Moses prophesied of the past!? Creation!

[Jim_Baur]

In the Summa, I 46. 2, On the contrary he says: “And again, Gregory says (Hom. i in Ezech.), that Moses prophesied of the past…”

First, has this work of Gregory’s been translated into English?

Second, does any scholar out there know exactly what Gregory said? If so, could one give an English translation or explanation?

Third, how does a Moses prophecy of the past fit into the four senses of Scripture?

Well, I know that this is a tall order, but I could sure use some help.

I hope that I was clear; I tried to say it clearly.

Thanks!

 

[inthecloud]

I never knew that but I always say Genesis as a prophetic book, the language is similar.

 

[Todd_Easton]

I think Gregory was using the word prophesied in its most general sense, referring to speaking or writing about the past, the present, or the future under divine inspiration.

 

[Daniel_Marsh]

If you think about it the creation account had to be given to Moses by revelation since Moses was not around to witness it firsthand. So, if I had to guess, he was simply talking about God revealing the past creation events to Moses.

 

[Jim_Baur]

I am praying for help to the questioning.

Thanks!

 

[mdgspencer]

When to comes to the creation account, according to one of the four meanings, you would consider the literal meaning. Another of the four meanings would look for example, at what the creation account has to say about marriage. I would have to analyze further to speak about all 4 meanings in this passage. It is more difficult to speak of these meanings when it comes to specific passages because Biblical commentators nowadays do not discuss them in such terms, though seeing passages in terms of these four meanings would be quite valid, Bible passages do have multiple meanings.

 

[Jim_Baur]

And again, Gregory says (Hom. i in Ezech.), that Moses prophesied of the past…"

If this is a prophecy about the past, is this a common teaching by the Fathers and Doctors of the Church?

Is this similar to the Parables of Jesus?

Thanks!

 

[inthecloud]

Parables and prophecies are both symbolic. But prophecies are visions of events, past or future that the prophet cannot witness first hand. So the idea that Moses was seen symbolic visions of past events in Genesis does make sense.
Parablesa are just symbolic teachings.

 

[Benadam]

Remember the Ethiopian eunuch who was reading Isiaah and asked St Philip, " is the author writing about himself or someone else?" The events the Prophet writes about can also originate from the experiences of his own life. Part of being a Prophet is being a living testimony, a first hand witness. That witness is a result of God’s intimacy with the prophet, a sort of invisible stigmata of the life of God. A ‘type’ of Christ. The life of God shared with the prophet becomes a source of his certainty that what he say’s is to come will in fact come because they are being or have been fulfilled in his own life. God reveals to the prophet his own meaning united to Himself and as such becomes a revelation of what was, is, and yet to come. Hosea’s prohetic role exemplifies and exposes that characteristic of the OT prophets. Jerusalem is called the navel of the world but only as it is the place God dwells. The life of the prophet united to God realizes that concept attached to that description given to Jerusalem. A quality looked for that leant authenticity to a prophetic word is that it describes the events as having already happened yet are referred to as events yet to come and for that reason they accurately describe to the listeners exactly where they are in the present. Also in the same way they foreshadow the future they are an echo of the past and in as much as revealing that past pertains to the prophets mission God brings those past events to light. God can reveal the past by including it in the meaning of the prophets life. In Revelation there is an obscure statement that unites the spirit of Prophecy to Jesus I think it says just that 'the spirit of prophecy is Jesus. Always was, is and yet to come is the oneness of that Spirit and Jesus.