Introduction: Prophet verses prophet -- I. The unfolding drama of research -- A. Prophecy in general -- B. "False" prophecy -- II. The crisis of faith -- A. Vox populi in ancient Israel -- 1. Confidence in God's faithfulness -- 2. Satisfaction with traditional religion -- 3. Defiance -- 4. Despair -- 5. Doubt as to God's justice -- 6. Historical pragmatism -- B. The question of the justice of God -- III. Prophecy's inability to face the challenge -- A.I Kings 13 -- A perspective on prophetic conflict -- 1. Exposition of I Kings 13 -- a. Barth's classic treatment -- b. Further clarification -- 2. Observations about the study of "False" prophecy -- a. Two mutually exclusive words claiming divine origin -- b. Massoretic text has no term for false prophet -- c. No valid criterion -- d. Narrow line between true and false prophecy -- e. Divine causality -- B. The lack of a valid criterion -- 1. Message-centered criteria -- a. Fulfillment or non-fulfillment -- b. Promise of weal or woe -- c. Revelatory form -- d. Allegiance to Yahweh or Baal -- 2. Criteria focusing upon the Man -- a. Prophetic office -- b. Immoral conduct -- c. Conviction of having been sent -- 3. The chronological criterion -- IV. The inevitability of false prophecy -- A. The transition from true to false prophecy: human culpability -- 1. The Biblical testimony -- a. Prophetic legend -- b. Prophetic fiction -- c. Prophetic oracles -- 2. Reasons for change -- a. Desire for success -- b. The king -- c. Popular theology -- d. Power of tradition -- 5. Emergence of individualism -- B. False prophecy as God's means of testing Israel: Divine responsibility -- 1. The "Demonic" in Yahweh -- a. Historical literature -- b. Prophetic literature -- c. Wisdom literature -- 2. Exegesis of Biblical passages -- a. Amos 4:6-12 -- b. I Kings 22:1-40 -- c. Isaiah 6:9-12 -- d. Ezekiel 14:1-11 -- 3. Theological observations -- V. Israel seeks a solution -- A. The prophets are honored and silenced -- 1. History of martyrdom -- 2. The chronicler's ideal view -- 3. Cultic prayers -- 4. Reasons for the failure -- B. Wisdom and apocalyptic fill the void -- Conclusion -- Excursus A: False prophecy in the New Testament period -- Excursus B: "esa and dabar: The problem of authority/certitude in wisdom and prophetic literature."