Category Archives: messiah
ROJ 4/5: Team 3: Question 1
1. Messiah in Jewish literature and Mark
White notes that messiah was a technical term with a specific meaning in early Israelite history. Moreover, when Judaism developed an apocalyptic worldview (200 BCE-100CE), Jewish writers expanded and developed the meaning of the word to fit their new historical circumstances (namely, oppression under foreign rule). Examine how the Jewish tradition worked with the concept of messiah:
a. How did early Israelite writers understand the term messiah and in what context was it typically used
Early Israelite writers understood the term messiah as the coming of the new era. The word “messiah” means “anointed” and is derived from the Hebrew word “mashach” which means “to pour”. It was used mostly to refer to a king. The king was viewed by the Israelites as God’s adopted son. This would declare the continuation of the royal lineage. The term “Messiah” changed based on the cultural climate that the Israelites were currently facing. Given the fact that the Bible was written in several different languages and translated , the contexts were bound to eventually become dubious to the reader without understanding historical context and root words.
b. How do passages like Psalms 2:1-7, 2 Samuel 7:11-17, and Isaiah 11:1-2 reflect early Israelite messianic views?
These passages reflect promises made to the Davidic line that a king shall reign and the throne will be established forever. Even though Judah was facing a dubious future these promises were iterated over and over. The prophet Isaiah predicted a coming king which is when the messianic views began to materialize more in the Israelite philosophy. The messiah was to gather the Israelites to Zion, build and protect the third temple, and continue the Davidic dynasty.
c. How did the rise of apocalypticism (200 BCE-100 CE) transform the meaning of messiah in later Jewish literature (provide a few specific examples from White)? What “job responsibilities” did these later writers give to the messiah, and how do these new attributes reflect an expansion of the idea of the messiah in early Israelite history?
The rise of apocalypticism transformed the meaning of Messiah into signifying a divine revelation. The historical context is that Judah came under Seleucid rule and Judah faced the hellenization which then propagated a revolt called the Maccabean revolt (167-164 BCE). Apocalyptic views may have been initiated first after Babylonian exile. The work that most concisely describes the apocalyptic worldview would be Enoch despite never being formally canonized. In this writing cosmic duality between good and evil and Satan vs God are themes. The battle for humankind and Earth produced apocalyptic imagery. The word “apocalypse” actually changed meanings – first it was the “end of present time” and then it changed to the “complete end of time”. The root meaning in Greek means “to uncover or reveal”.
d. Read Mk 1:9-11 in the context of the Jewish use of the term messiah. What claim is Mark making for Jesus?
Under the context of the Jewish use of the term messiah, Jesus is bringing about a new era that fulfills the prophet’s visions in Jewish eschatological writing. “…he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’” (Mark 1:10-11). The “Son of God” means the “anointed one” before it came to be part of the “Trinity” later established at the Council of Nicea. It is highly symbolic. The son is therefore the “king” who maintains the Davidic lineage. The baptism performed by John the Baptist thus carries with it some of the apocalyptic thinking of earlier Israelite authors. This means the changing of the era (or end time) is coming soon and Jesus fulfills the covenant for the Jews.
RoJ 4/5: Team 1, Question 1
Biblical texts were written in living languages. Over time, certain connotations, meanings of words, and phrases change to fit new contexts. It would follow, then, that how one reads and understands Biblical scriptures in the modern age differs from the age it was cast in. The word “Messiah”, especially, has grown to encompass much more following the rise of apocalyptic thinking around 200 BCE- 100 CE than some authors originally intended.
In the context of early Israelite authors, the term “Messiah” meant “anointed one,” especially in reference to an earthly king. The anointing of a king with oil was a symbol of that king’s calling to be set apart in the service of God. This service was carried out as God’s adopted son the Father’s Spirit upon him and, by extension, the kingdom (White, 25). By no means did reflect views that the king was a divine being on Earth, but it definitely set the king above the average man. That the anointing took place was considered a blessing and the fulfillment of God’s promise of the continuation of the Davidic kingdom. The job of the newly anointed son was to protect the Lord’s temple and dwelling place on Mount Zion (25).
The text itself reflects these notions and expectations of early messianic views in several sections, regarding several aspects of the job description. In several writings of the Bible, God promises the continuation of the Davidic kingdom (2 Samuel 7:12-13, 16; Isaiah 11:1) and His Spirit to be upon the anointed Israeli king (2 Samuel 7:14-15; Isaiah 11:2). God also affirms his adoption of the messianic king (2 Samuel 7:14; Psalm 2:7), and the king’s calling to build, maintain, and protect the Temple of God (2 Samuel 7:13; Psalm 2:6).
The rise of apocalypticism in Jewish thought changed the expectations surrounding the title of “Messiah”. Even the term “apocalypse” has changed, originally referring to the end of the present time, assuming a radical shift (socially, politically, etc.) that would bring about a new, better, era (White, 28). This post-apocalyptic age would supposedly be brought in by a messianic, conquering king who would bring about peace by, “…forcefully [purging] the nation of internal corruption and foreign influences.” (31) This conquering ruler, though, is not the ultimate victor in the battle between good and evil; that role is reserved for a prophetic or priestly messianic figure (31). Historically, though led by The Spirit and bringing about God’s will, neither figure is considered divine. These figures are similar to the traditional messiahs in that they serve and rule the kingdom of Israel with God’s blessing and Spirit, but differ in the extent to which they are called to do so. Rather than simply leading Israel, they are sent to save it from the context of critical times.
Looking specifically at the scene of Jesus’ baptism by his cousin, John the Baptist, the author of the gospel of Mark makes several claims about Jesus in his style of writing that bears the weight of pre and post-apocalyptic thinking. As Jesus completed the symbolic act of baptism, the text says that, “…he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’” (Mark 1:10-11). This clearly reflects the view that Jesus was, in fact, the anointed Messiah, in the way that the messianic king was viewed before the rise of apocalypticism by the literal descent of God’s Spirit and what is assumed to be His voice. God goes further to claim Jesus is His son. In Jewish thought, this would mean that the end times had drawn nearer with the sending of Jesus as the messianic king and deliverer of the nation of Israel. This, in no way, claims Jesus’ divinity, congruent with later messianic thinking, but it does set him up as being a part of God’s plan.