Prophet
In religion, a
prophet is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and to speak for them, serving as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this new found knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people. The message that the prophet conveys is called a prophecy. Claims of prophethood have existed in many cultures through history, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, in Ancient Greece, Zoroastrianism, and many others. Traditionally, prophets are regarded as having a role in society that promotes change due to their messages and actions. The English word
prophet comes from the Greek word
προφήτης meaning advocate. In the late 20th century the appellation of
prophet has been used to refer to individuals particularly successful at analysis in the field of economics, such as in the derogatory
prophet of greed. Alternatively, social commentators who suggest escalating crisis are often called
prophets of doom. In the 1611 KJV Bible a prophet is described as a messenger who delivers messages from God.