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The book of Acts calls several men prophets, after Christ's resurrection and ascension. Silas and Judas, who were sent from the Jerusalem church to the Antioch church were called prophets in the book of Acts. Agabus is also called a prophet.
Paul made reference to prophets in Corinth. In fact, the longest section in the Bible which tells us how to have church meetings tells how prophets and others are to take tunrs prophesying in the church meetings. From Paul's writings, we see that prophets held a normal role in the church. Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12 also mention the gift of prophecy. According to Ephesians 4, Christ gave prophets to the church after His ascension. Early church writings show that, early on, prophets could speak in church meetings. Later, a lot of the recognized prophets identified as such in patristic writings tended to be bishops. In the first few hundred years of Christianity, a man named Montanus gained a following. He used to belong to a religion that had ecstatic prophesying. Churches that followed him had a lot of the more estatic type of prophesying, and so he was somewhat contraversial. Those who didn't like the Montanists were the one's whose writings have survived. So the records we have about the Montanists are very negative. It is said that Montanus and his two prophetesses that followed him prophesied that the New Jerusalem would descend in Phrygia (their area in present-day Turkey if I am not mistaken.) I don't know if this was meant allegorically or not. I read a Britanica article on Montanus. The author of the article pointed out that the church of that time did believe in prophecy, and there were several who did prophesy. What made the Montanists contraversial was the ecstatic manner in which they prophesied. Something else that caused them to split off from the Great Church was the fact that Montanus started appointing his own bishops, from what I've read. Montanism, and other movements, led church leaders to think more seriously about compiling a canon of scripture. It may have even lead to soem of the more anti-Charismatic tendancies of the church. I do recall reading in Eusbebius _Ecclesiastical History_ fromthe 300's that one Orthodox Christian argued with the Montanists, who claimed that Montanus' two prophetess assistants prophesied just like Philips daughtes. The Christian argued with the Montanists that the apostle (Paul presumably) said that prophesy would continue on until the end of the world. Then he said that prophesy continued in the true church, but it had died out among the Montanists. Ireneaus is a famous church leader from the 200's. It is said that he knew Papyus, who knew the apostle John. Ireneaus wrote a long list of supernatural gifts and works that the brethren in his day did, including casting out devils, having foreknowledge, raising the dead, healing the sick, speaking in tongues, and many other things. So the Bible and the history of the early church show that the ministry of prophecy and prohpet continued on after the apostles. Today there are many who call themselves prophets. A prophet is someone with a gift and ministry of prophesying. Prophesying generally involves speaking as moved by the Holy Ghost. We shoudl appreciate genuine prophetic ministry, and receive it with the fear of the Lord and respect. (The Didache, written aroudn the end of the first century, warns against speaking against prophecies for fear of commiting the unpardonable sin of speaking against the Holy Ghost.) But we should also follow Jesus advice to beware of false prophets. We will know them by their fruits, Jesus taught. Paul taught to despise not prophesyings, prove all thigns, and hold fast to that which is good. Link Hudson
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