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111-533: Women held special status in the marcosian communities; they were regarded as prophetesses and participated in administering the Eucharistic rites. Irenaeus accuses Marcus of seducing his followers, and scornfully writes ( Adversus Haereses I. 13, 4) that the whole sect was an affair of "silly women." The marcosian system was a variation of that of Valentinus . It retained the 30 Aeons , but called them "Greatnesses" and gave them numerical values. It kept

222-601: A Dodecad. Each letter is one of the Aeons, and contains within itself an infinity of mysteries. Each letter makes its own sound, it knows not the sound of the adjacent letter, nor of the whole, but the restitution of all things will take place when all the letters are brought to make the same sound, and then a harmony will result of which we have an image in that made when we all sound the Amen together. This comparison shows an interesting point of agreement in liturgical usage between

333-597: A cistern by Judah's officials, and opposed by a false prophet. Likewise, Isaiah was told by his hearers who rejected his message, "Leave the way! Get off the path! Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel !" The life of Moses being threatened by Pharaoh is another example. According to I Samuel 9:9, the old name for navi is ro'eh , רֹאֶה, which literally means "seer". That could document an ancient shift, from viewing prophets as seers for hire to viewing them as moral teachers. L. C. Allen (1971) comments that in

444-531: A clay jar and smashes it in the Valley of Ben Hinnom in front of elders and priests to illustrate that God will smash the nation of Judah and the city of Judah beyond repair. God instructs Jeremiah to make a yoke from wood and leather straps and to put it on his own neck to demonstrate how God will put the nation under the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar , king of Babylon . In a similar way, the prophet Isaiah had to walk stripped and barefoot for three years to illustrate

555-511: A congregation, excluding social or political messages. However, the Bible has several occasions in which prophets were called to deliver social or political messages. The reception of a message is termed revelation and the delivery of the message is termed prophecy. The term "prophet" applies to those who receive public or private revelation . Public revelation, in Catholicism, is part of

666-424: A connection with the divine and providing spiritual leadership within their communities. Despite the absence of codified scripture or organized religious institutions, these pre-Zoroastrian prophetic figures played a crucial role in shaping early religious thought and practices, paving the way for the structured prophetic tradition that emerged with Zoroaster and subsequent religious traditions. Zoroastrianism holds

777-561: A foundational example of prophetic tradition, enriching humanity's understanding of the divine and the role of prophets in conveying its will. Some examples of prophets in the Tanakh include Abraham , Moses , Miriam , Isaiah, Samuel , Ezekiel, Malachi , and Job . Moses is considered the most important prophet in Judaism . On one occasion during the Exodus journey, "the spirit which

888-450: A mystical craft-guild with apprentices and recruitment. Canonical prophets were not organised this way. Jewish tradition - unlike Christian and Islamic practice - does not regard Daniel as a prophet. A Jewish tradition suggests that there were twice as many prophets as the number which left Egypt, which would make 1,200,000 prophets. The Talmud recognizes 48 male prophets who bequeathed permanent messages to humankind. According to

999-650: A number of men as " Prophets of Islam " ( Arabic : نبي nabī ; pl. أنبياء anbiyāʾ ). Muslims believe such individuals were assigned a special mission by God to guide humanity. Besides Muhammad , this includes prophets such as Abraham ( Ibrāhīm ) , Moses ( Mūsā ) and Jesus ( ʿĪsā ) . Although only twenty-five prophets are mentioned by name in the Quran , a hadith (no. 21257 in Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal ) mentions that there were (more or less) 124,000 prophets in total throughout history. Other traditions place

1110-408: A significant position in shaping the concept of prophets and prophecy. Founded by the revered figure Zoroaster (or Zarathustra) in ancient Persia around the 6th century BCE, Zoroastrianism introduced fundamental ideas that profoundly influenced subsequent religious and philosophical traditions, particularly in its portrayal of prophetic figures. At the heart of Zoroastrian belief lies the concept of

1221-545: A singular supreme deity, Ahura Mazda , engaged in an eternal struggle against the forces of darkness and chaos, embodied by Angra Mainyu . Zoroaster, as the primary prophet of this faith, received divine revelations and visions from Ahura Mazda, which formed the basis of the Avesta , the sacred scripture of Zoroastrianism. Zoroaster's role as a prophet established a template for future religious leaders and visionaries. He articulated monotheistic principles, ethical dualism , and

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1332-605: A transcriber's error may have arisen from the likeness of Gamma and the Episemon, i.e. apparently Γ and Ϝ. The source whence all modern writers have learned their use of the word episemon is Joseph Justus Scaliger 's essay on the origin of the Ionic letters. He there quotes as from Bede , de Indigitatione , a statement of an old grammarian, who, having mentioned that the Greeks denote numbers by letters, and for this purpose join to

1443-634: A word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come."). Cessationists believe that these gifts were given only in New Testament times and that they ceased after the last apostle died. The last prophet of the Old Covenant before the arrival of Jesus is John

1554-713: Is about to say (ἀμὴν λέγω, "truly I say to you"), a rhetorical device that has no parallel in contemporary Jewish practice. Raymond Brown says that Jesus's peculiar and authentic reminiscent use of amen in the Fourth Gospel is an affirmation that what he is about to say is an echo from the Father. The word occurs 52 times in the Synoptic Gospels ; the Gospel of John has 25. In the King James Bible ,

1665-591: Is also the pronunciation typically used in gospel music . Amen is a word of Biblical Hebrew origin. It appears many times in the Hebrew Bible as a confirmatory response, especially following blessings. The basic triconsonantal root א-מ-נ , from which the word is derived, is common to a number of languages in the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages , including biblical Aramaic . Meanings of

1776-533: Is believed to be the pinnacle and purpose of creation. The enunciators (sing. natiq ) who are the Prophets and the Imams in their respective times, are the highest hierarch ( hadd ). The enunciators ( natiqs ) signal the beginning of a new age ( dawr ) in humankind, whereas the Imams unveil and present the esoteric ( batin ) meaning of the revelation to the people. These individuals are both known as

1887-704: Is not referred to elsewhere. Prophets in the Tanakh are not always Jews; note for example the non-Jewish prophet Balaam in Numbers 22. According to the Talmud, Obadiah is said to have been a convert to Judaism. The last nevi'im mentioned in the Jewish Bible are Haggai , Zechariah , and Malachi , all of whom lived at the end of the 70-year Babylonian exile of c. 586 to 539 BCE. The Talmud ( Sanhedrin 11a) states that Haggai, Zachariah, and Malachi were

1998-464: Is not taken into account by one who looks merely at the order of the letters in the alphabet, but reveals itself in the system of numeration. Irenaeus points out that the mysteries of Marcus all depend on the employment of the modern form of the Greek alphabet, and that they disappear when a Semitic alphabet is used. He shows also (ii. 24) that it is possible to say as fine things about the properties of

2109-516: Is possible that Marcus expressly identified his episemon with the digamma, for though in Irenaeus, the reading is undoubtedly διπλο γράμματα, the context gives probability to Dr. Hort's conjecture that Marcus wrote γάμματα. He says that this number added to the number of the twenty-four letters makes thirty. Now the double letters are already included in the twenty-four, but the Digamma stands outside

2220-665: Is repeated, "Verily, verily" (or "Truly, truly"). Amen is also used in oaths (Numbers 5:22; Deuteronomy 27:15–26; Nehemiah 5:13; 8:6; 1 Chronicles 16:36). Amen is also used in standard, international French, but in Cajun French Ainsi soit-il ("so be it") is used instead. Amen is used at the end of the Lord's Prayer , which is also called the Our Father or the Pater Noster . In some Christian churches ,

2331-410: Is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the supernatural source to other people. The message that the prophet conveys is called a prophecy . Prophethood has existed in many cultures and religions throughout history, including Mesopotamian religion , Zoroastrianism , Judaism , Christianity , Manichaeism , Islam ,

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2442-478: Is that a prophet is required to demonstrate God's law through his actions, character, and behavior without necessarily calling people to follow him, while a prophetic messenger is required to pronounce God's law (i.e. revelation) and call his people to submit and follow him. Muhammad is distinguished from the rest of the prophetic messengers and prophets in that God commissioned him to be the prophetic messenger to all of humankind. Many of these prophets are also found in

2553-562: Is the Arabic form of Amen . In Islam, it is used with the same meaning as in Judaism and Christianity; when concluding a prayer, especially after a supplication ( du'a ) or reciting the first surah Al Fatiha of the Qur'an , as in prayer ( salat ), and as an assent to the prayers of others. Arabic dictionaries define ʾāmīn as an imperative verbal noun , whose meaning is answer or reply (i.e., imploring God to grant one's prayer). The word

2664-400: Is the body of Truth, according to this magician, such the figure of the element, such the character of the letter. And he calls this element Anthropos (Man), and says that is the fountain of all speech, and the beginning of all sound, and the expression of all that is unspeakable, and the mouth of the silent Sige . Sometimes Marcus counts the number of letters in a name, sometimes he reckons up

2775-541: Is the current Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Baptist preacher William Miller is credited with beginning the mid-19th century North American religious movement now known as Adventism . He announced a Second Coming , resulting in the Great Disappointment . The Seventh-day Adventist Church , which was established in 1863, believes that Ellen G. White , one of

2886-466: Is the number of the heavens, and eight is the supercelestial ogdoad, so six denotes the material creation (see also Heracleon ); and, in particular, the material body through which the Saviour revealed Himself to men's senses, and conveyed to them that enlightenment of their ignorance in which redemption consisted. Clement, if not Marcus, finds the Saviour's higher nature represented by the episemon, which

2997-536: Is the one whom the Father anointed with the Holy Spirit and established as priest, prophet, and king. The whole People of God participates in these three offices of Christ and bears the responsibilities for mission and service that flow from them." The laity act prophetically when they speak the truth, and live the Gospel by example before their families, neighbors, and co-workers. The Old Testament prophets defended

3108-532: Is translated as 'of truth' two times in Isaiah 65:16. Three distinct Biblical usages of amen may be noted: In the New Testament, the Greek word ἀμήν is used as an expression of faith or as a part of a liturgical formula. It also may appear as an introductory word, especially in sayings of Jesus. Unlike the initial amen in Hebrew, which refers back to something already said, it is used by Jesus to emphasize what he

3219-511: Is used in Jewish , Christian , and Islamic practices as a concluding word, or as a response to a prayer . Common English translations of the word amen include "verily", "truly", "it is true", and "let it be so". It is also used colloquially, to express strong agreement. In English, the word amen has two primary pronunciations, ah- MEN ( /ɑːˈmɛn/ ) or ay- MEN ( /eɪˈmɛn/ ), with minor additional variation in emphasis (e.g.,

3330-572: The Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam believe that Mirzā Ghulām Aḥmad was a prophet of God , who is said to be a fulfillment of the various Islamic prophecies regarding the second advent of Jesus ( ʿĪsā ) before the end of time . Ahmadi thought emphasizes the belief that Islam is the final dispensation for humanity as revealed to Muhammad and the necessity of restoring it to its true intent and pristine form, which had been lost through

3441-463: The Baháʼí Faith , and Thelema . The English word prophet is the transliteration of a compound Greek word derived from pro (before/toward) and phesein (to tell); thus, a προφήτης ( prophḗtēs ) is someone who conveys messages from the divine to humans, including occasionally foretelling future events. In a different interpretation, it means advocate or speaker . It is used to translate

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3552-534: The Church of Christ in 1830, is considered a prophet by members of the Latter Day Saint movement , of which the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is the largest denomination. Additionally, many churches within the movement believe in a succession of modern prophets (accepted by Latter Day Saints as " prophets, seers, and revelators ") since the time of Joseph Smith. Russell M. Nelson

3663-525: The Deposit of faith , the revelation of which was completed by Jesus; whereas private revelation does not add to the Deposit. The term "deposit of faith" refers to the entirety of Jesus Christ's revelation, and is passed to successive generations through scripture and the traditions of the church. The Bible applies the appellation ' false prophet ' to anyone who preaches a Gospel contrary to that delivered to

3774-535: The Fatimid Ismaili Imams explained that throughout history there have been six enunciators ( natiqs ) who brought the exoteric ( zahir ) revelation to humans, namely: Adam , Noah , Abraham , Moses , Jesus and Muhammad . They speak of a seventh enunciator ( natiq ), the Resurrector (Qa’im), who will unveil the esoteric ( batin ) meaning of all the previous revelations. He

3885-488: The First Temple Era, there were essentially seer-priests belonging to a guild, who performed divination , rituals, and sacrifices, and were scribes; and beside these were canonical prophets, who did none of these things (and condemned divination), but came to deliver a message. The seer-priests were usually attached to a local shrine or temple, such as Shiloh , and initiated others into that priesthood, acting as

3996-521: The Gospel( Injil ) to Jesus, and the Quran to Muhammad; those prophets are considered "Messengers" or rasūl . Other main prophets are considered messengers or nabī , even if they didn't receive a Book from God. Examples include the messenger-prophets Aaron ( Hārūn ) , Ishmael ( Ismāʿīl ) and Joseph ( Yūsuf ) . Although it offers many incidents from the lives of many prophets, the Quran focuses with special narrative and rhetorical emphasis on

4107-519: The Second Temple period, amen became a common response, especially to benedictions. It is recited communally to affirm a blessing made by the prayer reader . It is also mandated as a response during the kaddish doxology. The congregation is sometimes prompted to answer "amen" by the terms ve-'imru ( Hebrew : ואמרו ) = "and [now] say (pl.)," or, ve-nomar (ונאמר) = "and we will say." Contemporary usage reflects ancient practice: As early as

4218-482: The early Muslim community . Ahmadis thus view themselves as leading the propagation and renaissance of Islam. Amen Amen ( Hebrew : אָמֵן , ʾāmēn ; Ancient Greek : ἀμήν , amḗn ; Classical Syriac : ܐܡܝܢ , 'amīn ; Arabic : آمين , ʾāmīn ) is an Abrahamic declaration of affirmation which is first found in the Hebrew Bible , and subsequently found in the New Testament . It

4329-594: The struggle between a good , spiritual world of light , and an evil , material world of darkness . Through an ongoing process that takes place in human history, light is gradually removed from the world of matter and returned to the world of light, whence it came. Mani's teaching was intended to "combine", succeed, and surpass the teachings of Christianity , Zoroastrianism , Buddhism , Marcionism , Hellenistic and Rabbinic Judaism , Gnostic movements , Ancient Greek religion , Babylonian and other Mesopotamian religions , and mystery cults . It reveres Mani as

4440-453: The vowels to Man and Church, since it was a voice coming through Man which gave power to all. For the seven heavens , we are told, utter each its own vowel sound, the first A and so on; and it was the sound of their united doxology borne to the earth, which gave generation to all things on the earth. By the descent of Him who was with the Father from the nine into the seven, the groups of Aeons were equalized and perfect harmony produced. In

4551-436: The " ensi " or " lugal " fulfilled roles akin to prophets, offering guidance and interpreting divine will through rituals, omens, and prayers. The ensi was considered a representative of the city-state's patron deity. The functions of a lugal would include certain ceremonial and cultic activities, arbitration in border disputes, and military defence against external enemies. The ensis of Lagash would sometimes refer to

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4662-402: The "amen corner" or "amen section" is any subset of the congregation likely to call out "Amen!" in response to points in a preacher's sermon . Metaphorically, the term can refer to any group of heartfelt traditionalists or supporters of an authority figure. The term has also been used as a place name, and as a title for musical and literary works; see Amen Corner . ʾĀmīn ( Arabic : آمين )

4773-641: The 1980s often included prophetic predictions regarding the future of the world as well as of the local areas they occurred in. Prophetic movements in particular can be traced throughout the Christian Church's history, expressing themselves in (for example) Montanism , Novatianism , Donatism , Franciscanism , Anabaptism , Camisard enthusiasm, Puritanism , Quakerism , Quietism , Lutheranism and Radical Pietism . Modern Pentecostals and Charismatics, members of movements which together comprised approximately 584 million people as of 2011 , believe in

4884-593: The 4th century BCE, Jews assembled in the Temple responded "amen" at the close of a doxology or other prayer uttered by a priest . This Jewish liturgical use of amen was adopted by the Christians. But Jewish law also requires individuals to answer amen whenever they hear a blessing recited, even in a non-liturgical setting. The Talmud teaches homiletically that the word amen is an acronym for אל מלך נאמן ( ʾEl melekh neʾeman , "God, trustworthy King"),

4995-457: The Baptist . New Testament passages that explicitly discuss prophets existing after the death and resurrection of Christ include Revelation 11:10, Matthew 10:40–41 and 23:34, John 13:20 and 15:20 and Acts 11:25–30, 13:1 and 15:32. The Didache gives extensive instruction in how to distinguish between true and false prophets, as well as commands regarding tithes to prophets in

5106-585: The Gnostics of the 2nd century and the Roman church of the time of Jerome , whose well-known words are "ad similitudinem caelestis tonitrui Amen reboat." What is stated about the limited knowledge of each Aeon may be compared with what Hippolytus of Rome tells of the Docetae (viii. 10). Marcus pushes into further details his designation of the Aeons as letters of the alphabet. There are twenty-four letters in

5217-407: The Greek arithmetical notation eight letters are used to denote units, eight tens, and eight hundreds: total 888; but this is exactly the numerical value of the letters in the name Ἰησοῦς. Similarly, the Α and Ω is identified with the περιστερά which descended on Jesus, the numerical value being in both cases 801. Other mysteries are found in the six letters of the name Ἰησοῦς (see Episemon , below),

5328-515: The Greeks, who derived their alphabet from them, did so in the 5th century BC; that their alphabet then still contained two of the Phoenician letters which in the next century were disused, viz., βαῦ in the sixth place, and κόππα, the Roman Q, coming after π; that these letters then took their natural place in the system of numeration, which was afterwards made complete by the addition, at the end of

5439-687: The Hebrew word נָבִיא ( nāvî ) in the Septuagint and the Arabic word نبي ( nabī ). W.F. Albright points to the Akkadian Nabu for the origin of these Hebrew (נָבִיא ( nāvî ) and the Arabic نبي ( nabī ) words. The Akkadian nabû means "announcer" or "authorised person", derived from the Semitic root n-b-y or nbʾ . It is cognate with Classical Syriac : ܢܒܝܐ , romanized:  nəḇiyyā , Arabic : نبي , romanized :  nabiyy , and Hebrew : נביא , romanized :  nāḇi , all meaning 'prophet'. In Hebrew ,

5550-528: The Hindu Sanskrit word Aum . Such external etymologies are not included in standard etymological reference works. The Hebrew word, as noted above, starts with aleph, while the Egyptian name begins with a yodh . In French, the Hebrew word amen is sometimes translated as Ainsi soit-il , which means "So be it." The linguist Ghil'ad Zuckermann argues that, as in the case of Hallelujah ,

5661-541: The Marcosians baptised people "Into the name of the unknown father of the universe, into truth, the mother of all things, into the one that descended upon Jesus." This may show that the Trinitarian baptismal formula existed at least at that time, and probably earlier, and that the Marcosians adopted it as their own. Marcus taught that the baptism of the visible Jesus was but for the forgiveness of sins, but that

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5772-496: The Talmud, there were also seven women counted as prophetesses whose message bears relevance for all generations: Sarah , Miriam , Devorah , Hannah (mother of the prophet Samuel), Abigail (a wife of King David ), Huldah (from the time of Jeremiah), and Esther . The Talmudic and Biblical commentator Rashi points out that Rebecca , Rachel , and Leah were also prophets. Isaiah 8:3-4 refers to Isaiah's wife, who bore his son Maher-shalal-hash-baz as "the prophetess"; she

5883-619: The age of the Twelve Apostles. Tertullian , writing of the church meetings of the Montanists (to whom he belonged), described in detail the practice of prophecy in the 2nd-century church. A number of later Christian saints were said to have powers of prophecy, such as Columba of Iona (521–597), Saint Malachy (1094–1148) or Padre Pio (1887–1968). Marian apparitions like those at Fatima in 1917 or at Kibeho in Rwanda in

5994-427: The alphabet, and therefore its number might properly be added to that of the letters. With regard to the properties of the number 6, Marcus and Clement were in part indebted to Philo of Alexandria , who explains ( De Op. Mund . 3) that it is the first perfect number, i.e. , according to Euclid 's definition, one equal to the sum of the numbers 1, 2, 3 which divide it without remainder ( Aug . de Civ. Dei , xi. 30),

6105-532: The alphabet, and twenty-four is the sum of the letters of the names of the first tetrad: Followed by those of the second tetrad: These form the Ogdoad . Again, the Greek alphabet consists of nine mutes, eight semivowels, and seven vowels. The mutes belong to Father and Truth (The Unspeakable, and Silence, of course, do not count); these being mute reveal nothing to man. The semivowels belong to Word and Life, but

6216-814: The apostles and recorded in Sacred Scripture. One Old Testament text in Deuteronomy contains a warning against those who prophesy events which do not come to pass and says they should be put to death. Elsewhere a false prophet may be someone who is purposely trying to deceive, is delusional, under the influence of Satan or is speaking from his own spirit. Six of the Minor Prophets are commemorated in December. Each encouraged people to return to God, to repent of past sins, and to recognize God's presence even in their difficulties. "Jesus Christ

6327-460: The careers of the first four of these five major prophets. Of all the figures before Muhammad, the significance of Jesus in Islam is reflected in his being mentioned in the Quran in 93 verses with various titles attached such as "Son of Mary " and other relational terms, mentioned directly and indirectly, over 187 times. He is thus the most mentioned person in the Quran by reference; 25 times by

6438-511: The centuries. Its adherents consider Ahmad to have appeared as the Mahdi—bearing the qualities of Jesus in accordance with their reading of scriptural prophecies—to revitalize Islam and set in motion its moral system that would bring about lasting peace. They believe that upon divine guidance he purged Islam of foreign accretions in belief and practice by championing what is, in their view, Islam's original precepts as practised by Muhammad and

6549-475: The character which was by some called βαῦ, and by others τὸ ἐπίσημον, was ever called by any one before Scaliger by the combination ἐπίσημον βαῦ. However this may be, Scaliger has been followed by all who have written on the subject since his time. The true account of these three characters seems to be that though the Phoenicians themselves did not use the letters of their alphabet for purposes of numeration,

6660-696: The church's founders, was given the spiritual gift of prophecy . The Branch Davidians are a religious cult which was founded in 1959 by Benjamin Roden as an offshoot of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. David Koresh , who died in the Waco Siege in 1993, called himself their final prophet and "the Son of God, the Lamb" in 1983. Mani ( Persian : مانی , c.  April AD 216 –2 March AD 274 or 26 February AD 277)

6771-561: The church. Irenaeus , wrote of 2nd-century believers with the gift of prophecy, while Justin Martyr argued in his Dialogue with Trypho that prophets were not found among the Jews in his time, but that the church had prophets. The Shepherd of Hermas describes revelation in a vision regarding the proper operation of prophecy in the church. Eusebius mentions that Quadratus and Ammia of Philadelphia were both prominent prophets following

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6882-421: The city's patron deity, Ningirsu , as their lugal ("master"). All of the above is connected to the possibly priestly or sacral character of the titles ensi and especially en (the latter term continuing to designate priests in subsequent times). These prophets, while lacking the systematic theological framework found in later traditions, laid the groundwork for the concept of prophethood by demonstrating

6993-481: The coming captivity, and the prophet Ezekiel had to lie on his side for 390 days and to eat measured food to illustrate the coming siege. Prophetic assignment is usually portrayed as rigorous and exacting in the Hebrew Bible, and prophets were often the target of persecution and opposition. God's personal prediction for Jeremiah, "And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee,"

7104-576: The contemporary function of the gift of prophecy, and some in these movements, especially those within the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement , allow for idea that God may continue to gift the church with some individuals who are prophets. Some Christian sects recognize the existence of "modern-day" prophets. One such denomination is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , which teaches that God still communicates with humankind through prophecy. Joseph Smith , who established

7215-857: The east than it did in the west. Although it was thought to have finally faded away after the 14th century in South China , contemporary to the decline of the Church of the East in Ming China , there is a growing corpus of evidence that shows Manichaeism persists in some areas of China, especially in Fujian , where numerous Manichaean relics have been discovered over time. The currently known sects are notably secretive and protective of their belief system, in an effort to remain undetected. This stems from fears relating to persecution and suppression during various periods of Chinese history. The Quran identifies

7326-596: The eight letters of χρειστός, which again added to the four of Υίος make twelve. These, however, are only the spoken names known to ordinary Christians; the unspoken names of Jesus and Christ are of twenty-four and thirty letters respectively. Either Hippolytus, or an early copyist of his, makes an attempt to solve the mystery of the unspoken names by writing at full length the letters of the name χρειστός; χεῖ, ῥώ, εἴ, ἰῶτα, σίγμα, ταῦ, οὐ, σάν; but we have here only twenty-four letters instead of thirty, so we must be content to remain in ignorance of what would seem to have been one of

7437-412: The eucharistic words: May that Charis who is before all things, and who transcends all knowledge and speech, fill thine inner being, and multiply in thee her own knowledge, by sowing the grain of mustard seed in thee as in good soil. Then he would pour from their consecrated cup into a much larger one held by himself, and the liquor, miraculously increased at this prayer, would be seen to rise up and fill

7548-494: The examples to be followed and that they act as they preach. This belief includes some ʾAwliyāʾ such as Lady Fatima and Lady Mary . During his lifetime, Mirzā Ghulām Aḥmad said that he was a prophet of God and became the founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam , which embodied the Mahdī of Islam and fulfilled the messianic prophecies regarding the coming of a savior to various other religious traditions, including Christianity and Hinduism . Followers of

7659-410: The final prophet after Zoroaster , the Gautama Buddha and Jesus Christ . Manichaeism was quickly successful and spread far through Aramaic -speaking regions. It thrived between the third and seventh centuries, and at its height was one of the most widespread religions in the world. Manichaean churches and scriptures existed as far east as the Han dynasty and as far west as the Roman Empire . It

7770-411: The form of the invisible, declared to Himself what He was. His name consisted of four syllables successively uttered, of four, four, ten, and twelve letters respectively. It might appear as if we were to understand as the first of these the word ἀρχή; and this name of four syllables and thirty letters seems to correspond to a description of the system of thirty Aeons divided into two Tetrads, a Decad, and

7881-723: The groundwork for the concept of prophethood as it evolved in subsequent religious traditions. Influence from Zoroastrian thought can be seen in the characterization of prophets as individuals chosen by a single supreme deity to convey divine messages, guide communities, and uphold moral principles. The structured prophetic tradition established by Zoroaster set a precedent for future prophets, shaping how societies perceive and interact with visionary figures throughout history. While other ancient civilizations may have had individuals who served similar functions, Zoroastrianism's systematic approach to prophecy and its enduring influence on subsequent religious thought solidified its place in history as

7992-753: The head of the candidate. By confirmation the Gnostics intended not so much to give the Holy Ghost as to seal the candidates against the attacks of the Archons , by which the initiated would after death become incomprehensible and invisible, and leaving their bodies in this lower creation and their souls with the Demiurge , ascend in their spirits to the Pleroma . Probably the Egyptian religion contributed this element to Gnosticism. Some of these Marcosian formulae were in Hebrew, of which Irenaeus has preserved specimens much corrupted by copyists. A knowledge of astrology

8103-446: The idea of a cosmic battle between good and evil, influencing not only the religious landscape of ancient Persia but also later traditions such as Judaism , Christianity , Islam , and Thelema . The legacy of Zoroastrianism in shaping the understanding of prophets is profound. Zoroaster's direct communication with the divine, his role as a mediator between humanity and the divine will, and his teachings about moral righteousness laid

8214-417: The larger vessel. Marcus taught his female disciples to prophesy . Casting lots at their meetings, he would command her on whom the lot fell boldly to utter the words which were suggested to her mind, and such words were accepted by the hearers as prophetic utterances. Prophet In religion , a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and

8325-561: The last prophets, and later times have known only the " Bath Kol " (בת קול, lit. daughter of a voice , "voice of God"). In Christianity , a prophet (or seer) is one inspired by God through the Holy Spirit to deliver a message. This includes Jewish prophets active before the church began and the prophets active in the Christian church. Some Christian denominations limit a prophet's message to words intended only for active members of

8436-410: The letters of the alphabet, of another character to denote 900, which from its shape was at a considerably later period called σανπῖ. The character for six had not come to be identified with the abbreviation for στ in the time of Marcus, as known through Hippolytus. In calculating the numerical value of χρειστός he counts the σ and τ separately; and he calls the former s Sigma , and the latter San . It

8547-479: The letters of their alphabet three other characters, goes on as follows:— Prima est ς quae dicitur Episimon et est nota numeri VI.; secunda est G quae vocatur kophe et valet in numero XC.; tertia est ϡ quae dicitur enneacosia quia valent DCCCC. Here, as well as in the preceding passages, episemon is used with special reference to the character for six; but Scaliger turns into Greek the phrase "nota numeri VI." τὸ ἐπίσημον τοῦ ἑξ ἀριθμοῦ, and seems to have inferred that

8658-491: The marks for the numbers 90 and 900 had equal rights to the same title; and he also gives the name Episemon to each of the six Phoenician letters said not to have been received by the Ionians , saying, for instance, that the letter ἧτα was originally an episemon, and distinguishing between the episemon of the number 6 and the digamma or episemon of Vau. He does not name his authority for this way of speaking; nor do we know that

8769-519: The most valuable secrets of this sect. To understand the generation of the thirty Aeons from the Ogdoad, we have only to take the first eight numbers and add them up, leaving out six—for it is the Episemon and not a letter of the usual Greek alphabet:— 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 7 + 8 = 30 Again, we find the fall of the twelfth Aeon, Sophia, indicated in the alphabet; for Λ, which arithmetically denotes 30,

8880-455: The mysteries contained in a single letter be thus infinite, what must be the immensity of those contained in the name of the Propator. Concerning this name he gives the following account:—When the first Father, who is above thought and without substance, willed the unspeakable to become spoken, and the invisible to become formed, He opened His mouth and emitted a Word like Himself, which being

8991-507: The mysteries of the number 6, makes unacknowledged use of the same writings of Marcus as were employed by Irenaeus. Eusebius ( Quaest. ad Marin . Mai, Nov. Pat. Bib . iv. 299), copied by Jerome or Pseudo-Jerome ( Brev. in Psal . 77, vii. 198, ed. Vallars.), suggests, as a way of reconciling the difference between the evangelists as to whether the Lord suffered at the third or the sixth hour, that

9102-567: The myth of the fall of Sophia but called it a "Divine Deficiency". Unique to it was the adaptation of the Pythagorean number theory ( Isopsephy ) to Gnosticism. Marcus holds his knowledge to be the product of a divine revelation of the body of the Anthropos : The infinitely exalted Tetrad descended upon him from the invisible and indescribable places in the form of a woman . . . and expounded to him alone its own nature, and

9213-458: The name Isa, third-person 48 times, first-person 35 times, and the rest as titles and attributes. Moses ( Musa ) and Abraham ( Ibrahim ) are also referred to frequently in the Quran. As for the fifth, the Quran is frequently addressed directly to Muhammad, and it often discusses situations encountered by him. Direct use of his name in the text, however, is rare. Rarer still is the mention of Muhammad's contemporaries. Several prominent exponents of

9324-522: The number 5 as about those of the numbers which are glorified by Marcus. The Marcosians had formulae and sacraments of redemption. If such great mysteries could be contained in names, it followed naturally that to know the right name of each celestial power was a matter of vital importance; and such knowledge the teachers promised to bestow. Others held that these applications could not procure spiritual redemption—only by knowledge ( gnosis ) could such redemption be effected. Eusebius of Caesarea writes that

9435-558: The number of prophets at 224,000. Some scholars hold that there are an even greater number in the history of humankind, and only God knows. The Quran says that God has sent a prophet to every group of people throughout time and that Muhammad is the last of the prophets, sent for the whole of humankind. The message of all the prophets is believed to be the same. In Islam, all prophetic messengers are prophets (such as Adam , Noah , Abraham , Moses , Jesus , and Muhammad ) though not all prophets are prophetic messengers. The primary distinction

9546-433: The number of the Aeons, is only the eleventh letter in the alphabet. But it set about to seek another like itself, and so the next letter is M, or ΛΛ. Again, add up the numerical value of all the letters of the alphabet ending with λ and we have ninety-nine; that is deficiency, a number still counted on the left hand, which they who have "knowledge" escape by following after the one which, added to ninety-nine, transfers them to

9657-505: The numerical character for six; the number 6 is ὁ ἐπίσημος ἀριθμός; the six-lettered name Ἰησοῦς is τὸ ἐπίσημον ὄνομα, etc., language perplexing to the old Latin translator, who renders the word by "insignis." A similar use of the word is found in Clement of Alexandria ( Strom . vi. 16); but this cannot be called a quite independent illustration, for the coincidences are found to be such as to put it beyond doubt that Clement, in his account of

9768-813: The origin of all things, which it had never before revealed to any one either of gods or men. . . . [and] said:—I wish to show thee Aletheia (Truth) herself; for I have brought her down from the dwellings above, that thou mayest see her without a veil, and understand her beauty—that thou mayest also hear her speaking, and admire her wisdom. Behold, then, her head on high, Alpha and Omega ; her neck, Beta and Psi ; her shoulders with her hands, Gamma and Chi ; her breast, Delta and Phi ; her diaphragm, Epsilon and Upsilon ; her back, Zeta and Tau ; her belly, Eta and Sigma ; her thighs, Theta and Rho ; her knees, Iota and Pi ; her legs, Kappa and Omicron ; her ankles, Lambda and Xi ; her feet, Mu and Nu . Such

9879-568: The people's disobedience with the obedience of the Rechabites , God has Jeremiah invite the Rechabites to drink wine, in disobedience to their ancestor's command. The Rechabites refuse, for which God commends them. Other prophetic parables acted out by Jeremiah include burying a linen belt so that it gets ruined to illustrate how God intends to ruin Judah's pride. Likewise, Jeremiah buys

9990-475: The phrase recited silently by an individual before reciting the Shma . Jews usually use Hebrew pronunciations of the word: / ɑː ˈ m ɛ n / ah- MEN (Israeli and Sephardi ) or / ɔː ˈ m eɪ n / a- MAYN ( Ashkenazi ). The use of "amen" has been generally adopted in Christian worship as a concluding word for prayers and hymns and an expression of strong agreement. The liturgical use of

10101-411: The poor and powerless "and inspire Catholic Social Teaching on the preferential option for the poor, workers’ rights, and justice and peace." Christians who believe that the Holy Spirit continues to give spiritual gifts to Christians are known as continuationists . These charismata may include prophecy, tongues , miraculous healing ability, and discernment (Matthew 12:32 KJV "Whosoever speaketh

10212-432: The redemption of Christ , who in that baptism descended, was for perfection; the one was merely psychical, the other spiritual. Of the latter are interpreted the words in which Jesus spoke of another baptism ( Luke 12:50 ; Matthew 20:22 ). Some conferred this redemption by baptism with special invocations; others went so far as to reject Christian baptism and to substitute a mixture of oil and water which they poured over

10323-400: The right hand. The reader will remember Juvenal 's "jam dextera computat annos." Even numbers are female, odd numbers male, by the union of the first of these, 2 and 3, was begotten the Episemon, or 6, the number of Salvation. In the account of his system given by Irenaeus (I. xiv.), copied by Hippolytus ( Ref . vi. 45) and by Epiphanius ( Haer . 34), τὸ ἐπίσημον is repeatedly used to denote

10434-460: The root in Hebrew include to be firm or confirmed, to be reliable or dependable, to be faithful, to have faith, to believe. The word was imported into Greek from the Judaism of the early Church . From Greek, amen entered other European languages. According to a standard dictionary etymology of the English word, amen passed from Greek into Late Latin , and thence into English. From Hebrew,

10545-426: The second such number being 28, which is the sum of its divisors 1, 2, 4, 7, 14 ( Orig. t. 28 in S. Joann .); that being 2 × 3 it arises from the marriage of a male and female, i.e. , odd and even number; that there are six directions of motion, forward, backward, right, left, up, down; etc. Marcus observed that And thence concludes that this number has the power not only of production, but of regeneration. As seven

10656-405: The sum total, when to each letter is given its value in the Greek arithmetical notation: sometimes he uses a method which enables him to find still deeper mysteries. Marcus points out that if we take a single letter, Δ, and write its name at full length, δέλτα, we get five letters; but we may write again the names of these at full length and get a number of letters more, and so on ad infinitum . If

10767-679: The texts of Judaism (The Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings) and Christianity. Muslims often refer to Muhammad as "the Prophet", in the form of a noun. Jesus is the result of a virgin birth in Islam as in Christianity, and is regarded as a prophet. Traditionally, four prophets are believed to have been sent holy books : the Torah ( Tawrat ) to Moses, the Psalms ( Zābūr ) to David,

10878-428: The traditionally first chapter of the Quran, which is formally akin to religious supplications. Popular among some theosophists , proponents of Afrocentric theories of history, and adherents of esoteric Christianity is the conjecture that amen is a derivative of the name of the Egyptian god Amun (which is sometimes also spelled Amen). Some adherents of Eastern religions believe that amen shares roots with

10989-533: The two syllables may be equally stressed instead of placing primary stress on the second). In Anglophone North American usage, the ah-men pronunciation is used in performances of classical music and in churches with more formalized liturgy . The ay-men pronunciation is a product of the Great Vowel Shift (i.e., it dates from the 15th century); it is associated with Irish Protestantism and with conservative evangelical denominations generally. It

11100-409: The word amen is seen in a number of contexts. Notable ones include: Although amen, in Judaism, is commonly used as a response to a blessing, it also is often used by Hebrew speakers as an affirmation of other forms of declaration (including outside of religious context). Jewish rabbinical law requires an individual to say amen in a variety of contexts. With the rise of the synagogue during

11211-528: The word amen is usually not replaced by a translation due to the speakers' belief in iconicity , their perception that there is something intrinsic about the relationship between the sound of the signifier (the word) and what it signifies (its meaning). The word occurs in the Hebrew Bible 30 times; in Deuteronomy alone 12 times beginning at 27:15. The fixed phrase 'Amen, Amen' is seen five times – Psalm 41:13; 72:19; 89:52; Numbers 5:22; Nehemiah 8:6. It

11322-862: The word in apostolic times is attested (1 Corinthians 14:16 ), and Justin Martyr (c. 150) describes the congregation as responding "amen" to the benediction after the celebration of the Eucharist. Its introduction into the baptismal formula (in the Eastern Orthodox Church it is pronounced after the name of each person of the Trinity) was probably later. In Isaiah 65:16, the authorized version has "the God of truth" ("the God of amen" in Hebrew ). Jesus often used amen to put emphasis to his own words (translated: "verily" or "truly"). In John's Gospel, it

11433-526: The word was later adopted into the Arabic religious vocabulary and leveled to the Arabic root أ م ن , which is of similar meanings to the Hebrew. The interjection occurs in the Christian and Islamic lexicons, most commonly in prayer, as well as secularly, albeit less commonly, so as to signify complete affirmation or deference. In religious texts, it occurs in Arabic translations of the Bible and after reciting

11544-426: The word נָבִיא ( nāvî ), "spokesperson", traditionally translates as "prophet". The second subdivision of the Tanakh , Nevi'im , is devoted to the Hebrew prophets. The meaning of navi is perhaps described in Deuteronomy 18:18, where God said, "...and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him." Thus, a navi was thought to be the "mouth" of God. A Jewish tradition

11655-530: The ‘Lord of the Age’ ( sahib al-’asr ) or the ‘Lord of the Time’ ( sahib al-zaman ). Through them, one can know God, and their invitation to humans to recognize God is called the invitation ( da’wa ). According to Shia Islam , all Prophets and Imams are infallible and the belief in their abstinence from intentional and unintentional sins is a part of the creed. Thus, it is accordingly believed that they are

11766-436: Was among Marcus's accomplishments, and apparently some chemical knowledge, with which he gained a reputation of magical skill. The eucharistic cup of mingled wine and water was seen under his invocation to change to a purple red; and his disciples were told that this was because the great Charis (Grace) had dropped some of her blood into the cup. Sometimes he would hand the cup to women, and bid them in his presence pronounce

11877-841: Was an Iranian prophet and the founder of Manichaeism , a religion most prevalent in late antiquity . Mani was born in or near Seleucia-Ctesiphon (south of modern Baghdad ) in Mesopotamia , at the time part of the Parthian Empire . Seven of his major works were written in Syriac , and the eighth, dedicated to the Sasanian emperor Shapur I , was written in Middle Persian . He died in Gundeshapur . Manichaeism teaches an elaborate dualistic cosmology describing

11988-544: Was briefly the main rival to early Christianity in the competition to replace classical polytheism before the spread of Islam . Under the Roman Dominate , Manichaeism was persecuted by the Roman state and was eventually stamped out in the Roman Empire. While most of Manichaeism's original writings have been lost, numerous translations and fragmentary texts have survived. Manichaeism has survived longer in

12099-416: Was performed many times in the biblical narrative as Jeremiah warned of destruction of those who continued to refuse repentance and accept more moderate consequences. In return for his adherence to God's discipline and speaking God's words, Jeremiah was attacked by his own brothers, beaten and put into the stocks by a priest and false prophet , imprisoned by the king, threatened with death, thrown into

12210-438: Was that the root nun - bet - alef ("navi") is based on the two-letter root nun-bet which denotes hollowness or openness; to receive transcendental wisdom, one must make oneself "open". Before the advent of Zoroastrianism and the prophetic tradition established by Zoroaster, various ancient civilizations had individuals who served as intermediaries between humanity and the divine. In ancient Sumer , for instance, figures such as

12321-420: Was upon Moses" was passed to seventy elders, who were also able to prophesy for one time only, but mostly they could not prophesy again. Moses expressed the hope that "all the L ORD 's people" could be prophets. In addition to writing and speaking messages from God, Israelite or Judean nevi'im ("spokespersons", "prophets") often acted out prophetic parables in their life. For example, in order to contrast

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