Funniest part is: they can't even agree internally on how to believe
Funniest part is: they can't even agree internally on how to believe
It’s all about who the most important prophet is, and anyone that disagrees is wrong and we hate them.
Religion is wild.
Matthew 21:11
And the crowds replied, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Context is key I may have done 12 years of theological studies but I’ll be using AI to summarize this
John 8:58: This verse is found in the Gospel of John, where Jesus makes the statement “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” Moses and Exodus 3:14: In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself to Moses in a burning bush, declaring, “I AM THAT I AM.” This name, often translated as “I am who I am” or “I will be who I will be,” is a declaration of God’s eternal and self-existent nature, says the Bible Gateway. Jesus’s Claim: By saying “before Abraham was, I AM,” Jesus is claiming to be the same eternal, self-existent God who revealed Himself to Moses. Context: The statement is made in the context of a discussion with Jewish leaders who were disputing his authority. Implications: This verse is a central pillar of Christian theology, affirming Jesus’s divinity and eternal nature. The Jews’ Reaction: The people who heard Jesus make this claim were shocked and disturbed, understanding that it was a direct challenge to their understanding of God’s identity.
This is what makes him not a prophet.
“Prophet” has a specific meaning, it’s not just a soothsayer. Prophecy is tied to the ends of eras, and for the Semitic people, most of their history was, at that point, servitude of one form or another, punctuated by suffering and occasionally vengeful conquest. The Jewish Prophets fortold the Messiah, who would lead them from suffering to paradise.
Christ, in Christian theology, upended that order. He said he was the new Law, and the only way to God was through him. He was pretty clear on the subject. It didn’t take long before new Prophecies came about - but now, the people of God weren’t just a specific tribe, they were potentially the whole species. So the prophecies had to be Apocalyptic.
Christ wasn’t a Prophet. He brought God’s message (according to him and his fans), but he didn’t say jack about the End Times.
Word we use have meaning even if you don’t like it
In English, the word “prophet” has a deep historical tie to foretelling the end times for Semitic people
It is a specific tradition you can’t just ignore. So when the question of “was Jesus a prophet” comes up, it’s important to be precise.
I don’t really see what’s objectionable about asserting that Jesus was a prophet—according to modern usage of the word—while acknowledging that he may not have met some religions’ narrow definitions of the term. I can be as pedantic and prescriptive as any 40-something internet user about topics I consider myself well-versed in, but
Words we use have meaning even if you don’t like them.
is some really misplaced ‘old man yells at cloud’ energy.