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We know there were Christian prophets in the decades after the Resurrection, but did Paul consider himself to be one of them? What do we know about his understanding of Christian prophecy? In 1 Cor. 11:23 Paul says: "I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you" and proceeds to explain the significance of the Lord’s Supper. Was his reception and deliverance of this teaching and a type of didactic prophecy similar to teachings the OT prophets received from the Lord?
Among the Christian prophets mentioned in Acts are Agubus (11:28), the teachers and prophets of the Antiochan church (13:1), the four unmarried daughters of Philip (21:9) and others. Paul, of course, mentions prophecy as one of the "higher gifts" to be earnestly sought by church members.
God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets,
third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers,
administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues. Are all
apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all
interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. (1 Cor.
12:28-31)
Did Paul think of himself as having the gift of prophecy?
Earlier in 1 Corinthians, he explained how he received and passed on the tradition of the Lord’s Supper:
I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord
Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had
given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for
you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (1 Cor. 11:23-25)
Reading the passage literally, Paul speaks as if he was sharing a revelation from God, rather than a tradition taught to him by the other apostles. Was Paul speaking as a prophet here?
In 1 Corinthians 7:25, Paul admits he is not speaking with a teaching "from the Lord" but simply as a one who must be trusted:
Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a
judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.
But in 2 Corinthians 12:1 Paul does not hold back from claiming that he is, if not a prophet per se, at least a visionary:
I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will
go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.
In one passage, Paul even indicates that prophecy, in effect, flows through the congregation from member to member and is not limited to a single person:
you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and
encouraged. (1 Cor. 14:31)
What do these passages and other relevant scriptures tell us about Christian prophecy generally and the question of whether Paul thought of himself as a prophet as well as an apostle?
