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

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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.

• 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