Okay, let me address some of the points I didn't get before, due to lack of time.
First I have a general question about a comment on the Torah I read. Is it true that the written Torah is really a commentary on the Oral Torah given to Prophet Moses? I was under the impression that Prophet Moses was given the Torah actually recorded on tablets.
I'd appreciate any clarification on this subject.
Moving on,
I asked for evidence that Prophecy had ceased at the time of Prophet Muhammad pbuh and Prophet Jesus pbuh, and the evidence presented was:
The Talmud (Sanhedrin 11a, Yoma 9b, Sotah 48b, Tosefta Sotah 13:4, Shir HaShirim Rabbah 8:11) records a formal decision made by the Sanhedrin that the office of prophet was formally closed with Malachi.
They were the panel of 71 Judges who begun their appointment in the book of Judges (previously, since Judges could only be someone who had recieved smicha "ordination", Moses and Joshua had been the effective Judges of Torah law). Consider them the Jewish supreme court for Torah law, and each one had to be ordained in a direct line from Moses.
http://www.ou.org/about/judaism/sanhedrin.htm
These Judges are mandated by God in Deut. 16:18, but Sanhedrin usually refers to the highest court.
Devarim 16:18 You shall set up judges and law enforcement officials for yourself in all your cities that the Lord, your God, is giving you, for your tribes, and they shall judge the people [with] righteous judgment.
I can understand the appointment of Judges in any society, and its part of Islamic law as well, but I don't see where God gives the authority to the judges to determine when Prophecy pauses and for how long etc. If you examine the Rashi commentary, he only refers to the affairs of the society as the function of the Judges.
So if you could clarify how these Judges came up with this decision, it would be greatly appreciated.
Also I had trouble finding the references from the Talmud you provided. The format is very different from other scriptures, so if you could help me out in how to freferences from the Talmud, that would be greatly appreciated.
And Yoshiyahu also mentioned:
Hoshea 3:4-5 For the children of Israel shall remain for many days, having neither king, nor prince, nor sacrifice, nor pillar, nor ephod nor teraphim.
Afterwards shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God and David their king, and they shall come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness at the end of days.
And Rashi commentary reads:
having neither king nor prince nor sacrifice in the Temple in Judah.
nor pillar The pillar of Baal in Samaria of the kings of Israel.
nor ephod of the Urim and Tummim, which discloses to them hidden things.
teraphim They are images constructed, having in mind a particular hour established, at which time they speak of their own accord and tell of hidden things. So does Jonathan translate: and there shall be no ephod or oracle.
Yoshiyahu, I'm a little confused as to how this relates to a period with no Prophets. Even if it did, how do we know that this isn't the period between Prophet Jesus and Prophet Muhammad saws?
Moreover, SpaceFalcon has made an interesting point on Judaic theology:
Some commentative rules: Bad prophecies do not have to come true because God may have changed his mind, but Good events prophesized must come true as only those who merited them would recieve them.
So according to this, even if we found the ceasing of Prophets written anywhere in the Torah (which I have yet to see), God could have changed His mind and sent another Messenger!
So we already accpet that the covenant of God was for both Israel and Ishmael, and we have accepted that the Jews as a nation cannot claim perfect adherence to the Law througout history, just like any other nation cannot.
And we have seen that islam does not claim to be a new religion, but simply a continuation of the message of the previous Prophets.
I found the information on the Ark very interesting, but I'm still not sure how that demonstrates that Prophets cannot recieve revelation from God without it.
:W:
