He has spoken through the prophets

The Holy Spirit worked in the hearts and minds of the prophets of the Old Testament, just as He did among the early Christians and continues to do in our lives today. This article of the Creed highlights the connection between the Spirit’s presence in the Old Testament and in the New Testament.

The English word prophet is a transliteration of the Greek word prophētēs, which means “to say beforehand.” Besides foretelling the future, the prophets also spoke God’s judgment on things – to evaluate the affairs of the world from the perspective of God’s purposes.

In the Creed, the Greek word lalësan (spoken) is used to indicate the production of audible sound. Further, the word ‘dia’ (through) does not just mean ‘through’ in the sense of “by way of” but “through to the other side.”  It connotes the breaching of a barrier, passage from one realm to another, or movement across extreme limits. 

So, the phrase “spoken through the prophets” identifies the Holy Spirit as, “the one having spoken to us audibly from heaven, the prophets as his media.”

The Holy Spirit communicated God’s word through chosen human instruments, the prophets of the Old Covenant (like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel) and the apostles and evangelists of the New Covenant. The Spirit inspired their words, guiding them to proclaim divine truth faithfully.

The Holy Spirit has acted throughout time, not only in the New Testament, but from the very beginning of salvation history. He is the divine author and inspirer of God’s revelation. He inspired not only the prophets but also the Scriptures, the Tradition handed down by the Church Fathers, and the Magisterium of the Church.

The Greek word for “inspired” (theópneustos) literally means “God-breathed,” and this idea of “breath” is intimately connected to the Holy Spirit.

Moses is regarded as an important prophet in the Old Testament. During the Exodus, God took some of the spirit that was upon Moses and bestowed it on the seventy elders. When the spirit came to rest on them, they began to prophesy.

On the day of Pentecost, the first disciples were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

The Spirit brings the prophecies of the Old Testament to their complete fulfillment in Christ whose mystery he reveals in the New Testament.

The Apostle Peter's second epistle sheds some insight: “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

St. Paul writes, " All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.”

I believe the Holy Spirit inspired those who spoke in the name of God. He has continued throughout history to guide the faithful, by the inspiration of Scripture and the Magisterium, to grow in holiness, living as confessors of the faith and even dying as martyrs for it.