John the Baptist and "prophetic drought"

[KyleB]

So I was reading in Luke, and I noticed that Anna is referred to as a prophetess, and also Simeon had received a word from God. But it is usually said that from the close of the OT until John's ministry God had kept silent. If this is so, then in what sense could Anna be called a prophetess?

[steve]

When it is said that there were no "prophets" between Malachi and John, I think it does not mean that there were no people to whom God communicated. The prophets referred to would be those who were sent as spokesmen with God's message to Israel or Judah—often committing their messages to writing (notable exceptions to this last feature would be Elijah, Elisha and John). I think there were probably people like Anna, Zacharias and Simeon, who received personal communications from God, throughout the whole period. There were apparently no writing prophets after Malachi.

[KyleB]

Thanks Steve, that seems like a good way to make sense of it. Would that be similar to your view that the gift of prophecy is still active today, but that we may not have any "Prophets" among us?