Oracles
ORACLES. The word oracle is derived from the Latin word oraculum, which referred both to a divine pronouncement or response concerning the future or the unknown as well as to the place where such pronouncements were given. (The Latin verb orare means "to speak" or "to request.") In English, oracle is also used to designate the human medium through whom such prophetic declarations or oracular sayings are given.
Oracles and Prophecy
In Western civilization the connotations of the word oracle (variously rendered in European languages) have been largely determined by traditional perceptions of ancient Greek oracles, particularly the oracle of Apollo at Delphi. The term prophecy, on the other hand (from the Greek word propheteia, meaning "prophecy" or "oracular response"), has been more closely associated with traditions of divine revelation through human mediums in ancient Israel and early Christianity. One major cause of this state of affairs is that in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures made during the third and second centuries BCE) Greek words from the prophēt- family were used to translate words derived from the biblical Hebrew root nvʾ ("prophet, to prophesy"). Because most oracles in the Greek world were given in response to inquiries, oracles are often regarded as verbal responses by a supernatural being, in contrast to prophecy, which is thought of as unsolicited verbal revelations given through human mediums and often directed toward instigating social change.
This page contains 201 words.
Oracles article
Read the rest of this article.
This article contains 6,700 words
(approx. 22 pages at 300 words per page).
Order our Oracle Article
