How does one become a prophet; how are Divine messengers chosen? A cursory examination of Tanach reveals no clear pattern. On the one hand, some of the greatest of prophets suffered from physical deficiencies or came from modest means and circumstances. Moshe, the greatest of the prophets, stuttered and Amos says of himself: "I am not a prophet nor a son of a prophet for I am a herdsman and inspector of wood (Amos 7,14)." As a matter of fact, quite often in Tanach we get an impression that G-d plucks a man out of obscurity and endows him with supernatural gifts to use on His mission. On the other hand, some prophets, such as Eliahu and Isaiah,, appear before us fully formed; in no way average human beings, perhaps angels more than men.
R. Saadia Gaon (Book of Beliefs and Opinions, III: 4) maintained that as a rule G-d did not select outstanding individuals for prophecy, for had He done so, the message could be ascribed to the genius or giftedness of the messenger. One could confuse the messenger with the message; the genius of the prophet could obscure the genuineness of the prophecy. Maimonides (Guide II,32), on the other hand, adopts the view that prophecy is a natural attainment of a pure human being who is at the pinnacle of moral, spiritual and intellectual perfection. Any person possessing the requisite achievements will receive prophecy (unless G-d denies it for some reason of His own). This is certainly a more philosophically satisfying formulation and it appeals to a certain contemporary sense of egalitarianism. It is important to realize, however, that it detracts in some measure from Divine omnipotence, for, according to this, He cannot grant prophecy to someone who is not worthy.
There is, however, also a middle way. As the Malbim in the beginning of Amos (and in the first chapter of Yirmiah) points out, both explanations can be reconciled. Prophecy can be 1.personal, that is restricted to the prophet himself or a close circle of prophets, or it can be 2.communal, destined for the nation as a whole, perhaps even for all humanity. The former kind of prophecy would only come to a recipient worthy of it, in accordance with Maimonides. The latter kind may even be sent to an average man,as saadiah gaon says. The very fact that he is average and least expected to voice inspired content or perform miracles and signs, validates the Divine origin of the prophecy.
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