بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
والصلاة والسلام على رسوله الامين
In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful
Allah, Holy and Exalted is He, says,
الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ
Those who follow the Apostle, the Gentile Prophet, whom they find written about in the Torah and the Gospel
(7:157)
The undeniable prophecy about Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is written in the Torah:
נָבִ֨יא אָקִ֥ים לָהֶ֛ם מִקֶּ֥רֶב אֲחֵיהֶ֖ם כָּמֹ֑וךָ וְנָתַתִּ֤י דְבָרַי֙ בְּפִ֔יו וְדִבֶּ֣ר אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם אֵ֖ת כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲצַוֶּֽנּוּ
I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him
(Deuteronomy 18:18-19)
Some of the Rabbis and Jewish scholars claim that this prophecy about a Prophet like Moses is not referring to a single individual, but predicts the rise of a chain of Israelite Prophets, including the likes of Joshua, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others. But such an interpretation is clearly incorrect, as the passage is referring to a single Nabi, thereafter referred to with pronouns in the singular. The Jews aren’t even willing to acknowledge that any of their other Prophets was “like Moses” for they believe Moses was far superior to all the rest, and the Book of Deuteronomy itself says, “And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses” (Deuteronomy 34:10). The Gospel of John attests that the Jews were expecting a Prophet in addition to their expectation of Elijah and the Messiah (John 1:20-21)
The Qumran sect which wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls, who were likely Essenes, also believed a Prophet was yet to come, a distinct person from the Messiah. It is written in the Community Rule (Serek HaYahad), 1QS 9:11, “until there shall come the Prophet and the Messiahs of Aaron and Israel”. Scholars like John J. Collins, Geza Vermes, Lawrence H. Schiffman and James VanderKam all argue that the Prophet referred to here that the Dead Sea Scroll community were expecting is the one prophesied to appear in Deuteronomy 18:18.
1. Raymond E. Brown
ReplyDelete(Anchor Bible Commentary on the Gospel of John)
• Argues that “the Prophet” in John 1:21 is not Elijah or the Messiah, but a third distinct figure, based on Deut 18:15–18.
• He writes:
“The Prophet is almost certainly the eschatological prophet promised in Deut 18:15, 18 — a prophet like Moses.”
2. D. A. Carson
(Pillar New Testament Commentary)
• Also sees the question as rooted in Jewish messianic expectations, where people expected three eschatological figures:
• Elijah (Malachi 4:5)
• The Messiah (Davidic king)
• The Prophet (like Moses — Deut 18:18)
3. Craig S. Keener
(The Gospel of John: A Commentary)
• Notes that Second Temple Jews often expected a Mosaic prophet, particularly in light of Deuteronomy 18:18.
• Says this was a popular and distinct expectation, especially in times of political or religious upheaval.
The Samaritans also interpret Deuteronomy 18:18 as referring to a single Prophet like Moses who has not yet come. They call him the Taheb
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