ABSTRACT
Prophecy is a complex phenomenon, principally expressing and bringing to bear the Word of God into the context of the present, while also, at times, having a dimension of foretelling or predicting that which lies in the future. A prophet is one who is “sent”. The prophet, as messenger, speaks on behalf of another. Is the prophet a passive “mouthpiece”, or is the messenger part of the message? How this complex phenomenon is understood in and by each faith was the subject of the Building Bridges Seminar in 2004 and the Christian–Muslim Theological Forum of 2012. The Seminar focussed on three themes: the prophet’s own encounter with the Divine; the relationship of prophet and people; and the place of Jesus and Muhammad in prophetic religion. The Forum compared prophetic claims and differing prophetic traditions, together with the understanding of prophecy within the two religions, and reflected on the prophetic task of Christians and Muslims today. This chapter examines the discussions on prophecy of the two dialogue events under three headings: the prophetic tradition; prophetic vocation; Jesus, Muhammad, and prophetic finality.
