(6) Again, the great prophets from Amos to Jere- miah had traversed the whole region of theology and morals. Little could be added to what they had taught concerning J" and His purposes, concerning man and his destiny. Those who came after them could do little more than combine their principles into new applications and uses. And in point of fact such prophets as Ezekiel and Deutero-Isaiah are almost more theologians than prophets.*
(<•) Another thing which contributed to the ex- pirj' of prophecy was the fall of the State. With the destruction of Jerusalem, the nation, the subject of prophecy, ceased to exist. Its destruc- tion was the seal set to the truth of prophecy, to its teacliing on God and the people, and its task was done. If in a sense prophecy had destroyed the nation it had saved religion. For by teaching that it was J" who brought ruin on the State it showed that the downfall of the nation was not the defeat but the triumph of J". The gods of the nations, Chemosh, Asshur, and Merodacli, perished with the nations of whose spirit they were the em- bodiments, but Jehovah rose the higher over the ruins of Jerusalem. He was seen to be the God of Kighteousness, the moral Ruler of the world — Jehovah of Hosts was exalted in judgment, And the Holy God sanctified in righteousness
(Is 5"). Wlien Israel perished as a nation, and was scattered over every land, the idea of Israel just by being detached from the nation became clearer ; the conception of Israel, of its place in the moral history of mankind, took the place of Israel, and the second Isaiah, operating with this conception, — the servant of the Lord, — is still a prophet. No doubt with all his brilliancy mucli of his book is theoloCTcal deduction from his lofty conception of J", out in one respect he is what aU the great prophets were, an ' interpreter ' of history, and by tar the profoundest. He stands at the end of Israel's history, and looking back he reads its meanin", which is that its sutlerings as servant of the Lord have atoned for its sins as a mere part of mankind.
(rf) Altliough at the Restoration the gorgeous anticipations of the second Isaiah had been dis- appointed, the idea of what Israel was, its con- sciousness of itself and its meanin-' in the religious life of mankind still maintained tnemselves. The eschatological hope remained indestructible. This hope had sometimes a national element in it, the
• Wellhausen remarks (^Heste^, 137) that with the revelation of the Koran the function of the kdhin or Beer caoie to an end, and he disappears.
idea of a political supremacy of Israel over the other nations, but it was mainly the hope of religious supremacy as the people of God (Is 61*). Israel had become a purely religious idea, its mission was to be the light of the nations — salva- tion was of the Jews. And this great eminence and triumph God would confer upon it by a sudden interposition, when He would plead its cause and 'justify' it by showing it to be in the right in its time-long plea against the nations — a plea which in other words was the n^ligious history of mankind (Is otH"-)- And what remained for Israel was to prepare for God's interposition, and be worthy of it by doing His will. Thus, when Israel was merely a religious community with no national life, propliccy became altogetlier detached from history and took the form of reflective and theological combinations of former prophecies. Its theme was the eschatological hopa, and it occupied itself with searching what, and what manner of time this hope would be realized (Dn 9-, I P 1"). Prophecy becomes Apocalyjitic. Apocalj'ptic con- tinues to share all the great ideas of proi.hecy : it regards history as the expression of God's moral rule of the world ; it regards God as purposing and foreseeing all its great movements ; and it sup- poses Him to reveal His purposes to His servants from the beginning. Hence, instead of looking back over history. Apocalyptic plants itself in front of history, turning history into prophecy, and locating all its great movements in the mind of some ancient seer, Enoch, Moses, Baruch, Daniel, or Ezra. Apocalyptic is thus always pseuilepigrapliic ; but the date of an Apocalyjise can generally be guessed from the fact that up to his own time the author is pretty accurate, having history to rely on, whUe from his own time on to the end he can only forecast or calculate.
In the times when prophecy had virtually ceased there are occasional references to it. The references are of two kinds. Generally they are ex]iressions of sorrow that the people has no more the guidance of the prophet in its perplexities and darkness, and of the hope that a prophet will again arise ; but once at least prophecy is spoken of with dislike. In the one case the true prophet is thought of, in the other the misleading false prophecy. See on the one hand Ps 74», 1 Mac 4'« 9-'' 14^' ; cf. La 2", Pr 29'8 : on the other hand Zee 13'-» ; cf. La 2''' 4'».
The prophets of the OT may be grouped thus —