Jeremy Rosen
Biblical Prophets
Summary
The lecture covers the complex topic of prophecy, exploring its historical context, roles, and functions in ancient Israel and Judea. The Torah, particularly Deuteronomy 13, outlines the criteria for identifying a true prophet, emphasizing that signs and wonders are irrelevant compared to the message delivered. The discussion covers various prophets, starting with Nathan’s fearless confrontation of King David’s wrongdoing as well as Elijah and Elisha who are noted for their miracles and dedication to the poor. The role of prophets during the split of the kingdom and their interventions in political matters is also explored.
Jeremy Rosen
Manchester-born Jeremy Rosen was educated at Cambridge University England and Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He has practiced as an orthodox rabbi, as principal of Carmel College in the UK, and as professor at the Faculty for Comparative Religion in Antwerp, Belgium. He has written and lectured extensively in the UK and the US, where he now resides and was the rabbi of the Persian-Jewish community in Manhattan.
I think people were very credulous, I think they relied on miracles, they relied on them, I do believe they were prepared to worship idols all the time, anything they thought might help them, when people are desperate they’ll turn any which way in order to find some sort of solace, so I’m sure people believed miracle workers, they believed people who were doing these things.
This is an interesting issue that we have all the time, about magic mushrooms, psychedelics, LSD, alcohol, of getting to God. My view is that anything that is an artificial way of reaching something spiritual is problematic. Although I think psychedelics, certain drugs, can be very helpful in curing certain states of depression, I don’t believe these experiences are experiences of God. Ezekiel, as a prophet, certainly didn’t mention anything about magic mushrooms, so I don’t think he took or needed to take magic mushrooms.