SEER
508
SEER
less (so De Wette, Pr. de Propheiar. in V. T. [Berl. 181(5]; also in his Opusc. Theol. p. 16 sq. ; Stiekel, De Prophet. IJeh., in lllgeii's Zeitschr. V, ii, 55 sq.). The impulse to speak in the Hebrew prophets must be sought deeper than in the natural activity of imagina- tion.
At a later day (after the 9th century B.C. ; comp. Eich- horn, in his Biblioth.f. hihl. Lit. x, 1077 sq.) prophetic writing became connected with prophetic utterance (Ewald, Isi: Gesch. iii, 351 sq.), at first to preserve with certainty the contents of important predictions (Isa. viii, 1, 16; comp. xxx, 8), or in obedience to a divine com- mand (.Jer. XXX, 2; xxxvi, 2, 28; comp. Rev. i, 11, 19; xxi, 5) ; hence, perhaps, first simply records of their ut- terances to the people, and then often atldresses penned as soon as conceived and given in writing to the people through amanuenses (comp. Pries, De Prophetis et Apost. Amanuen.<i. Opei-a in Scribend. Usis [Rostock. 1757]), or even borne by messengers to a distance (Jer. xxix; comp. 2 Chron. xxi, 12). The people attached great value to the intercession of the prophets with (iod (Jer. xlii, 2). This accorded with their relation to Jehovah and was part of their calling (vii, 16; xi, 14; xiv, 11 ; comp. Job xlii, 8, 10). Besides their labors for the pro- tection and advancement of the theocracy, the prophets were often useful to their countrvmen and even to for- eigners (2 Kings v) by their medical and scientific knowledge and skill (ii, 19 sq. ; iv, 38 sq. ; xx, 7 sq. ; comp. 1 Kings xiv, 2 sq.), and, tilled with the spirit of God, even wrought miracles [see Elijah; Elisha] (comp. Luke vii, 16). So there seem to have been the- ocratic historians, perhaps before the prophets became writers, who, sharing the views and sympathies of the prophets, wrote the history of a reign or of a period, mingling with it more or fewer prophetic utterances (2 Chron. ix, 29; xii, 15; xiii, 22; xxvi,22; xxxii,32; comp. Gesen. Comment, zu fs. i, 24 sq,).
The dress of the prophets was usually a long folding mantle (1 Kings xix, 13 ; 2 Kings ii, 8, 13) of coarse, hairy stuif (Zech. xiii, 4; 2 Kings i, 8), without care as to the cut (hence sak, pb, Isa. xx, 2), and held together bj' a leather girdle (2 Kings i, 8) ; a dress which corre- sponded best with the serious nature of the prophet's calling (comp. Matt, iii, 4 ; see Henke, 3Ia(/. iv, 191 sq. ; Nicolai, De Prnph. Jud. Vestitu [Magdeb. 1744] ; comp. the cloak or pallium of the Greek philosophers; Ferrar, De Re Vest, ii, 4, 14. On the clothing of the Eastern dervishes, see Harmer, Observ. iii, 374 sq.). It is not strange that the propliets, on the one hand, were the objects of superstitious veneration (comp. 1 Kings xvii, 18), and, on the other, by tlieir bold reproof of all im- piety and wickedness, became, as the fate of the state grew certain, more and more subject to the opposition and open persecution of the priesthood and of despotic or idolatrous kings. In the kingdom of Israel tliey were first oppressed, and almost exterminated (xviii ; xix, 14, 19), sharing under Ahab the fate of all pious worshippers of Jehovah. Only under the pressure of necessity did the kings there ajjply to them (xxii, 7 sq.; 2 Kings iii, 11 sq. ; vi, 12 sq.) ; and they were forl)idden to address the people (Amos vii, 10 scp). This was a censorship wielded by the priests. From 2 Kings iv, 23, we isee that on Sabl)aths and new moons the pious Israelites met for worship with one of the proi)hcts. But this was not so general as to justify us in saying that the propliets took the |ilace of tlie Lcvitical priest- hood (comp. ver. 42), alfhougli it is certain that the worship and knowledge of .lehovah in the kingdom of Israel were suiijMirted mainly through tlie prophets. In the kingdom of .hulali the ]iro|ihets were early met by infidel mockery (Isa. v, 19; xxviii, 10, 22), or by a sense of secnrily that heeded no alarm (Mic. ii, 6 scj.). We are told that Manasseh slew some prophets every day (Josephus, Ant. x, 3, 1 ; comp. 2 Kings xxi, 16); it is more certain that Asa imprisoned the seer Hanani (2 Chron. xvi, 10) ; that under Jehoash and Joiachim
two prophets atoned for their boldness with their lives (xxiv, 20 sq. ; Jer. xxvi, 20 sq.) ; and that Jeremiah, above all, was the object of the bitter hate and active persecution of the united court and priesthood, who sup- ported themselves by false prophets. See Jekemiah, But the educated laity and the officers of state thought they had long outgrown the prophetic utterances, and that their views of state policy were deeper; and thus the state became ever more worldly. Afterwards, the remembrance of the abuse offere<l the prophets was a sad one for the people (Neh. ix, 26; Matt, v, 12; xxiii, 31 ; Acts vii, 52 : 1 Thess. ii, 15), which was little weak- ened by the zeal of the later Jews to seek out and adorn the tombs of the prophets. False prophets, or orators, who flattered the prevailing political principles, and even did homage to the abandoned wickedness of the times (Jer. xxiii, 14, 15; xxviii, 15), yet gave them- selves out as inspired by the Divine Spirit, appear, es- pecially in the last terrible period of the kingdom, in league with the priests (v, 13, 31 ; vi, 13; viii, 10; xiv, 14); and the true prophets of Jehovah not oidy came, at times, into open conflict with them (xxvi, 7 sq. ; xxviii; comp. v, 15), but spoke by inspiration against them (xiv, 13 sq. ; xxiii, 16 sq.; xxvii, 9 sq. ; xxix, 31 sq. ; Ezek. xiii, 2 sq. ; xxii, 25; Hos. ix, 7 sq. ; Mic. iii, 11), In the law (Deut. xiii, 1 sq. ; xviii, 20) false proph- ecy was punished with death (Schroder, Z'e Pseudopro- p/ietis [IMarburg, 1720], ii, 4).