Bible Lexicons

OGIS 111.18 shows us a προφήτης in Upper Egypt in ii/B.C.; and in Syll 790 (= .3 1157).22 (c. B.C. 100?), a procession is ordered in honour of the oracle of Apollo Coropaeus (Corope in the Pagasaean Gulf). The procession is formed of an elected ἱερεύς of Apollo, one each from the colleges of στρατηγοί and νομοφύλακες, one of the πρυτάνεις and a ταμίας, preceding τὸν γραμματέα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὸν προφήτην. The prophet is the interpreter of the oracle—";the composer"; would come nearer to fact—and the γραμματεύς takes down the response he dictates.

See also the list of religious officials in the Canopic Decree OGIS 56.4 (B.C. 238) (cf. the Rosetta stone ib. 90.6—B.C. 196) οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ προφῆται καὶ οἱ εἰς τὸ ἄδυτον εἰσπορευόμενοι πρὸς τὸν στολισμὸν τῶν θεῶν καὶ οἱ πτεροφόραι καὶ ἱερογραμματεῖς καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ἱερεῖς. Dittenberger notes ad l. that the προφῆται are ";interpretes oraculorum et scriptorum sacrorum,"; and for the title compares P Amh II. 56.3 (B.C. 146 or 135) Διόδωρος. . προφήτης Σοκνοπαίου θεοῦ μεγάλου Ἀμωνίωι χαίρειν, and similarly ib. 57.2. From Roman times we may add ib. 128.56 (A.D. 128) προφήτη (ς) Ἴσιδο (ς) : cf. also BGU I. 149.3 (ii/iii A.D.) τῷ προφήτῃ Σούχου θ [εοῦ μεγάλ ]ου μεγάλου, and ib. II. 488.3 (ii/A.D.) προφήτου. [. . ..] Συκατοίμεω ̣[ς, both passages cited by Deissmann BS p. 235 f., where also pointed attention is directed to the important fact that ";in Egypt the prophets were priests."; See also Otto Priester i. p. 80 ff., and in further illustration of the word in Hellenistic religious literature cf. Vett. Val. p. 63.19 ὁ γεννώμενος ἔσται μακάριος εὐσεβής, προφήτης μεγάλου θεοῦ καὶ ἐπακουσθήσεται ὡς θεός, and p. 67.22 ἐὰν δὲ ὁ τοῦ Διὸς συμπαρῇ αὐτῇ, ἔσται προφήτης εὐτυχὴς πλούσιος ἔνδοξος, πολλῶν ἀγαθῶν κυριεύσει.

The name of προφήτης is apparently given to a piece of land in P Fay 111.26 (A.D. 95–6) τὼν (l. τὸν) στίχον τον (l. τῶν) φυτου (l. φυτῶν) τῶν ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ πότισον, ";water the row of trees at ‘the prophet ’"; (Edd.).