The biblical term nabi means one who spoke, acted, or wrote under the inspiration of God to make known His Will. Along with this primary function to proclaim the word of God, a prophet would also foretell future events. His role, then, was to speak both to the PRESENT and the FUTURE God's glorious plan for humanity!
ELISHA; from the Hebrew. ’lysh‘, God is salvation
He was a Prophet of Israel. After learning, on Mount Horeb, that Elisha, the son of Saphat, had been selected by God as his successor in the prophetic office, Elijah set out to make known the will of God. This he did by casting his mantle over the shoulders of Elisha, whom he found "ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen". Elisha delayed only long enough to kill the yoke of oxen, whose flesh he boiled with the very wood of his plough. After he had shared this farewell repast with his father, mother, and friends, the newly chosen Prophet "followed Elijah and ministered to him". (1 Kings 19:8-21) He went with his master from Galgal to Bethel, to Jericho, and thence to the eastern side of the Jordan, the waters of which, touched by the mantle, divided, so as to permit both to pass over on dry ground. Elisha then beheld Elijah in a fiery chariot taken up by a whirlwind into heaven. By means of the mantle fallen from Elijah, Elisha miraculously recrossed the Jordan, and so won from the prophets at Jericho the recognition that "the spirit of Elijah has rested upon Elisha". (2 Kings 2:1-15) - taken from www.newadvent.org
THE PROPHET JOEL!!
He belonged to the northern kingdom and began his prophetic career in the last years of Jeroboam II (786-746 B.C.) The eleventh chapter of Hosea is one of the summits of Old Testament theology; God's love for his people has never been expressed more tenderly. Hosea began the tradition of describing the relation between Yahweh and Israel in terms of marriage.
Written in the postexilic era, probably in the fifth century B.C., this book is a didactic story with an important theological message. It concerns a disobedient prophet who attempted to run away from his divine commission, was cast overboard and swallowed by a great fish, rescued in a marvelous manner, and sent on his way to Nineveh, the traditional enemy of Israel. To the surprise of Jonah, the wicked city listened to his message of doom and repented immediately. All, from king to lowliest subject, humbled themselves in sackcloth and ashes. Seeing their repentance, God did not carry out the punishment he had planned for them. Whereupon Jonah complained to God about the unexpected success of his mission; he was bitter because Yahweh, instead of destroying, had led the people to repentance and then spared them. From this partly humorous story, a very sublime lesson may be drawn. Jonah stands for a narrow and vindictive mentality, all too common among the Jews of that period. Because they were the chosen people, a good many of them cultivated an intolerant nationalism which limited the mercy of God to their nation. It was abhorrent to their way of thinking that nations as wicked as Assyria should escape his wrath.
The prophecy, which is both instructive and entertaining, strikes
directly at this viewpoint. It is a parable of mercy, showing that
God's threatened punishments are but the expression of a merciful will
which moves all men to repent and seek forgiveness. The universality of
the story contrasts sharply with the particularistic spirit of many in
the postexilic community. The book has also prepared the way for the
gospel with its message of redemption for all, both Jew and Gentile.
- taken from www.usccb.org
