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The spirit of Prophecy in the second temple: Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
(Perspective digest, 2022-10-01) Davidson Razafiarivony, PhD
The prophetic spirit or the spirit of prophecy is charged with the gift of prophecy.
The phrase “spirit of prophecy” occurs only once in the entire New Testament, in several versions of Revelation 19:10. It appears to signify that the prophetic gift was still manifested in the time of the New Testament and in the latter days of the church. But 1 Maccabees 9:27 laments that in the second century B.C., when the book was written, prophets ceased from appearing among them. Other rabbinic tradition states that Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi were the last of the prophets, and after them, the Holy Spirit ceased. How can we understand from Jewish literature that prophecy ceased earlier? Can the understanding and use of “spirit of prophecy” within Judaism be of help to interpret and apply the term “spirit of prophecy” in the Book of Revelation?
The Apocrypha: Their relevance to biblical studies and pastoral ministry
(Ministry, International journal for Pastors, 2023-12) Davidson Razafiarivony, PhD
Many Christians, including clergy,
may not know the Apocrypha—the
writings of the Second Temple period.
Even if they do, the writings are often
brushed aside. This article assesses the value
and use of the Apocrypha in biblical studies and
pastoral ministry.
New Testament scholar Craig A. Evans says:
“If one is to do competent NT [New Testament]
exegesis, one must know something of these
writings [the Apocrypha] and of their relevance for
the nt.” Rightly so, since “some of these writings are
vital for understanding the NT.”1
Bruce D. Chilton, scholar of early Christianity and
Judaism, argues that “Christian theology shares its
origins with early Judaism. Therefore, it cannot be
fully appreciated without reference to its matrix.”2
The
New Testament was not born in a vacuum, and its
writers should be placed within their Jewish milieu.
By doing this, the one who knows “all customs and
questions which have to do with the Jews” (Acts
26:3, NKJV) will certainly appreciate and understand
better the New Testament and, as a Bible interpreter,
will nd such knowledge useful in his/her task.
Two New Jerusalems
(Ministry, International journal for pastors, 2020) Davidson Razafiarivony, PhD
God’s promise in Isaiah 65:17–25 begins
with the statement, “For behold, I
create new heavens and a new earth:
and the former shall not be remembered, nor come to mind” (KJV). The promise is
repeated in Isaiah 66:22–24.
For some conservative evangelicals, this
passage has been applied to the eschatological
new heavens and new earth, especially because
it is echoed by Revelation 21.1
For some other
Christians, Isaiah 66:23 has become a favorite
biblical text in defense of the Sabbath, often
used in evangelistic sermons to highlight the
perpetuity of the Sabbath, as it states, “from one
new moon to another, and from one sabbath to
another, shall all flesh come to worship before
me, saith the LORD” (KJV).
There is, however, a problem in applying
these texts to the eschatological new heavens
and new earth. Paul warned the Colossians,
“So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or
regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths,
which are a shadow of things to come” (Col. 2:16,
17, NKJV).2
Paul clearly implies that ceremonial
laws are not binding anymore after the death of
Jesus. So why observe a “new moon” now and
thereafter?
What kind of “new heavens and new earth”
does the prophet Isaiah describe, and how
should we reconcile them with the “new heaven
and new earth” of Revelation 21:1–5?
The “Spirit of Prophecy” (Rev 19:10) in the Light of Second Temple Jewish Usage
(Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, 2020) Davidson Razafiarivony, PhD
The phrase “spirit of prophecy” occurs only once in the entire New
Testament, and it is in Revelation 19:10. It appears to signify that the
prophetic gift was still manifested in the time of the New Testament and
in the latter days of the Church. But how can we understand the Jewish
tradition through several statements from Jewish literature that prophecy
ceased earlier?1
Can the understanding and use of “spirit of prophecy”
within Judaism be of help to us as we interpret and apply the “spirit of
prophecy” in the book of Revelation?
In this study, I intend to engage in a literary-historical and exegetical
investigation of “spirit of prophecy” in order to be able to present
evidences of the use and understanding of the phrase “spirit of
prophecy.” In doing so, the study will confirm or deny prophecy’s
continued existence, during the intertestamental and the New Testament.
Adventist University of Africa Academic Bulletin 2023
(Adventist University of Affrica, 2023) AUA