CHAPTER 32

The opinions of people concerning prophecy are like their opinions concerning the eternity of the world or its creation in time. I mean by this that just as the people to whose mind the existence of the deity is firmly established, have, as we have set forth, three opinions concerning the eternity of the world or its creation in time, so are there also three opinions concerning prophecy. I shall not pay attention to the opinion of Epicurus, for he does not believe in the existence of a deity and all the more does he not believe in prophecy. I only aim to set forth the opinions of those who believe in the deity.

The first opinion — that of the multitude of those among the Pagans who considered prophecy as true and also believed by some of the common people professing our Law — is that God, may He be exalted, chooses whom He wishes from among men, turns him into a prophet, and sends him with a mission. According to them it makes no difference whether this individual is a man of knowledge or [73a] ignorant, aged or young. However, they also posit as a condition his having a certain goodness and sound morality. For up to now people have not gone so far as to say that God sometimes turns a wicked man into a prophet unless He has first, according to this opinion, turned him into a good man.

The second opinion is that of the philosophers. It affirms that prophecy is a certain perfection in the nature of man. This perfection is not achieved in any individual from among men except after a training that makes that which exists in the potentiality of the species pass into actuality, provided an obstacle due to temperament or to some external cause does not hinder this, as is the case with regard to every perfection whose existence is possible in a certain species. For the existence of that perfection in its extreme and ultimate form in every individual of that species is not possible. It must, however, exist necessarily in at least one particular individual; if, in order to be achieved, this perfection requires something that actualizes it, that something necessarily exists. According to this opinion it is not possible that an ignoramus should turn into a prophet; nor can a man not be a prophet on a certain evening and be a prophet on the following morning, as though he had made some find. Things are rather as follows: When, in the case of a superior individual who is perfect with respect to his rational and moral qualities, his imaginative faculty is in its most perfect state and when he has been prepared in the way that you will hear, he will necessarily become a prophet, inasmuch as this is a perfection that belongs to us by nature. According to this opinion it is not possible that an individual should be fit for prophecy and prepared for it and not become a prophet, except to the extent to which it is possible that an individual having a healthy temperament should be nourished with excellent food, without sound blood and similar things being generated from that food.

The third opinion is the opinion of our Law and the foundation of our doctrine. It is identical with [73b] the philosophic opinion except in one thing. For we believe that it may happen that one who is fit for prophecy and prepared for it should not become a prophet, namely, on account of the divine will. To my mind this is like all the miracles and takes the same course as they. For it is a natural thing that everyone who according to his natural disposition is fit for prophecy and who has been trained in his education and study should become a prophet. He who is prevented from it is like him who has been prevented, like Jeroboam,1 from moving his hand, or, like the King of Aram’s army going to seek out Elisha,² from seeing. As for its being fundamental with us that the prophet must possess preparation and perfection in the moral and rational qualities, it is indubitably the opinion expressed in their dictum: Prophecy only rests upon a wise, strong, and rich man.3 We have explained this in our Commentary on the Mishnah⁴ and in our great compilation,⁵ and we have set forth that the disciples⁶ of the prophets were always engaged in preparation. As for the fact that one who prepares is sometimes prevented from becoming a prophet, you may know it from the history of Baruch, son of Neriah. For he followed Jeremiah, who trained, taught, and prepared him. And he set himself the goal of becoming a prophet, but was prevented; as he says: I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest.⁷ Thereupon he was told through Jeremiah: Thus shalt thou say unto him: Thus saith the Lord, and so on. And seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not.⁸ It is possible to say that this is a clear statement that prophecy is too great a thing for Baruch. Similarly it may be said, as we shall explain,⁹ that in the passage, Yea, her prophets find no vision from the Lord,¹⁰ this was the case because they were in Exile. However, we shall find many texts, some of them scriptural and some of them dicta of the Sages, all of which maintain this fundamental principle that God turns whom He wills, whenever He wills it, into a prophet — but only someone perfect and superior to the utmost degree. But with regard to one of the ignorant among the common people, [74a] this is not possible according to us — I mean, that He should turn one of them into a prophet — except as it is possible that He should turn an ass or a frog into a prophet. It is our fundamental principle that there must be training and perfection, whereupon the possibility arises to which the power of the deity becomes attached. You should not be led astray by His saying: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth from the womb I sanctified thee.¹¹ For this is the state of every prophet: he must have a natural preparedness in his original natural disposition, as shall be explained. As for his saying, For I am young [naʿar],¹² you know that in the Hebrew language Joseph the righteous was called young [naʿar]¹³ though he was thirty years old, and that Joshua was called young [naʿar] though he was near his sixtieth year. For it says with reference to the time of the doings concerning the calf: But his servant Joshua, son of Nun, a young man, departed not, and so on.¹⁴ Now Moses our Master was at that time eighty-one years old, and his whole life lasted one hundred and twenty years. Joshua lived after him fourteen years, and the life of Joshua lasted one hundred and ten years. Accordingly it is clear that Joshua was at that time at least fifty-seven years old, and was nevertheless called young [naʿar]. Again you should not be led astray by His dictum figuring in the promises: I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy;15 for He interprets this and lets us know what kind of prophecy is meant, for He says: Your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.¹⁶ For everyone who communicates knowledge as to something secret, whether this be with the help of soothsaying and divination or with the help of a veridical dream, is likewise called a prophet. For this reason prophets of Baal and prophets of Asherah are called prophets. Do you not see that He, may He be exalted, says: If there arise among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams?¹⁷ As for the Gathering at Mount Sinai, though through a miracle all the people saw the great fire and heard the frightening and terrifying voices, [74b] only those who were fit for it achieved the rank of prophecy, and even those in various degrees. Do you not see that He says: Come up unto the Lord, thou and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel.¹⁸ He, peace be upon him, had the highest rank, as He said: And Moses alone shall come near unto the Lord; but they shall not come near.¹⁹ Aaron was below him; Nadab and Abihu below Aaron; the seventy elders below Nadab and Abihu; and the other people below the latter according to their degrees of perfection. A text of the Sages, may their memory be blessed, reads: Moses is an enclosure apart, and Aaron an enclosure apart.²⁰

As we have come to speak of the Gathering at Mount Sinai, we shall give indications, in a separate chapter, concerning what becomes clear regarding that Gathering as it was, from the scriptural texts, if they are well examined, and from the dicta of the Sages.