Does this constitute Prophetic Utterance

[Benguin]

Having many people come in your name and say that they are you is indeed a very unexpected event. I certainly don't ever expect this to happen to me, and indeed, I don't expect this to happen to even the greatest leaders throughout history.

Yes, but those examples did not believe they were the "Son of God". Also, don't forget, the actual writing was done by Matthew some years later while he was trying organise followers of christ, we don't know if someone called Jesus actually said that.

Can you imagine George Washington saying that? Or Ghandi? Or Alexander the Great? Or Donald Trump? I can't. It takes an unexpected amount of hubris to say "many people will claim to be me."

I do accept your point, but I don't think the claims any of those people made about themselves equate. We are talking about someone with a (the?) Messiah complex, these guys (Matthew and/or Jesus) were trying to set up a new religion to supplant Judaism. My Encarta defines hubris thus;
2. Excessive ambition: the excessive pride and ambition that usually leads to the downfall of a hero in a classical tragedy.
I think that's close enough!

 

[evildave]

So, what of Muad Dib (Paul Atredes) in Dune? He thought he was the messiah, so whatever he said about golden paths and robotic doomsdays must be true? Heck, his kid even went on to be God Emperor of Dune.

Does that make all the reincarnation/spiritual gobbledygook in the novel true?

 

[Navigator]

But it does matter. Going back to Hexxenhammers Sherlock Holmes example, if Jesus was a fictional character, then his words have no more weight than those of Sherlock Holmes. If the writer of Sherlock Holmes had Holmes say soething that later turned out to be true, would you then accept Arthur Conan Doyle as a prophet?

Now I have no idea whether Anything that Holmes ever said predicted the future but I know Jules Verne predicted manythings in his stories. Does that make Verne a prophet?

Lastly, the statement itself is rather vague and lends itself to a lot of intepretation. So having it fulfilled means very little anyway.

But it does matter? To whom does it matter who worte the words and who is attributed in having uttered them?

If the answer is "To The Christians, then yes I agree - to the Christians it does matter.

However, in the light that I am speaking, what is important is not who said them, but that they are recorded, and wheather the words themselves constitue prophesy.

It has already been established that they do not.

 

[Benguin]

So, what of Muad Dib (Paul Atredes) in Dune? He thought he was the messiah, so whatever he said about golden paths and robotic doomsdays must be true? Heck, his kid even went on to be God Emperor of Dune.

Does that make all the reincarnation/spiritual gobbledygook in the novel true?

Yes ... maybe I needed to qualify the statement more. The fact these people think they are messiahs mean it is highly likely they will say those things. It doesn't necessarily mean they will transpire, just that they will say them.

It's a bit of a win-win, if no-one remembers them and their statements, then the failed prophecy will never be remembered. Bringing us neatly back to sylvia browne ....

Apparently Sun Moon Mon says very similar things about himself. Should his followers still be carrying on in a thousand years and arguying over who knows "the true path" I still don't think that is prophecy or exceptionally intuitive.