Heschel's Analysis Of Prophets

If one were to ask a practicing Christian what a prophet is, there is no doubt that most would be able to formulate some type of definition. However, many people’s thoughts on what a prophet is are often incomplete or even incorrect. While there are many places one could look to find an adequate definition of a prophet, Abraham Heschel provides an analysis of prophets unlike any other. Heschel’s analysis goes into great detail about what a prophet is, and what a prophet is not. After reading his in-depth description, it is clear to see that there are quite a few people in the modern world who could be described as a prophet as well. Over the past 500 years there have been many prophetic people to grace this planet, and some of these people …show more content…
Heschel does not provide the simple explanation of a prophet as “a person who predicts what is to come” or “a person who speaks for God”. Instead, he goes beyond these plain definitions and goes in depth to reveal what a prophet truly is. At times, Heschel’s words may sound a bit harsh, this is only due to the fact that the words prophets spoke were often harsh as well. There is no hiding the truth or trying to sugar coat what a prophet’s job is and what their lives are like. Heschel describes the prophet as an iconoclast, “challenging the apparently holy, revered, and awesome” (12). According to this definition, a prophet is one who is not afraid to condemn his own people and challenge them. The prophet by no means has an easy, nor an exciting job. In fact, “None of the prophets seems enamored with being a prophet nor proud of his attainment” (Heschel 20). Heschel offers striking insight about prophets that other sources can not …show more content…
One thing Heschel said of prophets is “While others are intoxicated with the here and now, the prophet has a vision of an end” (11). Recently, Dicaprio helped produce and also starred in a documentary called Before the Flood. One thing particularly striking that was said in this documentary was “When I have children, everything that we now all take for granted, our planet, and all its biodiversity and beauty, everything in the future is gonna be different” (Dicaprio, Before the Flood). Rather than thinking about the here and now, Leonardo is thinking about the next generations and how different the world will be if the people living here now do not do something to change it. Another example of Dicaprio’s thoughts about an end is a statement from a speech he gave on Earth Day. “Now think about the shame that each of us will carry when our children and grandchildren look back and realize that we had the means of stopping this devastation”. Once again, he talks about future generations and the horrible world they will have to face due to the faults of right now. Even though at times he focuses on the now and trying to solve current problems, he always has the thought of the future, a bad