How important is it to know about the prophets in the OT? Which prophet impressed you the most?

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Isaiah?
Jermemiah?
Daniel?
Ezekiel?
Hosea?
Jonah?
others?
I found Jeremiah very human. The others were kind of lofty, hard to relate to. Jeremiah had an awful time, suffered so much. The book of Hosea had some rich metaphors.
I am not sure of the value of reading the prophets in the OT. But obviously Isaiah was regarded as the 5th Gospel and is quoted so often in the NT. The section on the Suffering Servant is hugely important I admit.
 
The Prophets are integral to the NT.

The book of Revelation is nonsensical without the Books of Daniel, Ezekiel, Joel, Zechariah and Malachi as a backdrop.

The book of Isaiah is one huge Messianic prophecy, the Gospels are unintelligible without a good grasp of Isaiah.

The books of Baruch and Lamentations are important in understanding the other OT books, and the other minor Prophets are very important for understanding the NT.

The Prophets are EXTREMELY important.
 
Brittany said:
and for that reason the OT should always be read in light of the NT.
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or the other way round?
The New Testament becomes a much richer reading experience if we understand the references to the OT.
 
The NT fulfills the Old, the Old lays the foundation for the New.

The New lie hidden in the Old, the Old is revealed in the New.
 
It wouldn’t matter whether they agreed with me or not - my opinion is the opinion of the Church.

If they disagree with me on that, they simply disagree with the Church.
 
Or I should say, how important is it to read the Prophets and have knowledge. Not how important are they.
 
I’m feeling enthused already. 🙂
I just get the impression on CAF that the Bible isn’t very important. Hardly ever read quotes, especially from OT.
 
Of the utmost importance.

Jesus and the Apostles only Scripture they had was the OT.

Without at least a basic understanding of the Prophets, one can only have a superficial knowledge of the NT at best.

Look what happened to the Marcionites when they tried discarding the OT - they fell to more heresies than you can count.
 
goodcatholic said:
CAF
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CAF is an internet forum, not the Church.

Do you know what the Liturgy of the Hours is?

It, along with the the Mass, makes up the Church’s daily Liturgy.

If you pray the full Liturgy of the Hours, you will literally read dozens of entire chapters from the OT on a daily basis.

In one Office alone ovee the past week we’ve read the entire first half of the Book of Exodus.
 
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Spyridon said:
Without at least a basic understanding of the Prophets, one can only have a superficial knowledge of the NT at best.
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I agree and would like to see more enthusiasm on here for reading the Bible.
 
Yeah I have been to a Benedictine Monastery and spent 3 days there. It was beautiful to hear the Psalms being chanted.
 
Think about this too -

If you read through the entire Liturgy of the Hours, plus the readings from Mass every day, after a 3 year period you will have read basically the entire Bible.

Every single Priest and Bishop is required to do this.

So every single Priest and Bishop in the Church reads through the entire Bible at least once every 3 years - JUST by praying the LOTH and Mass. Realistically, he’s also going to read the Bible in private, in devotions, etc.

The average Catholic Priest who has a 40 year career will read the entire Bible front to back at LEAST a dozen times - many of them will read the entire Bible a hundred times or more over their life.

A Catholic Bible scholar may read the entire Bible 1,000 times or more in their life!

A devout Catholic who is engaged in the Church’s Liturgy is literally steeped in the Bible.
 
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Spyridon said:
A devout Catholic who is engaged in the Church’s Liturgy is literally steeped in the Bible.
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There is more than one way of being devout though. Devotions to Mary. Saying the Rosary. Eucharistic Adoration. Going to Mass every day.
 
Hi!

It is good to get to know them… but not just to humanize them in an effort to be familiar with them but to get to Know Yahweh God… He chose these holy men (actually the Holy Spirit did) in order to Reveal specifics about Himself and His Salvific Plan… sometimes we don’t even seen to note littles things like (Jesus being a prophet in the likeness of Moses–many don’t even get the connections nor consider Moses a prophet).

Then there are the hard Teachings as through the prophet Hosea or that Revelation of the Suffering Servant or God’s assumption of Elijah or God’s Teaching through Abel.

Maran atha!

Angel
 
I wonder how many understand that OT prophecy was made for modern times. Take Isaiah 3:21-24 for example. Here we see a perfect description of conditions at a 1940’s slave labor camp in Europe:

“Instead of a belt, a rope;
instead of a scent, a stink;
instead of a pretty dress, a sack;
instead of a nice hair-do, a shaven scalp;
and brand marks instead of beauty.”

Note that this ominous passage also includes the term, “That Day” which is a reference to the Great Day of the Lord. That should give us a clue that something unusual is going on the 20th and 21st centuries.

Next we might move on to Isaiah 66:15-16

“For see how YHWH comes in fire,
His chariots like the tempest
to assuage His anger with burning,
His threats with flaming fire.
For by fire will YHWH execute judgment
and by His sword against all mankind.
The victims of YHWH will be many.”

While 3:21-24 has recently been fulfilled, this terrible passage never has been. In my opinion, it’s right around the corner and refers to a global nuclear war in the 21st century. So which OT prophet is my favorite? That’s a tough choice because none of them have anything good to say about our immediate future in this century.

Jeremiah 25:32-33

"See! The disaster speads
from nation to nation.
A mighty tempest rises
from the far ends of the world.

“Those slaughtered by YHWH that day will be scattered across the world from end to end. No dirge will be raised for them; no one will gather them or bury them. They will stay lying on the ground like dung.”
 
It is a sad fact: Catholics rely on not reading the Bible–some because they believe that “ignorance” can secure their ever after; some because they feel “saved” by the “Catholic umbrella;” some because its too much work–what with getting to know God’s Revelations and Demands…

Maran atha!

Angel
 
undead_rat said:
While
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The only thing about eschatological interpretation like that though is that you are essentially freestyling.

The Church has not given many passages definite eschatological meanings - so people are free to disagree with any you may perceive.
 
Spyridon said:
A devout Catholic who is engaged in the Church’s Liturgy is literally steeped in the Bible.
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…yet, only if he/she observes what is being Taught–go and practice is usually something that many leave right at the back of the parish as they reenter the world!

Maran atha!

Angel
 
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