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The Spirit, the prophets, and the Bible
“He has spoken through the prophets.”—Nicene Creed
For the Spirit to “speak through” people endued with the gift or charism of prophecy is a shorthand description. For the prophets begin with Moses, with whom God conversed (Ex. 3, etc.). Dreams are also means of “speaking through”: Joseph in Gen. 37, the dreams of Pharaoh’s butler and baker (Gen. 40), Pharaoh’s dream (Gen. 41), the dream of the Midianite soldier and its interpretation (Judges 7: 13–4), Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams (Dan. 2, 4); there is also Joseph’s dream in Matthew 1: 20–1, and Pilate’s wife’s dream (Matthew 27: 19), among others. These are dreams meant to be interpreted to others, unlike Jacob’s dream at Bethel, for example, which was for him only.
Visions are also means for the Spirit to communicate to prophets. “Hear my words: When there are prophets among you, I the Lord make myself known to them in visions; I speak to them in dreams.” (Num. 12: 6) One thinks especially of Ezekiel, Daniel, and John’s Apocalypse. There were for a time[1] the Urim and Thummim, two stones in a pouch lying on Aaron’s breast (Ex. 28: 30; Lev. 8: 8; Num. 27: 21; and see I Sam. 28: 6), used perhaps like lots. There is also the choice of someone to replace Judas by casting lots (Acts 1: 21–26).
