Prolepsis in Scripture
In my previous post, I quoted 1
Nephi 11:33. Referring to the then-future crucifixion of Jesus, Nephi wrote
that Christ “was lifted up upon the cross.” Other instances of past
tenses being used for then-future events in the Book of Mormon could be
multiplied. This is a literary form called “prolepsis,” where something
then-future is spoken of in the past as it is sure to happen in the eyes of the
speaker/author, and permeates both Old and New Testaments. In the latter, two
potent examples would be John 17:22 and Jude 1:14-15.
In John 17:22, Jesus, speaking of
his followers, states that:
And the
glory which thou gavest me I have given them . . .
Such glory is said to have been “given”
(δεδωκα,
the indicative perfect active of διδωμι) to Christ’s followers, notwithstanding it was not
given to them at that time, but a then-future promise.
In Jude 1:14-15, speaking of the
prophet Enoch, we read:
And Enoch
also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied (Προεφήτευσεν) of
these, saying, behold the Lord cometh (ἦλθεν) with ten thousands
of his saints, to execute judgement (ποιῆσαι κρίσιν) upon all, among
them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all
their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
In this pericope, Enoch is quoted,
being said to have “prophesied,” and writes of God having “cometh” and having “[executed]
judgement.” The Greek underlying this text uses aorist tenses for the verbs “to
prophecy” (προφητευω); “to come” (ερχομαι) and “to do” judgement (ποιεω). However, none of
these events occurred during Encoh’s lifetime, but due to the fidelity of God
to his promises, it was so sure in the mind of Enoch, he could confidently
speak of them as past actions. Another term that is used for this literary form
in Scripture is the “prophetic perfect” (cf. the Fourth Servant Hymn in
Isaiah).