Saturday, August 9, 2014

Prolepsis in Scripture

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).