messiah - notes

Question 1

scholem and messiah conflict

Answer 1

o Messianic attitudes amongst Xians/Jews differ based on attitudes to redemption
♣ J – public event
♣ X – private, individual
o View that JC is Messiah was a cause for conflict between Judaism and Xianity
o Should investigate messianism as a theology rather than the Messiah
o Conflict between J/X means they both have mutual exclusivity

Question 2

dahl and ot

Answer 2

‘Where the language is direct and open about the forbearance of the suffering Christ, it is nearly always connected with Old Testament allusions’

Question 3

schweitzer, non messianic character of ministry

Answer 3

o : ‘nonmessianic character of Jesus’ public ministry in relation to his messiahship affirmed by the sources’ (35)
o Schweitzer response: problem is in ‘either the nature of the Jewish Messianic conception, or in the representation of the Evangelist’ (Quest of the Historical Jesus, 1954, p.335)

Question 4

bultmann and crucifixion

Answer 4

♣ JC was crucified as a messianic prophet. JC as messiah ‘belongs to the dogmatic motifs of the passion story’ (36)
♣ Accusation in Mark 15:2 is a secondary expansion parallel to 15:3-5.
• However… this does not prove that inscription of charge at 15:26 is secondary.
• Motif cannot be secondary since it is contained in the scene where soldiers do mock homage to JC (Mark 15:9)
• The motif is also significant in John, which is not dependent on the Synoptics (John 18:33, 19:1-3, 12-15)

Question 5

dahl and JC death

Answer 5

o Dahl argues that Scripture and discussion of first Xians with Jews were secondary factors to development of JC as Messiah. ‘The messiahship of the crucified Jesus is rather the presupposition that lies at the root of all the scriptural evidence de Christo. Since the central place of the name ‘Messiah’ cannot be explained from the preaching of Jesus, there remains only one possibility: the title ‘Messiah’ was inseparably connected with the name of Jesus because Jesus was condemned and crucified as a messianic pretender’ (39-40)
♣ H… the resurrection is God’s validation of JC’s divinity. He was not a pretender
o JC crucified as King of Jews is a historical event that shaped the meaning of the Xian dogma of JC as Messiah.
o Jesus as Messiah is not ‘re-Judaising’ but rather a ‘radical Christianising of the Jewish title of Messiah’ (40)

Question 6

dahl summary

Answer 6

o JC as Messiah did not come from Jewish concept/preaching of JC/or resurrection alone. It was the fact that JC was crucified as a messianic pretender. This led the ‘early church to reinterpret christologically messianic texts and to read as messianic predictions texts not applied to the Messiah in Judaism’ (58)
♣ However…. Resurrection central to Xian belief in JC as true Messiah
o Easter events were unexpected. Ended up being interpreted in relation to eschatological hope etc. this was not predicted by Jewish Messianic ideas.
o ‘the events of Jesus’ death and resurrection led to a heightening of eschatological anticipation’ (58)
o Idea of JC returning at end of time was not anticipated in Jewish messiahship.
o Salvation continued to be associated with JC.
o JC is eschatological figure because ‘through him the promises of God are fulfilled’ (60)

Question 7

dahl on JC authority

Answer 7

• ‘Jesus did not, I think, proclaim himself to be the Messiah….yet he acted and spoke with an authority that made both adherents and adversaries think that he might possibly be the Messiah who was to come, or a false pretender’ (74)

Question 8

brandon

Answer 8

• Brandon: compared JC to messianic kings who aimed to violently free Israel
  o Was crucified as King of the Jews between two zealots
  o ‘Jesus met at the hands of the Romans the same fat suffered by Judas of Galilee and his two sons, and on…the cross that bore his title ‘The King of the Jews’…as the Romans contemptuously called Israel’s resistance fighters, the Zealots’ (Jesus and the Zealots, 1967, p.140-50)

Question 9

chilton, title rabbi

Answer 9

• Chilton, most commonly used title re. JC is rabbi (Matt 26:25, Mark 9:5, 10:51, 11:21, John 1:38, 4:31, 6:25)
  o A Galilean Rabbi, p.34
  o Chilton also highlights how JC showed many qualities of priest/teacher. Matt 17:24-26 temple tax, Mark 1:40-44 cleansing of leper
  o Temple = theme of forgiveness

Question 10

1QSb 5:20-29

Answer 10

o describes political Messiah who will be a ‘great warrior, a guardian of the poor, a man of piety and righteousnes’ (99)
♣ ‘You shall devastate the earth by your scepter, and by the breath of your lips you shall slay the ungodly’ (24-5)

Question 11

o 4Q246 1:1-2:9

Answer 11

♣	‘He shall be hailed ‘Son of God’ (2:1)
♣	‘(Then) his kingdom (shall be) an everlasting kingdom, and all his ways (shall be) in truth’ (2:5) 
♣	Parallels with Isaiah 10:20-11:16
•	Speak of royal heir who will judge 
•	Peace is anticipated
•	Submission of people to royal heir 
♣	Suggests messianic interpretation 
♣	Parallels with Luke 1:32-35
♣	Parallels Synoptic tradition of calling JC Son of God (Matt 4:3, 6, 16:1, Mark 3:11, 15:39)

Question 12

triumphal entry

Answer 12

o Reminiscent of Solomon mounting a donkey and being proclaimed king (1 Kings 1:32-40)
o When Jehu was anointed and proclaimed king, garments were placed on steps before him (2 Kings 9:12-13)

Question 13

political rebel - sword/political change

Answer 13

• Anticipated and encouraged social/political change
o ‘Blessed are you poor’ (Luke 6:20)
o ‘How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God’ (Mark 10:23-7)
• ‘I bring not peace but a sword’ (Matt 10:34-6, Luke 12:51-3)
o ‘the kingdom that he envisions will divide Jewish society’ (312)

Question 14

messianic prophecy - isaiah 11:1-2

Answer 14

♣ Isaiah 11:1-2 continues link between Messianic expectation and prophecy
• Paraphrased in the Targum, ‘and a king shall come forth from the sons of Jesse, and the Messiah shall be exalted from the sons of his sons. And upon him shall rest the spirit of prophecy’

Question 15

luke 4:16-30

Answer 15

• Luke 4:16-30, Jesus reads Isaiah 61:1-2, ‘the spirit of the Lord is upon me… he has anointed me’

Question 16

cleansing of temple

Answer 16

♣ Mark 11:15-18, cleansing of Temple may be a reflection of Psalms of Solomon 17:30, ‘and he (i.e. the Messiah) will glorify the Lord in a distinguished placed over all the earth. And he will cleanse Jerusalem in holiness’
• ‘it is possible that a cleansing of the Temple would have been understood to be part of this cleansing of Jerusalem’ (452)

Question 17

conzelmann and lindemann on peter confession

Answer 17

• Peter confession – Conzelmann and Lindemann, Interpreting the New Testament, p.219
  o The pericope ‘has no historical core; instead it is a theologoumenon…. Representatively, Peter voices for all believers the confession that Jesus is the Christ’

Question 18

neusner - messiah as fulfilling expectation

Answer 18

• ‘On the model provided by Matthew and Luke, the messiah emerges not as an abrupt response to a contemporary crisis, but as the ultimate fulfillment of centuries of accumulated hope and intensifying expectation.’ (6)

Question 19

Luke 24:27

Answer 19

• They emphasised JC’s fulfilment of scripture through his death etc. this is particularly seen in Matt and Luke, less in later sources of Paul, Q and GofMark
  Luke 24:27, “Then he began with Moses and all the prophets, and explained to them the passages which referred to himself in every part of the scriptures”

Question 20

messiah in paul

Answer 20

• Romans 1:2-4, ‘which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.’
• 1 Cor 15:23-28 uses apocalyptic imagery: ‘Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.’
• Messiah was not central point of concern for Paul, but he does seem to have been aware of it.

Question 21

neusner - suffering messiah

Answer 21

Only in terms of the suffering, dying, rising Son of Man do Christians confess Jesus as the Messiah.

Question 22

Peter confession

Answer 22

• In Mark, Peter states that JC was the Messiah (v28)
o Jesus does not address his statement. Instead, goes on about suffering of Son of Man
o Jesus is denying Messiah vs. modulating titles to emphasise suffering
o Can we be sure this passage is genuine? Could be evangelical construction
o There is little emphasis on JC as Messiah
• Matt
o Jesus is positive in reception of Peter’s statement
o Says Peter will build church (Matt 16:16)
o ‘Jesus does not reject the title, though even here a supernatural revelation is required for a human being to have the insight into Jesus’ identity’ (Matt 16:17)

Question 23

triumphal entry

Answer 23

• ‘Messianic demonstration’ (176)
• Crowd quotes Psalm 118.25 – used at Passover. Speaks of salvation
• John 12:15 and Matt 21:5 make clear the link with Zechariah 9:9
o ‘It has been suggested that Jesus was here trying to interpret his messiahship in the light of this verse, rejecting the warrior messiahship of contemporary expectation and preferring the humble ‘Messiah’ (Mark 8:31)’ (176-77)
o Mark doesn’t quote Zechariah. Messianic significance could have been added

Question 24

confession before high priest

Answer 24

• Mark 14:62, Jesus accepts title Messiah
• Matt and Luke = more unclear. But they do not reject title
• Charge of JC as KofJ is likely a reaction of the prosecutors to the idea that JC is a messianic pretender
• ‘In Mark and Luke acceptance of the title ‘Messiah’ is again qualified by reference to the enigmatic ‘Son of Man’’ (177)

Question 25

w. bousset

Answer 25

♣ Jesus understood himself as Messiah
♣ After Easter, belief in JC was reshaped.
• Apocalyptic expectation of Son of Man – transcendent Messiah for Palestinian primitive Xianity
o JC would not be Messiah on this earth.
o ‘That heavenly figure which in the Jewish tradition was indissolubly joined with the picture from the prophet Daniel was the name of the Son of Man’ (p.17)
• Hellenistic primitive Xianity – JC worshipped by analogy with pagan deities
o Kyrios deities – weight on the present. Kyrios is present in worship
o Gnostic myth of primal man who is fallen
o Pagan son of god deities

Question 26

anointing in OT

Answer 26

♣ Ritual of anointing amongst kings
♣ 1 Sam 12:3-5 and Psalm 2:2 speak of kings as ‘Yahweh’s anointed’
♣ After exilic period, title is applied to high priest
♣ ‘We may begin from the assumption that the ritual of anointing ceased with the Hasmonean monarchy, which was formed on Hellenistic models: Hellenistic kings were not anointed, but crowned with a diadem’ (552) Theissen and merz

Question 27

Theissen and merz - criteria of messiah

Answer 27

♣ They cause an eschatological turning point
♣ Soteriological function
♣ Charismatic status due to relationship with God

Question 28

JC warns against false messiahs - vermes

Answer 28

♣ JC warns against false Messiahs. Mark 13:6
• ‘Many will come claiming my name, and saying, “I am (the Messiah)”’
o Mark omits the Messiah in the ‘elliptic ‘I am…’’.
o This ‘is most likely due to the disturbing realization that the mention of the word ‘Messiah’ would have necessitated some adverse comment on the part of Jesus and demanded a plain declaration of his own Messianic self-awareness’ (121)
o Rather, the discourse reflects ‘the chaotic politico-religious situation in Palestine in the fifties and early sixties of the first century AD’ (121)

Question 29

vermes - why did the title messiah stick if JC did not admit it?

Answer 29

♣ 1st cent Palestinian context. JC’s denial was not accepted. People wanted him to restore Israel
♣ Eschatological messiahship was response to the fact that no messiahship was achieved in his lifetime. Instead said that he would return to judge
♣ Idea of Messiah was fostered in internal circles of early Xianity
♣ Apostles and preachers told people about JC as Messiah to instruct prospective believers. ‘That it decided in favour of retaining the Messianic idea is chiefly due, it seems, to its psychological and polemical value in the Jewish-Christian debate’ (132)
♣ Concept of JC as Messiah was emphasized in order to highlight wickedness of JC’s Jewish rejection.
• John 8:44, ‘your father is the devil’
• 1 Thess 2:14-16, ‘the jews, who killed the lord Jesus’
♣ ‘The success of the Messianic idea probably owed more to polemical convenience than the theological usefulness’ (133)

Question 30

Meyer authority

Answer 30

• ‘Jesus is not the Messiah because his teaching is authoritative, but he teaches with authority because he is the Messiah’ (135)