에스라 2:63의 미드라쉬

(Ib., b) "Since the death of the first prophets the Urim and Tummin were abolished." Who are the first prophets? Said R. Huna: "Samuel, David, and Solomon." R. Nachman said: "During the days of David it sometimes happened that the Urim and Tummim responded and sometimes they did not respond; for when Zadok the priest asked in the Urim and Tummim they did respond to him, while when Abiator asked they did not respond to him, as it is said (II. Sam. 15, 24) And Abiator went up." Rab and Samuel raised the following objection, (II Chr. 26, 5) And he set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the division of God. Does this not refer to the Urim and Tummim? [Hence they were in existence after the days of Solomon]. Nay, this refers to prophesy. Come, listen to the following: Since the destruction of the first Temple, the towns with their open space [that had been assigned to the Levites], were abolished and the use of the Urim and Tummim. were stopped, royalty also ceased from the House of David, and if someone will whisper to you the passage (Ez. 2, 63) And the Tirshatha said unto them that they should not eat of the Holy things till there should stand up a priest with the Urim and Tummim, [which shows that it was in existence during the days of Ezra]. Say to him: "This passage is to be taken allegorically, just as one says to his friend, 'Until the resurrection of the dead and Messiah the son of David will come;' " [hence we see that they nevertheless were in existence prior to the destruction of the Temple and not as explained by R. Huna that it was only in the days of Solomon]. R. Nachman, however, explained that the first prophets include all the prophets with the exception of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, who are called the last prophets, as we are taught: Since the death of the last prophets, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, the Holy vision disappeared from Israel and they were still making use of a Heavenly voice, etc.