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Echoes of the Divine: The Historical, Literary, and Theological Dimensions...
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Echoes of the Divine: The Historical, Literary, and Theological Dimensions of Prophetism

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Theologies".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2026 | Viewed by 11127

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Marta García Fernández

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Theology, Pontifical University of Comillas, 28015 Madrid, Spain
Interests: biblical prophecy and ancient Middle East; consolation and suffering in Scripture and Mesopotamia; biblical hermeneutics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Prophetism, as a religious phenomenon, has operated for millennia as a powerful link between the divine and the human, functioning almost like an umbilical cord that nurtures and guides the experience of faith. It is not merely about glimpsing the future, but also about interpreting the present in the light of a hermeneutics aimed at the transcendent—an endeavor that has required men and women of exceptional sensitivity, capable of deciphering tangible signs while at the same time perceiving that distant murmur seemingly emanating from the sacred. This capacity to look beyond the immediate horizon reveals the complexity of prophetism as a centuries-spanning phenomenon rooted in humanity’s desire to understand its place in the universe and the ultimate meaning of history.

The diversity of prophetic expressions across different cultures, especially in the ancient Near East, reflects a broad cultural and historical spectrum in which each people adopted and reformulated its own modes of divine mediation. Israel, heir to the region’s rich spiritual legacy, imprinted its own distinctive mark on both the figure of the prophet and its literary corpus, eventually shaping a tradition with well-defined and unique characteristics. This distinctive stamp not only played a decisive role in the formation of biblical thought and canon, but also influenced the subsequent New Testament tradition and numerous extrabiblical religious movements that engaged with these texts, thereby broadening the horizon of prophecy to encompass new interpretations and contexts.

Accordingly, this Special Issue invites specialists from diverse fields such as biblical exegesis, the history of religions, and Semitic philology to present research that enriches our understanding of biblical prophecy in its historical, literary, and theological dimensions. This proposal includes examinations of the origins of prophecy in Israel, its interactions with neighboring cultures, and its modes of reception during the Second Temple period, as well as its resonances in Judaism and early Christianity. Likewise, it encourages an analysis of specific aspects related to particular prophetic figures, passages, or themes, aiming to illuminate the nuances that characterize this phenomenon. Through these studies, we hope to deepen our understanding of one of the most compelling religious expressions in the Bible and its milieu, thereby underscoring the significance of prophetism as a privileged window into the dynamic relationship between humanity and divinity.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

  • Distinctive elements of biblical prophecy;
  • Particular literary genres and rhetorical strategies characteristic of prophetic texts;
  • Exegesis of passages from the biblical prophets’ literary corpus that highlight unique aspects of prophecy;
  • Analysis of terms or themes relevant to understanding the prophetic phenomenon;
  • The historical origins of prophetic activity in ancient Israel and its neighboring cultures;
  • Comparative studies of prophecy across different religious traditions;
  • Reception history and interpretive transformations in Second Temple Judaism and early Christianity.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor (mgafernandez@comillas.edu) or to the Religions Editorial Office (religions@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of this Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Marta García Fernández
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • prophecy and the ancient Near East
  • prophecy as a religious phenomenon
  • prophetic hermeneutics
  • major and minor prophets
  • former or historical prophetic books
  • prophecy and Second Temple extrabiblical literature

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 338 KB  
Article
The Fourth Servant Song of Isaiah in the Theological Discourse of Medieval Jewish Spain
by Francisco Varo
Religions 2026, 17(1), 122; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17010122 - 22 Jan 2026
Viewed by 1155
Abstract
This study analyses the theological debates surrounding the Servant Songs in the Book of Isaiah, with particular attention to the fourth song, as interpreted in medieval Jewish literature. These passages, fundamental to both Jewish and Christian tradition, became a central focus of controversial [...] Read more.
This study analyses the theological debates surrounding the Servant Songs in the Book of Isaiah, with particular attention to the fourth song, as interpreted in medieval Jewish literature. These passages, fundamental to both Jewish and Christian tradition, became a central focus of controversial dialogue in medieval Spain. Through a systematic analysis of Hebrew commentaries, the article examines key theological issues that emerge in these debates: the universal mission of Israel, the meaning of suffering, the concept of kenosis in Pauline theology, and the doctrine of original sin. Jewish exegetes such as Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Moses Ha-Kohen of Tordesillas, and Abravanel offered critical responses to Christian claims, often proposing alternative readings based on Hebrew philology and rational anthropology. The study highlights how these exchanges contributed to a deeper understanding of divine justice, human action, and incarnation, while emphasising the importance of precise theological language in interreligious dialogue. Some anthropological and metaphysical questions briefly addressed here point to new lines of research. Ultimately, the Servant Songs reveal themselves as a privileged space for theological reflection and manifest the enduring resonance of prophetic revelation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Echoes of the Divine: The Historical, Literary, and Theological Dimensions of Prophetism)
21 pages, 499 KB  
Article
Evolving Paradigms? Divine Knowledge After the Age of Prophecy in the Dead Sea Scrolls
by Andrés Piquer Otero
Religions 2026, 17(1), 67; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17010067 - 8 Jan 2026
Viewed by 1277
Abstract
This paper approaches the corpus of the Dead Sea Scrolls with the aim of underlining how a form of prophecy after (or besides) prophets is constructed in Second Temple Judaism. In contrast and parallel with other religions (saliently Islam), where prophecy is “sealed” [...] Read more.
This paper approaches the corpus of the Dead Sea Scrolls with the aim of underlining how a form of prophecy after (or besides) prophets is constructed in Second Temple Judaism. In contrast and parallel with other religions (saliently Islam), where prophecy is “sealed” and closed after a given event, Judaism links prophecy to text in the process of constructing an authorized corpus, as may be seen in phenomena such as the development of certain forms of exegesis. Nevertheless, some groups, like the Qumran community, give a central role to figures that are, at the very least, typologically related to early (biblical) prophets. I will approach these parallels in a systematic way, trying to define how text and inspiration are involved in the construction of prophets by another name in the corpus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Echoes of the Divine: The Historical, Literary, and Theological Dimensions of Prophetism)
15 pages, 369 KB  
Article
“It Was Not You Who Sent Me Here, but God” (Gen 45:8): Moses, Joseph, and the Prophetic Tradition
by Fabrizio Ficco
Religions 2025, 16(12), 1479; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16121479 - 21 Nov 2025
Viewed by 992
Abstract
This article investigates some analogies between the narratives of Moses and Joseph and the prophetic tradition, with particular attention to the theme of commissioning and the role of the Hebrew verb šālaḥ (“to send”). Grounded in the premise that call narratives are decisive [...] Read more.
This article investigates some analogies between the narratives of Moses and Joseph and the prophetic tradition, with particular attention to the theme of commissioning and the role of the Hebrew verb šālaḥ (“to send”). Grounded in the premise that call narratives are decisive for understanding prophecy, the study offers a quick overview of the prophetic vocation and the phenomenon of human resistance to the divine commission. It then presents an analysis of Moses’s call narrative in Exod 3–4 and of Joseph’s discourse in Gen 45:1–8. The Exodus narrative highlights divine initiative and Moses’s resistance, while Joseph’s reinterpretation of his past suffering reconsiders it as part of a divine mission, with his use of šālaḥ interpreting the betrayal of his brothers as providential sending, echoing themes found in the book of Jeremiah. By highlighting these parallels, this work contributes to the understanding of prophetic identity within the Hebrew Scriptures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Echoes of the Divine: The Historical, Literary, and Theological Dimensions of Prophetism)
21 pages, 368 KB  
Article
Prophecy in Clay: The Construction of Prophetic Identities in the Royal Archives of Mari
by José Andrés Sánchez Abarrio
Religions 2025, 16(11), 1400; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16111400 - 3 Nov 2025
Viewed by 2348
Abstract
The prophetic texts from Mari represent the earliest written testimony of the prophetic phenomenon in the Ancient Near East. Approximately sixty-five clay tablets—out of the more than eighteen thousand unearthed at Tell Hariri (Syria)—attest to the prophetic activity of various men and women [...] Read more.
The prophetic texts from Mari represent the earliest written testimony of the prophetic phenomenon in the Ancient Near East. Approximately sixty-five clay tablets—out of the more than eighteen thousand unearthed at Tell Hariri (Syria)—attest to the prophetic activity of various men and women who received divine revelations primarily intended for the king. However, a detailed reading of the texts reveals that there is no single term used to identify prophetic agents, inviting reflection on the diversity of roles and functions within this phenomenon. Why, then, do scholars refer to them collectively as “prophetic agents” (a term that, moreover, carries a strong biblical resonance)? Can we discern in their actions the counterpart or the very essence of the prophets of Israel? This article explores, based on the original Akkadian texts, the multiple identities of the prophets of Mari through an analysis of the terms employed, their etymology, and their occurrence in Old Babylonian sources. Furthermore, since these individuals are recipients of divine revelation, the study also includes those men and women who bear witness to revelatory dreams. Finally, it raises the question of whether these prophets and their practices can be regarded as precursors to the biblical prophets, given the striking similarities in their behavior and message. This study thus provides grounds to speak of a continuum of prophetic phenomena throughout the biblical Near East. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Echoes of the Divine: The Historical, Literary, and Theological Dimensions of Prophetism)
18 pages, 333 KB  
Article
Female Prophecy in the Hebrew Bible: A Phenomenon Present at Prominent Points and in All Categories of Prophetic Activity
by Irmtraud Fischer
Religions 2025, 16(11), 1388; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16111388 - 30 Oct 2025
Viewed by 1649
Abstract
Although several articles and books on the prophecy of women and LGBTIQ* persons in the Ancient Near East and the Old Testament have been published in recent decades, their outcomes have scarcely been received in traditional research on prophecy. This article will deal [...] Read more.
Although several articles and books on the prophecy of women and LGBTIQ* persons in the Ancient Near East and the Old Testament have been published in recent decades, their outcomes have scarcely been received in traditional research on prophecy. This article will deal with female prophecy, traces of which we find in all parts of the canon: the Torah (Miriam), the Nebiim Rishonim (Deborah and Huldah, the first and last in the succession of Moses), in the prophetic books (the nameless prophetess to whom Isaiah goes in Isa 8, as well as the prophetic daughters in Joel 3), and also in the Ketubim (Noadiah in Neh 6 and the versions of the Chronicler). However, there are also false female prophets like the Women of En Dor (1 Sam 28) and the prophesying daughters in Ezek 13. Prophetic women such as Noadiah, and those in Ex 38:8 and 1 Sam 2:22, and, in the same tradition, Hannah in the New Testament, are also present in cultic places. Additionally, women are also found among the group gathered around a central prophetic figure, such as the women of Shunem. This article, on the one hand, reveals the gender bias in traditional semantic and grammatical analysis, and on the other hand, will show the importance of the stylistic features of the few texts under discussion (e.g., inclusions, exposed positions in compositions), which may provide illuminating conclusions for the whole phenomenon of prophecy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Echoes of the Divine: The Historical, Literary, and Theological Dimensions of Prophetism)
29 pages, 874 KB  
Article
Isaiah 53:10: A Question of Sacrifice or Also an Attempt to Legitimize Authority?
by Marta García Fernández
Religions 2025, 16(11), 1364; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16111364 - 28 Oct 2025
Viewed by 1542
Abstract
This article analyses Isaiah 53:10 in the context of the so-called ‘Fourth Servant Song’, exploring whether its meaning is exclusively sacrificial or whether it also responds to a strategy of legitimizing authority in post-exilic Israel. Through a methodology that combines synchrony with diachronic [...] Read more.
This article analyses Isaiah 53:10 in the context of the so-called ‘Fourth Servant Song’, exploring whether its meaning is exclusively sacrificial or whether it also responds to a strategy of legitimizing authority in post-exilic Israel. Through a methodology that combines synchrony with diachronic reflection, the Neo-Babylonian and Persian historical background is reconstructed, identifying the social, political, and religious tensions that influenced the writing of the book of Isaiah. The study examines how the centrality of Jerusalem, the fracture between deportees and the indigenous population, and the struggle for the legitimization of religious authority are reflected in the text. The sacrificial vocabulary, especially the term אָשָׁם, and its metaphorical use in Isaiah 53:10, as well as the dynamics of guilt and benefit transfer, are analyzed in detail. The article concludes that the passage not only redefines sacrifice outside the cultic and priestly sphere, but also legitimizes a prophetic–scribal group as mediators of salvation, displacing the priestly monopoly and proposing the surrender of life as the theological core of atonement and restoration of the community. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Echoes of the Divine: The Historical, Literary, and Theological Dimensions of Prophetism)
12 pages, 299 KB  
Article
Yhwh’s Unique Speaker: Jeremiah
by Georg Fischer
Religions 2025, 16(7), 897; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16070897 - 13 Jul 2025
Viewed by 1301
Abstract
In Jer 15:19, Yhwh calls the prophet Jeremiah “my mouth”. This unique designation highlights his importance and finds support in several other features: Jeremiah is portrayed as the promised successor to Moses (Jer 1:7, 9), opposes all other contemporary prophets (e.g., Jer 20; [...] Read more.
In Jer 15:19, Yhwh calls the prophet Jeremiah “my mouth”. This unique designation highlights his importance and finds support in several other features: Jeremiah is portrayed as the promised successor to Moses (Jer 1:7, 9), opposes all other contemporary prophets (e.g., Jer 20; 23; 26–29), and has many additional roles and activities. Furthermore, he shares traits with Yhwh’s servant from Isa 49 and 53. His ‘biography’ is extraordinary and is shown at length, unusual for the Latter Prophets, ranging from before his birth (Jer 1:5) to his disappearance in Egypt (Jer 43–44). His ‘confessions’ in Jer 11–20 testify to immense suffering and have become models for personal prayer. Like the prophet, his scroll is unique, too. No other biblical writing deals so extensively with trauma, exemplified at the downfall of Jerusalem in 587 BC, its roots, and its impact. This even leads to an uncommon structure of the scroll, ending with disaster in Jer 52, whereas all other scrolls of prophets contain hope as conclusions. Jer stands out with the analysis of guilt as cause for the catastrophe, yet it conveys also consolation, especially in Jer 29–33. In these chapters, elements for a renewed society emerge, corresponding to the name of the prophet, which signifies “Yhwh will raise up”. The real source for this change lies in the way Jer conceives the biblical God. No other writing in the Bible tells about his weeping, as a sign of helplessness vis-à-vis the continuing resistance of his people. Many prayers in the scroll, including the confessions, focus on the importance of an intimate, personal relationship with him, going beyond traditional piety in several aspects; Moshe Weinfeld has called them “spiritual metamorphosis”. The singularity of Jer applies also to its literary features. Its mixtures of poetry and prose, of divine and human speaking, of narratives about the prophet in first and third person are a challenge for every reader, as well as the ‘unordered’ chronology and retarded information. Jer excels in the use of other scrolls; the degree of intertextuality and the way of combining motifs from ‘foreign’ sources in a synthetic way are outstanding. To grasp fully its message requires familiarity with more than half of what later became the Hebrew Bible. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Echoes of the Divine: The Historical, Literary, and Theological Dimensions of Prophetism)
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