Who were the divinely inspired writers of the Old Testament who wrote about their time and the future?

Answer 1

Of course none of the Old Testament authors really wrote about the future: the Hebrew concept of a prophet began as someone who could communicate directly with God. This ability did not require them to be able to foretell the future.

Later, the term 'prophet' began to mean a person who could foretell the future, particularly in Christianity. This helps justify reinterpreting the works of the ancient prophets, to find new meanings. After all, once a prophet is recognised as being able to prophesy, then it becomes our job to find those hidden prophecies.

The Old Testament does talk of quite a few prophets, particularly during the period of the Divided Monarchy. The earlier legendary heroes of the Hebrew nation were considered patriarchs, then judges, so in some ways the biblical prophets of this period simply take over from patriarchs and judges.

Isaiah, son of Amoz, wrote the important Book of Isaiah during the reigns of Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah of Judah. The fact that this book was modified and substantially extended by "Second Isaiah" and "Third Isaiah" during and after the Babylonian Exile does not detract from the importance of Isaiah as a prophet. Jeremiah witnessed the fall of Jerusalem and wrote while in Jerusalem during the period of the Exile. Isaiah and Jeremiah are often considered the most significant prophets in The Bible.

The importance of the biblical prophets increased during the dark days of the Babylonian Exile and in the period after the Return, not only with the completion of the Book of Isaiah, but also such further works as Ezekiel and several others. This was arguably the great period of biblical prophets, but the groundwork was laid during the monarchy.