False Prophets
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
. Scripture also mentions false prophets and even pagan priests who, though neither called nor sent by God, prophesied from their own invention to the harm of their neighbors and led them away from the path of truth. Among them were Hananiah in the days of King Zedekiah; Ahab and Shemaiah during the exile; Noadiah the prophetess in Nehemiah’s time; and Bar-jesus, a Jew encountered by the Apostle Paul. Many similar false prophets appeared in the Christian world during the apostolic age.