said to
prophesy.*(2) In the like sense it is that God saith to Moses
concerning Aaron, "He shall be thy spokesman to the people; and he
shall be to thee a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of
God":*(3) that which here is spokesman is, Exodus, 7. 1, interpreted
prophet: "See," saith God, "I have made thee a god to Pharaoh, and
Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet." In the sense of speaking from
man to God, Abraham is called a prophet where God in a dream
speaketh to Abimelech in this manner, "Now therefore restore the man
his wife, for he is a prophet, and shall pray for thee";*(4) whereby
may be also gathered that the name of prophet may be given not
unproperly to them that in Christian churches have a calling to say
public prayers for the congregation. In the same sense, the prophets
that came down from the high place, or hill of god, with a psaltery,
and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, Saul amongst them, are said to
prophesy, in that they praised God in that manner publicly.*(5) In the
like sense is Miriam called a prophetess.*(6) So is it also to be
taken where St. Paul saith, "Every man that prayeth or prophesieth
with his head covered," etc., and every woman that prayeth or
prophesieth with her head uncovered":*(7) for prophecy in that place
signifieth no more but praising God in psalms and holy songs, which
women might do in the church, though it were not lawful for them to
speak to the congregation. And in this signification it is that the
poets of the heathen, that composed hymns and other sorts of poems
in the honor of their gods, were called vates, prophets, as is well
enough known by all that are versed in the books of the Gentiles,
and as is evident where St. Paul saith of the Cretans that a prophet
of their own said they were liars;*(8) not that St. Paul held their
poets for poets for prophets, but acknowledgeth that the word
prophet was commonly used to signify them that celebrated the honour
of God in verse.
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* John, 11. 51
*(2) I Corinthians, 14. 3
*(3) Exodus, 4. 16
*(4) Genesis, 20. 7
*(5) I Samuel, 10. 5, 6, 10
*(6) Exodus, 15. 20
*(7) I Corinthians, 11. 4, 5
*(8) Titus, 1. 12
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When by prophecy is meant prediction, or foretelling of future
contingents, not only they were prophets who were God's spokesmen, and