Abstract

According to the teaching of the Orthodox Church prophets are the separate type of the Old Testament saints, venerated as persons inspired by the Holy Spirit, men announcing the will of God to the people. There were not so much persons foretelling the future as rather men fulfilling role of “the mouth of God” on the earth. In Orthodoxy, prophets as well as forefathers, are basically considered as a separate category of the Old Testament saints. In this article the author presents prophets as a separate category of sanctity in the Church, particularly accentuating their interior systematic. The author defines the term “prophet” as well as other words or expressions used when talking about prophets. He discusses the development of Old Testament prophetism in various historical periods, beginning with Moses – called “the first among prophets”, throughout the prophets of consecutive epochs in the history of the Chosen People, ending with the last of the Old Testament prophets being at the same time the firs of the New Testament – saint John the Baptist.