About this text
Discover the surprising list of 72 prophets and prophetesses from ancient texts, including familiar and forgotten names.
Epiphanius of Salamis (c. 310/320–403) was bishop of Salamis, the chief city of Cyprus, and a vigorous defender of orthodox Christian teaching. He wrote this catalogue to give readers a complete numbered list of the prophets and prophetesses recognized in Scripture.
The work is a summary catalogue rather than a sustained argument. Epiphanius first lists sixty-three prophets, beginning with Adam and continuing through the Old Testament to John the Baptist. He then adds nine further figures who possessed a small portion of prophecy, bringing the total to seventy-two prophets. Finally he enumerates ten prophetesses separately, from Sarah to Mary the Mother of God.
A reader will meet many familiar biblical figures, from patriarchs such as Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, through Moses, David, Solomon, Elijah, and Elisha, to the major and minor prophets. Some names are less familiar or uncertain, such as Idithun, Aeman, and Aetham, who appear to be temple singers, and Oziel, Eliad, Joad, Addo, Obed, Abdadon, and Amase, whose identities are unclear. The old man in Bethel may be the unnamed prophet of 1 Kings 13. The term prophet means a person through whom God speaks, and prophetess means a woman through whom God speaks. The author uses the old Greek names of Bible books, which are rendered here in their familiar English forms.
Printed text used
- Translated from PG 41 – 43
We have not yet re-checked this work against its source. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Greek on any section to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.
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