Who was "That Prophet"

[ExLuxLucis]

In John 1:19-28, the Pharisees question John the Baptist on his identity. The conversaion is below:

“Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.”

This is a rather famous passage. I’ve read all sorts of stuff from Muslims who say its Muhammad to Protestants who claim all sorts of random people are “that Prophet”.

I’m not really too interested in either criticizing or discussing these views here, rather, I want to know what Catholic scholars think of the idenity of this prophet. Anyone know? Thanks.

 

[SyCarl]

I believe it refers to the prophet predicted by Moses.

"The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.
(Deu 18:15 NASB)

 

[JM3]

SyCarl is correct. This is what the notes say in the Ignatius Catholic Studt Bible New Testament.

 

[Vince1022]

In John 1:19-28, the Pharisees question John the Baptist on his identity. The conversaion is below:

“Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.”

This is a rather famous passage. I’ve read all sorts of stuff from Muslims who say its Muhammad to Protestants who claim all sorts of random people are “that Prophet”.

I’m not really too interested in either criticizing or discussing these views here, rather, I want to know what Catholic scholars think of the idenity of this prophet. Anyone know? Thanks.

The prophet like Moses see Deut 18:15

 

[John7]

In John 1:19-28, the Pharisees question John the Baptist on his identity. The conversaion is below:

“Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.”

This is a rather famous passage. I’ve read all sorts of stuff from Muslims who say its Muhammad to Protestants who claim all sorts of random people are “that Prophet”.

I’m not really too interested in either criticizing or discussing these views here, rather, I want to know what Catholic scholars think of the idenity of this prophet. Anyone know? Thanks.

‘A’ prophet from Deut 18:15 is ‘That’/‘The’ prophet in John 1:21, 6:14, 7:40 which is Jesus.

John 6:14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
John 7:40 Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.

Jesus has three offices: prophet, priest, and king

 

[COPLAND_3]

Here is commentary for that passage that comes from a Catholic Study Bible I am working on ocsb.wetpaint.com/page/John+Chapter+1

1:21 are you Eiljah: Here we should note that just as the Jews awaited the Lord who was to come, so to they waited for Elijah, who would precede the Messiah: “I will send you Elijah, the prophet” (Mal 4:5). And so those who were sent, seeing that John did not say that he was the Messiah, pressed him that at least he state if he were Elijah.** I am not: **Why does John say, I am not Elijah, while Christ said, “He is Elijah” (Mt 11:14). The angel gives us the answer: “He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Lk 1:17), i.e., in his works. Thus he was not Elijah in person, but in spirit and power, i.e., because he showed a similarity to Elijah in his works. **Are you the prophet: **through a misunderstanding the Jews associated three great personages with the coming of Christ: 1) Christ himself, 2) Elijah, 3) and some other person, the greatest of the prophets, about whom Deuteronomy (18:15) says: “The Lord your God will raise up a prophet for you.” And although this greatest of the prophets is in fact none other than Christ, according to the Jews he is someone other than Christ. And so they do not ask simply whether he is a prophet, but whether he is that “greatest of the prophets.” And this is clear from the order of their questions. For they first ask whether he is the Messiah; secondly, whether he is Elijah; thirdly, whether he is that prophet. (St. Thomas Aquinas)

 

[ExLuxLucis]

Then will Elijah return, as supposed by some? If not, why is it predicted in the OT?

 

[John7]

Then will Elijah return, as supposed by some? If not, why is it predicted in the OT?

Matthew 17:
10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come?
11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things.
12 But I say unto you, That Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

There is no Church teaching on it, but some believe that Elijah will be one of the two witnesses in Revelation 11:2-12

And I will grant my two witnesses power to prophesy for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." 4* These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth. 5* And if any one would harm them, fire pours out from their mouth and consumes their foes; if any one would harm them, thus he is doomed to be killed. 6* They have power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. 7* And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit will make war upon them and conquer them and kill them, 8* and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which is allegorically * called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9 For three days and a half men from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10 and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. 11* But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12* Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up hither!” And in the sight of their foes they went up to heaven in a cloud.

 

[Vince1022]

Then will Elijah return, as supposed by some? If not, why is it predicted in the OT?

Maybe he will, maybe he won’t. The Catholic Church doesn’t teach definitively either way.

It was predicted in the Old Testament because the author of that prediction thought it was true.

 

[chosen_people]

The second of the six messianic criterion for the Messiah ben David is that he will be anointed King of Israel. The word messiah means anointed with oil and in the messianic context refers to an anointed king. Normally, Jewish prophets (or a High Priest) anoint Jewish kings (with oil) because prophets are messengers of God and authenticate their right to kingship (see 1 Samuel 15:1, 16:1,13).

One of the reasons that the prophet Malachi foretold that the prophet Elijah would return prior to the coming of the Messiah ben David ( Malachi 3:23-24) is to anoint David’s messianic descendant King of Israel.

Matthew claimed that John the Baptist was “Elijah the prophet” (Matthew 11:11-14,17:12-13).

However, the Gospel of John, in contradiction to Matthew, reported that John the Baptist said he was not the prophet Elijah (John 1:21).

 

[John7]

Luke 1:
13 But **the angel said **to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him **in the spirit and power **of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

the Tishbite was not reincarnated

 

[Thyme]

The second of the six messianic criterion for the Messiah ben David is that he will be anointed King of Israel. The word messiah means anointed with oil and in the messianic context refers to an anointed king. Normally, Jewish prophets (or a High Priest) anoint Jewish kings (with oil) because prophets are messengers of God and authenticate their right to kingship (see 1 Samuel 15:1, 16:1,13).

One of the reasons that the prophet Malachi foretold that the prophet Elijah would return prior to the coming of the Messiah ben David ( Malachi 3:23-24) is to anoint David’s messianic descendant King of Israel.

Matthew claimed that John the Baptist was “Elijah the prophet” (Matthew 11:11-14,17:12-13).

However, the Gospel of John, in contradiction to Matthew, reported that John the Baptist said he was not the prophet Elijah (John 1:21).

Thanks. That’s a really good explanation.

 

[Greg57]

In John 1:19-28, the Pharisees question John the Baptist on his identity. The conversaion is below:

“Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.”

This is a rather famous passage. I’ve read all sorts of stuff from Muslims who say its Muhammad to Protestants who claim all sorts of random people are “that Prophet”.

I’m not really too interested in either criticizing or discussing these views here, rather, I want to know what Catholic scholars think of the idenity of this prophet. Anyone know? Thanks.

Elijah. Christ says as much to His apostles about John, and identifies the prophet with him.

 

[SnakeMauler]

The Prophet refers to the one greater than Moses, the author, through divine inspiration, just wrote it a bit wierd.

 

[John7]

Here’s a good, short article from ‘hebrew4christians’ identifying Christ as ‘the prophet’
hebrew4christians.com/Articles/Like_Moses/like_moses.html