Q&A: A Question About Prophets
A Question About Prophets
Question
Hello, I wanted to ask what you think about the existence of the prophets described in Scripture. Do you think they really had a connection with God, and did they perform miracles as described? Do you also apply your argument that justifies belief in the revelation at Mount Sinai (a combination of the witness argument and an a priori belief that there ought to be revelation) to these events as well, since they are part of the tradition? If only some of it does, I’d be interested to know which parts and why.
Thank you in advance
Answer
This is an implication of the a priori belief: after I concluded that there was the giving of the Torah, the Torah itself says that prophets will be sent to us.
Discussion on Answer
Logically, that is certainly a correct distinction, but once you know that prophets exist, the standard for verifying them is easier. You need to make sure he isn’t a liar or a charlatan. That is completely different from examining things when the starting assumption is that the whole concept of prophecy doesn’t exist. Such an examination has to be much more rigorous.
Maybe that justifies the belief that prophets would be sent to us, but does it justify the belief that these are the prophets who were sent?