2. The nature of prophecy. — The characteristic quality of the prophet was not his power of ex- pounding the facts of the Christian faith in their relation to each other or to life and conduct ; it was ' revelation.' This did not necessarily mean rapture or ecstasy accompanied by unintelligible utterances. On the contrary, ' prophecy ' is a greater gift, a nobler function than y\ucrao\a\la or ' tongue-speaking.' ' The former gift was exer- cised with the consciousness of the subject, and it issued in something logically intelligible. To u.se the latter gift, which issued in a jargon of words and unduly excited the speaker, was to speak to God instead of man ' (Selwyn, Christian Projihets, p. If.). ' Prophecy ' is of course a larger term than ' revelation ' (aTroKdXi/i/'ij ; see art. APOCA- LYPSE) : it includes ' revelation ' among its specific forms of expression and yet may be distinguished from it, e.g. 1 Co 14^ (where the Ajjostle might speak ' either by apocalypse, or gnosis, or prophecy, or teaching'). Prophecy is connected not only with revelations, but with ' visions ' (2 Co 12'-^). 'The Apocalypse, which is the great prophetic hook of the NT and the most conspicuous relic we have of the prophecy of the primitive Christian Church, is a series of visions seen by a prophet and related by him ' (T. M. Lindsay, The Church and the Ministry in the Early Centuries", 1903, p. 95, who further refers to the Shepherd of
Hernias, a Roman presbyter who was also a ' [irophet '). In 1 Ti P' St. Paul expresses himself as guided by ' prophecies' in relation to the .separa- tion of Timothy for the Christian ministry. '1 hcse ■apparently were 'mysterious monitions of the kind culled prophetic' (Hort, <>p. cit. p. 182), either arising within himself or through the lips of Silas, or both ; cf. .al.so ' prophecy ' as the medium of the spiritual gift which was imparted at Timothy's ordination (1 Ti 4'*). There was undoubtedly a mystical or ecstatic element in ])rophec}', l)Ut it had a practical aim. In 1 ('o 14''St. Paul menticms three functions of the propliet : 'He that proplie- sieth speaketh unto men edification, and oomtort, and consolation' : in other words, he builds up the Chri.stiau character, utters ethical precepts and warnings, and gives the encouragement arising from personal testimony, example, and sympathy. 'He edifieth a church,' wliile 'the speaker with tongues edilieth himself.' In Ro 12'' by the use of the phrase dvaXoyla rrji Triffreus the -Apostle declares that a prophecy is required to agree with the ac- cepted doctrines of the faith ; while 1 Co 12'" {5ia- Kptaeii Trvev/xdruy) shows that criticism of prophecy was a regular practice (cf. 14-"). The canon of edification is conspicuous in the remarkable set of rules laid down in 1 Co 14-"- for prophetic and other ecstatic utterances. Two or three prophets may speak, while the rest are to discriminate as to the character of their addresses ; but if a ' revela- tion ' be given to another sitting by, the first prophet must keep silence. 'Ye can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted (and the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets),' which means that, although individual inspiration is legitimate and undoubted, it is .subject to the control of the prophets collectively. Thus, St. Paul did not limit freedom of speech, hut in urging that only two or three prophets should address a given meeting he aimed at securing not only spiritual edification, but reverence and order in the assembly. Even if we had no evidence of the apocalyptic character of prophecy beyond the statements of St. Paul, it would not be going too far to argue that the expectation of the Parousia would naturally give rise to a predictive element in prophetic utter- ances. The author of Revelation speaks of the prophets as his fellow-servants, and of the Church as made up of ' .saints, apostles, and propliets ' (18-"), 'prophets and saints' (v.-^), and 'saints and prophets' (16") : and in such a connexion it is easy to understand how ecstasy might lead to a vivid realization of the circumstances of the Parousia. But the general evidence is in favour of the spiritual and ethical quality of the prophetic utterances, which, as we gather from 1 Co 14-^, were addressed to pagans as well as to Chris- tians.
3. The history of prophecy in the sub-Apostolic Age. — The locus classicns for the subsequent de- velopment of prophecy in post-apostolic times is Did. 11, wdiich is the clearest evidence afforded by extra-canonical literature of the established influ- ence of Christian prophecy in the Church. The prophet is rooted in the life of the Church ; but there are divergences from the Pauline tradition. No apostle is ever to remain more than three days in one place, otherwise he is a false projihet (}f>ei:SoTrpo<t>riTrj!). The spiritual test of his genuine- ness is not .so definite as St. Paul's ('no man can say that Jesus is Lord, but in the Holy Spirit ' [1 Co 12^]). He has indeed to speak ip iryev/iaTi ; but his speech is to be confirmed by his possession of ' the ways of the Lord,' i.e. the general test of his Christian conduct. This is so far sound ; but the subordinate tests (e.g., asking for money, ordering a table [i.e. an Agape] in which he