RELIGION OF ISRAEL
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‘prophet’ (or néb?’ah, ‘prophetess’). This, how- ever, may safely be pronounced an anachronism. In earlier times, down at least to the middle of the 9th cent. and even later, nab’ (plur. néb?im)
meant something so different that this name could |
not have been given to Moses or Samuel. Hence, it may be added, the rendering of nébi’tm in the time of Samuel by ‘prophets’ is misleading, and had better be avoided. The descriptions contained in 1S 10% 1, taken along with the etymology of the word, show that we have to do with bands of enthusiasts, of whom the spirit of God has laid hold with overpowering force, and who, stimu- lated by loud music to greater frenzy, readily earry along others to participate in their conduct. This last feature is prominent not only in 18 10% 2°, but in the late midrash 19'**-, and it reflects truly the character of such phenomena, as does also the statement that Saul stripped off his clothes, and lay naked for a day and a night in holy frenzy.*
Analogous phenomena are reported alike from the ancient religions, from the Christian Middle Ages, and from the sphere of heathen peoples at the present day; and it would be complete per- versity to set them all down simply to deceit and hypocritical pretensions. The only question that arises for us is: What is the special significance of this phenomenon upon ancient Hebrew soil, and how far has it a religious significance in the realm of Jahwism? Unfortunately, owing to the scanty traditions at our disposal, we must here have re- course to pure conjectures. These, however, are such as may claim a high degree of probability. In the first place, it will not admit of doubt that these nébvim were originally a Canaanite growth, and were adopted by the Hebrews from that quarter. This conclusion is favoured by the fact that the other forms of mantic, possession, and sorcery, also took their rise in all probability upon Canaanite soil. But the ‘spirit of God,’ which, according to the word of Samuel, passes from the néb?im at Gibeah to Saul, is expressly called in 1S 10° ‘the spirit of Jahweh,’ and nothing else could be thought of in view of the whole context. The moving cause, again, that led to whole companies being inflamed by the spirit of Jahweh to holy frenzy was doubtless the sore straits of the time,
the heavy yoke of the Philistine domination. Tt |
can hardly be an accident that Saul (10°) is seized with holy frenzy at the por spot where the pillar (a’y3), or, according to another interpretation, the administrator of the Philistines, was located. As in the Middle Ages the ravages of the plague gave rise to troops of flagellants, so, in the period of which we are speaking, subjection to a people hated and esteemed unclean produced a condition of great excitement, and led to frequent gather- ings of those who were seized with a violent desire to procure the intervention of the national God of Israel, who was regarded, above all, as the war-
formation of the word] gives utterance to ecstatic cries, or exhibits other tokens of holy frenzy. True, this original sense of the word became more and more weakened. Even the nébvtim of the time of Elijah and Elisha (see above) have already become only pale reflexions of the nébi’im of Samuel's day. But when nabi’ had been fully adopted as the honorific appellation of the true prophets of Jahweh (so already in Am 211, Is 8? [where the wife of Isaiah is called by himself, in conformity with his official name, ‘the prophetess’]), the recollection of its original meaning was all the more forgotten. Otherwise, Abraham could not have been in Gn 207 (E) called a nab’, to whom one could look for effectual intercession. Nay, in Ps 10515 the same title is given to the patriarchs in
eneral, with their families. Evidently, all that still attaches to the word here is the notion of confidants and favourites of
od.
* A trace of the bearing of these nébi’im has very probably survived down to a late date in the verb 7/87 hittiph, ‘pro- phesy,’ which means primarily ‘ to let drop,’ s¢. slaver, as is usual with epileptics and madmex
position, preacher has no support in the early source. role, not quite free from danger, which he plays in
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God. This purpose was served chiefly by the ecstatic cries from which the nébi’im originally derived their name. Hence Schwally (Semt. Kriegsaltertiimer, i. 110) may be right in assign- ing a warlike origin to the whole appearance of these nébi’im (as well as the Nazirites ; see below). We are reminded how, in the case of Samson, his being seized with the spirit of Jahweh is re- peatedly connected with acts of vengeance on the Philistines (Jg 14 154"). In a certain sense, then, these nébi’im may be regarded as organs of Jahweh; but they belonged to quite a different species, and followed a different calling from the so called organs of Jahweh of later times.
4. Notwithstanding, there was not wanting even at the court of David some representation of genuine prophetism in the later sense of the term.
Apart from Gad, who announced to David a
coming punishment at the hands of Jahweh (28