messiah - lecture

Question 1

intro

Answer 1

• Confession at Caesarea Philippi (Mark 8:27)
• But…
  o Relatively sparse as title associated with JC in Gospel tradition – almost never spoken by Jesus
  o Exceptions = Mk 9:41, L 4:41, Mt 23:10, L 24:26
  o See Mk 14:51, 14:26, 31

Question 2

wrede and messianic secret

Answer 2

• Wrede and the Messianic secret
  o View of earliest Christology (Rom 1:3-4, Acts 2:36)
  o Title was added after JC death e.g. Paul letter to Romans
  o JC = adopted as God’s son after resurrection
  o Criteria of dissimilarity?
  o H, suspicious as many referred to JC as Christos etc.

Question 3

problem of messianism in judaism

Answer 3

o Meshiah = anointed
o ‘all the evidence for anointed figures (in the Old Testament) relates not to future redeemer figures but to historical figures’ (T&M, Jesus, p.532)
o Books of Samuel and Psalter mention kings as ‘Yahweh’s anointed’
♣ 1 Sam 12:3, 5
♣ Psalm 2:2, 18:51
o Also note Isaiah 45:1 for transference of term to Cyrus
o In exile, it is applied to High Priest (Lev 4:3, 5, 16)
o Cf. also late texts such as 1 Chron 29:22, Sir 45:15 and Dan 9:25

Question 4

use of term in Qumran

Answer 4

• absolute usage of term first attested at Qumran (oldest manuscript of OT, 2nd century BC) and subsequently in Psalms of Solomon
  o 1QS 9:9-11 ‘the prophet and the messiahs of Aaron and Israel’
  o CD 12:22-13:1
  o 4Q521
  o (majority of scrolls do not say anything about the messiah)
  o Psalms of Solomon 17:32, ‘and he will be a righteous king, taught by God, over them, and there will be no unrighteousness among them in his day, for all shall be holy, and their king shall be their Lord Messiah’
  ♣ Emphasis on anointed kingly figure
  o Ps of S 18:5-7, ‘may God purify Israel for the day of mercy…in bringing up his messiah. Blessed are those who shall be in those days, to see the good things of the Lord, which he will perform for the generation that is to come, under the rod of discipline of the Messiah of the Lord, in the fear of his God, in wisdom of spirit, and of righteousness and strength’
  o Note lack of militant Messiah here

Question 5

jewish basis

Answer 5

o 1 Enoch 48:10 and 52:4 – transcendent figure belonging to heavenly realm
o 4 Ezra 7:28-9 and 12:31-2 – ‘for my son, the Messiah, shall be revealed; this is the Messiah whom the most high has kept until the end of days, who will arise from the seed of David’
o 2 Baruch 29:3, 30:1, 39:7 – ‘and when it has been revealed, it will uproost the host gathered around it’
o 2 Baruch 40:1 – ‘the last ruler at that time will be left alive bound, after the entire host has been destroyed, and he will be put in fetters and carried to Mount Zion, and my Messiah will charge him with all his wicked deeds and will assemble and set before him all the works of his hosts’
o 2 Baruch 70:9 – ‘all will be delivered into the hands of my servant, the Messiah’
o SibOr 3.286-7 – ‘and then the God of Heaven will send a king and will judge each man in blood and the gleam of fire’
o SibOr 5.256-9 – ‘there will be one exalted man from the sky who stretched out his hands on the fruitful wood, the best of the Hebrews, who will one day cause the sun to stand still’
o SibOr 5.414-425 – speaks of man from heaven. Messiah will rebuild temple

Question 6

points to be made

Answer 6

o Difficult to construct picture as there is no clear definition of Messiah
♣ Figure who brings redemption, national figure?
o Relatively speaking, not a lot of material
♣ But…
• Messianic figures mentioned by Josephus and others
• Seem to have Messianic traits without being called Messiah
• Cf. esp. Simon and Anthronges in ‘Robber War’ (Ant 17.279)
o ‘if there really is no climate of messianic expectation, or if there is no latent messianic hope as a resource for the ordinary people to draw on, it is hard to see how these movements can attract support in large numbers’ (Chester, Messiah, p.357)

Question 7

problems with wrede

Answer 7

o Earliness of claim and striking association with Xian movement
♣ ‘here it is necessary to explain how the earliest Xians could think it appropriate to use ‘christos’ of Jesus, and set it centrally, yet also apparently assumes its applicability, and feel no special need to explain it’ (Chester, Messiah, p.310)
o very difficult to account for prominence of messianic title if JC never spoke of himself in that way
♣ cannot, for instance, arrive at explanation via resurrection
♣ ‘the title Messiah would have been unsuitable for interpreting a life which focused on the cross and resurrection…it could not have interpreted the cross and resurrection, but the cross and resurrection could have given it deeper meaning’ (T & M, Jesus, p.540)
o messianic secret in Mark: is it messianic or a secret, or consistently held?
- can we be as certain as some that messianism is not an issue in 1st cent Palestine?
o How to explain messianic figures in first Jewish revolt and period preceding?
o See Chester above

Question 8

triumphal entry

Answer 8

o Triumphal entry
♣ Role of Zech 9:9
♣ Davidic element prominent at end of ministry, in Jerusalem, but not before?

Question 9

title

Answer 9

♣ but merely tells us about substance of accusation made against JC, not self-consciousness
♣ but would there not have had to have been some substance to charge for Romans to have proceeded?
♣ Also note prominence of questions re. messianic identity at trial

Question 10

luke 4:16-21

Answer 10

♣ Clearly programmatic
♣ Seen in Mt 11:4-5/L 7:22-3
♣ Portrayed as fulfilling Isaiah 61:1
♣ Note 11QMelch and 4Q521 – JC fulfilling duties associated with prophet anointed with spirit

Question 11

JC as non-militant messiah

Answer 11

o note contrast between Z 9:9 and militant expectation
♣ Z can be taken to imply overthrow of Roman Empire
♣ Same with JC – speaks of future kingdom which is very different from present reality but never makes it plain how it will come into being
o Note how Davidic descent of JC is taken for granted in NT (Rom 1:3-4) but that JC never lays claim to it. Seems to view it as inadequate in Mk 12:36-7
o How do we understand Mk 8:27-30 and 14:61-2
♣ Sense of get behind me satan at Mk 8:33

Question 12

conclusions

Answer 12

• Messianic hopes and expectations perculated JC’s ministry in whatever form
• Cannot talk of predominant and unified messianic ideology at time of JC.
  o But…hints particularly from later 1st cent material that it is wrong to dismiss it as an elite or obscure title
  o Wrede and others’ attempts to rid dominical tradition of messianic character is problematic, not least because it is difficult to account for the swift way in which JC (and his followers) became associated with title (very quickly becomes equiv. to name)
• Trying to discover what JC meant by term = difficult
  o Dominical tradition = parsimonious in use of term (more prominent in final days)
  o Usage not associated obviously with violence
  o Difficulty in defining what JC means by KofG or SofM – complex redefinition?

Question 13

son of man in NT

Answer 13

• Term confined to Gospels exc. Acts 7:56 and Rev 14:14
  o Though note Jer’s view that Paul knew of term but chose not to use it: 1 Cor 15:27, Phil 3:21 which betray knowledge of Psalm 80 and 1 Cor 15:21 and Rom 5:15 for use of ‘man’ for JC
• In synoptic tradition usage confined entirely to JC (only in J 12:34 is it in another’s mouth)
• Found in all parts of tradition: 13 x in Mk, 12 x Q, 8 x M, 6 x L, 11 x J

Question 14

3 types of general usage

Answer 14

o 7 sayings re. earthly activity of JC as SM (cf. Mk 2:10, Mt 8:20/L 9:58)
o more referring to suffering SofM (Mk 8:31, L 22:48)
o some referring to heavenly SofM, picking up on Dan 7 (Mk 8:38, Mt 24:27/L 17:24, Mk 13:26, 14:62)

Question 15

historical background - psalm 80 and dan 7

Answer 15

• Ezekiel and Psalm 80 – in former refers to humanity of prophet, in Ps 80:17, one who sits on right hand of God identified as SofM (parallels with Mk 14:62? Unlikely)
• Dan 7:13 – ‘I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven…to him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples and nations, and languages, should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed’
  o Figure linked with ‘Saints of Most High’ in 7:18, 22 and 27 – purely symbolic?

Question 16

1 enoch general

Answer 16

• 1 Enoch 37-71 (Similitudes of Enoch)
  o problem with date
  ♣ some think not pre-Xian
  ♣ no portions of Sim in Qumran
  ♣ portions of all other parts appear there
  ♣ no portion amongst Greek fragments (only available in Ethiopic)
  ♣ v few Xian writers of first 4 cents use Sim
  ♣ for some dating hinges:
  • ref. to Parthian invasion of Palestine in 40BC (56:5)
  • ref. to Herod great (67:8-13)

Question 17

1 enoch depiction

Answer 17

♣ developed interp of Dan 7:13 – explicitly identified as messianic figure (48:10, 52:4)
♣ God chose him and him in heaven before world was created (48:3, 6, 62:7)
♣ At final judgment will sit on God’s throne and execute judgment for righteous against rebellious angels
♣ No reference to ‘coming with clouds of heaven’ – suggests route from earth to heaven where SM in Sim is already in heaven
♣ Note anomaly of Ch 71 where Enoch becomes SM and Sm ascends from earth to heaven (71:14)

Question 18

4 ezra

Answer 18

• 4 Ezra 13:2-4
  o ‘and behold, a wind arose from the sea and stirred up all its waves. And I looked, and behold, this wind made something like the figure of a man come up out of the heart of the sea. And I looked, and behold, that man flew with the clouds of heaven; and whenever he turned his face, everything under his gaze trembled’

Question 19

observations re. som

Answer 19

o all texts interpret SM individually rather than collectively
o SM generally interpreted messianically in combination with other OT texts (like Isaiah 11, 42)
o Differences in understanding nature
♣ 1 Enoch 37-30 = angelic figure created before world
♣ 1 Enoch 71 = human figure (like in 4 Ezra 13)
♣ in synoptic tradition, SM takes heavenly place (Mt 19:28, L 22:29), in Mk 14:62, Parousia is assumes
o some see figure as coming to God as in Daniel, others don’t (1 Enoch 48:2)
o ‘thus we cannot speak of a unified ‘son of man’ tradition in ancient Judaism…what we see instead is a shared set of messianic and messianically interpreted scriptural texts that exegetes combine and interpret in various ways to produce a variety of portraits of the Messiah’ (Burkett 1999, p.120)

Question 20

general Aramaic usage of som with 3 poss usages

Answer 20

o Awkward phrase in Greek, originally Aramaic?
o But not a lot of Aramaic from time of JC
o 3 poss usages
♣ human beings in general
♣ some human being
♣ periphrasis for ‘I’

Question 21

2 examples of Aramaic use of som

Answer 21

♣ ‘it is said that rabbi (Judah) was buried in a single sheet, because, he said, it is not as bar enasha goes that he will come, But the rabbis say, as bar enash goes, so he will come again’ (j. Ket. 35a)
♣ ‘R. Simeon ben Yohai said; If I had stood on Mount Sinai when the Torah was given to Israel, I would have asked the merciful one to create two mouths for bar nasha (i.e. for me or man like me), one for the study of the Torah and one for the provision of all his needs’ (j. Ber. 3b)
o note that large number of SM sayings in Gospel tradition have been transmitted in two forms, one with SM, and one without (L 6:22, Mt 5:11)

Question 22

bultmann

Answer 22

♣ apocalyptic/messianic use common one at time
♣ JC not such a figure
♣ Invented by overly enthused church
♣ Insofar as JC spoke of such a figure, spoke of another figure (see esp. Luke 12:8)

Question 23

sm sayings as not actually applied to JC

Answer 23

o But can we talk about unified SM tradition at time of Jesus (could Jesus have used such a term to refer to coming Messiah?)?
o Can we dismiss nearly all SM sayings when not used by early church to describe JC, when only title found exclusively on own lips?
o Is JC tradition non-messianic?
o Distinction between JC and SM heavily based upon L 12:8 and Mt 19:28 but need not be interpreted in such a way
o T & M compare 2 Cor 12:1 with JC usage
♣ ‘what Paul writes about a past ecstatic experience, Jesus says about a future ecstatic experience; with the dawn of the Kingdom of God he expected to assume the role he attributed to the SM. The turning point will come unexpectedly. With it, he, too, will be changed, like the whole world’
o note parallel to L 12:8 in Mt 10:32, where have ‘I’ instead of ‘SM’

Question 24

minimalism and som

Answer 24

o Vermes 1973, Casey 1979, Lindars 1983 – simply a circumlocution for ‘I’, man in general, or main in limited group (‘person in my position’)
o Aside from philological justification, which is less well-established than sometimes thought, based upon total rejection of eschatological/messianic interpretation, in part because belief of no known tradition of messianic interpretation at time of JC
o Dependent in part upon late dating of 1 Enoch 37-71 and upon excluding possibility that JC = capable of interacting with tradition (Dan 7?) creatively – assumes creative of tradition
o If ‘I’, why not simply translated this way instead of awkward phrase SM?

Question 25

symbol and som

Answer 25

o Hooker (1967) and Moule (1979) – reject idea that titular, though clear that refers to Danielic figure (Moule’s argument about the almost exclusively demonstrative use of ‘ho’)
o Note Josephus’ clear view that Daniel was an important text during his lifetime (Ant, 10.267-8) although it does not mention Dan 7 (possibly because known to be anti-Roman oracle?)
o Insofar as Daniel refers to symbolic figure, representing people, who because he is faithful, obedient and suffering will be vindicated (‘he used Daniel’s human figure as not primarily a title so much as a symbol for the vocation to victory though obedience and martyrdom to which he was called and to which he summoned his followers’, Moule)
o SM on lips of JC refers to role of SM in Daniel, and only subsequently becomes titular
o But can JC’s rather emphatic, personal usage be understood purely symbolically?
o Did the title have no titular/messianic resonance at time of JC?

Question 26

titular and som

Answer 26

o Horbury 1998
o Messianic interpretation of Dan 7 disparately witnessed (two apocalypses; John 12:34; Sibylline oracle 5:414-33; some rabbinic material; also material at Qumran)
o Evidence for messianic interpretation of word ‘man’ – cf. LXX of Num. 24:7
♣ ‘there shall come forth a man…who shall rule many nations’
o note Targum which is explicitly messianic
o also note SibOr 5.414
o messianic interpretations of word ‘man’ strengthen messianic associations of term

Question 27

conclusions re. som

Answer 27

• clearly feature of JC’s speech – oddish Greek and not title which comes to prominence in early church
• some evidence of speculation about term, but not consistent or clearly pre-Christian (though note Horbury’s strong efforts to argue for pre-Xian messianic usage)
• circumlocutory interpretations don’t quite succeed in explaining how term comes to be seen as so much part of JC’s speech, particularly theory of Vermes where Sm circumlocution for ‘I’. Forced also to draw on late sources for examples
• good grounds for thinking that term has something to do with Danielic passage (Moule’s arguments about prominence of Daniel at the time of Jesus and demonstrative use of definite article). But how is Daniel being used?
• Symbolic view of Moule and Hooker has advantage that takes seriously possibly symbolic use of Dan 7 to represent ‘saints of most high’ and Jesus’ apparent use of term in context of suffering and vindication. But why should the phrase become titular, if originally it had no titular sense?

Question 28

advantage/problems with messianic interpretation of som

Answer 28

• Messianic interpretation problematic because:
  o There is no clear evidence of pre-Xian messianic usage
  o Based on passages which some treat suspiciously.
• Advantage is that it takes seriously messianic thrust of JC’s ministry and apparently makes unexpected use of phrase, though note that for Jesus never ‘one like son of man’
• Ultimately opaque term but more honorific than not