The Prophet as Performer: An Analysis of Symbolic Acts in The Old Testament

Abstract

The aim of this article is to investigate the potential relationships between the manifestations of Old Testament prophets and contemporary actionism, using the case study method, the hermeneutics of the artistic act and the performantive criticism method. The starting hypothesis is that the actions performed by biblical prophets can be described as performative acts, through the use of their own bodies, language, gestures, objects with symbolic functions, a specific scenography of the prophetic act, and even the ritualistic aspect of the manifestation, all intended to convey a supernatural message. The research results may indicate that by assigning a precise purpose to the action, using a well-defined scenography, and integrating gestures and language with symbolic-ritual characteristics, a correlation can be established between the biblical prophet and the actionist artist. The prophet could be attributed the qualities of a performer, and his manifestation could be defined as a performative act.