Faith and Philosophy

Volume 24, Issue 4, October 2007

PROPHECY WITHOUT MIDDLE KNOWLEDGE

While it might seem prima facie plausible that divine foreknowledge is all that is needed for prophecy, this seems incorrect. To issue a prophecy, God has to know not just how someone will act, but how someone would act were the prophecy issued. This makes some think that Middle Knowledge is required. I argue that Thomas Flint’s two Middle Knowledge based accounts of prophecy are unsatisfactory, but one of them can be repaired. However the resources needed for repair also yield a sketch of a foreknowledge-only account of prophecy.