Thanks. I will search more, however so far I see no “thus saith The Lord” in Maccabees. A bit rusty on Maccabees. Is there a prophet involved anywhere giving instructions to the Jews? Is there a reference to using the Urim and Thummim?
>> Is there a prophet involved anywhere giving instructions to the Jews? <<
That’s actually a fantastically complex question.
The exact quote, “Thus saith the lord” is not found in Maccabees, nor Genesis, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Ruth, Esther (the Hebrew version of which makes no mention whatsoever of God), Ezra, Nehemiah, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, or the Song of Solomon.
Are there any prophets in Maccabees?
Yes and no. Maccabees refers directly to the cessation of prophets. But then includes a prophet. Apparently, Maccabees’ denial of prophecy refers to the office which anointed a king. Some, including ancient Jews, have even denigrated Maccabees because the line of kings which was established by the brothers Maccabee was not anointed by a king and became thoroughly corrupted. But if the Book of Maccabees (first) specifically states that God is denying the people such a ruler, how can it be faulted in that the rules who emerged were not anointed?
But wait... no prophets, no prophecy and no prophecy, no Divine Word, right?
Not exactly. The denial of prophecy Maccabees refers to is an event which occurs BEFORE the completion of the exile. While God quit establishing messiahs (anointed kings) through the office of the prophet, the gift of divine inspiration persisted. In fact, Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah all followed that end of prophecy. Ancient Jews numbered “Daniel” among the books of History, in fact, because Daniel, while clearly a prophet in the sense of being one inspired with the Word of God, was not a prophet in the sense of being one through whom regal authority came. Also, Simeon and Anna were explicitly labelled prophets in the book of Luke.