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'''Messianic ), usually found in religious writings, about one or more men, referred to as '' Messiah (s)'', believed to be divinely appointed and empowered for special purposes. The title Christ comes from the Greek word for Messiah. Messianic prophecy describes the coming, acts, authority, personality, nature, etc., of such "anointed" person(s) but is unusual in that at the time it is made it describes future events or conditions, not the past or present. Those who accept the idea of messianic prophecy believe that the events or situations must occur because they have been divinely preordained. A common source of Messianic prophecies is the Hebrew Bible , also known as the Tanach or the Old Testament . Views vary among religions, among scholars and even among followers of a particular religion on most issues related to prophecies about the Messiah . Definitions (basic) ''Definitions below are in the context of "messianic prophecy" only. See the various main articles for more detail and other contexts.'' "God" See Also: God (male deity) In this article "God" (in quotes) and "he" (no quotes) are used as generic references to one or more beings (regardless of gender) considered to be supernatural and divine by one or more religions. Examples are Jesus ( Christianity ), HaShem/ Adonai ( Judaism ) and Allah ( Islam ). Prophet A Prophet is someone who speaks on behalf of "God". The prophet can speak three types of statements:
In each case, the prophet is not acting on his own ability or authority but receives both the information and his authority from "God". Various interpreters say that "God" gives his prophets "indicia" of their office such as the ability to perform miracles, e.g., Moses parting the ''yom suph'' (literally "Sea of reeds", commonly translated "Red Sea") at Exodus 14:21, or Jesus walking on water at Matthew 14:25. Prophecy A Prophecy is a declaration about a ''future'' event. "God" reveals the information to the prophet, who then tells others. Every prophecy is "predictive prophecy"—if the statement does not foretell the future it may be a declaration or a revelation but it is not a prophecy. By contrast, a "prediction" of future events is speculation based on human reasoning, not divine revelation. Various explanations are proposed for other methods of foretelling the future, e.g., clairvoyance, such as psychic powers believed by some to be inherent in humans, or intentional or unintentional contact with spirits. Interpret, interpreter, translate In the prophecy context, "translate" means to render the meaning of text into a different language, while "interpret" means the act of determining what future event, situation or condition the prophet was describing, and a "interpreter" would interpret, not translate. Messiah (general) The word Messiah comes from the Hebrew '' Mashiach '' (משיח), meaning "anointed". "Anointed" means "specially appointed, authorized and empowered". In other words, a messiah is someone who is specially appointed, authorized and empowered by "God" for a particular task. Many people have been referred to as a messiah, e.g., Moses , the ''Kohen Gadol'' (Jewish High Priest), and Cyrus The Great of Persia. (Isaiah 45:1 "This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus . . .") A messiah is generally considered to be someone appointed to deliver a large group of people from tremendous oppression and then lead the group for a period of time. Although many religions claim that "God" delivered them from some oppression not every "deliverer" is considered a "messiah" in the sense of Messianic prophecy. ''The'' Messiah (or Messiahs) A number of religions, mainly Abrahamic Religion s, believe that one person was or will be given a special anointing from "God" that will far surpass any other anointings. That person is referred to as ''the'' Messiah. Some of those religions believe that there are or will be two such special persons. Some Jewish interpreters speak of a ''Mashiach ben Yosef'' and a ''Mashiach ben David'', Messiah son of (or descendant of, or "in the manner of") Joseph of Egypt, sometimes called the "suffering Messiah", and Messiah descendant of (King) David, who will free Israel from its enemies, restore its glory and power and rule. Messianic prophecy A messianic prophecy is considered to be a prophecy about ''the'' Messiah(s). Overview of various religions' views re Messiah : ''Keep in mind that these are very general overviews. See the various religions' main articles and Messiah for more detail.'' Bahá'í Faith Bahá'ís believe that the founders of each of the world religions are Manifestations Of God ; so messianic prophecies point to various ones of them, including Jesus , Muhammad , the Báb , and Bahá'u'lláh , founder of the Bahá'í faith.`Abdu'l-Bahá (1904-06). Answered Questions'' , "Part One: On the Influence of the Prophets in the Evolution of Humanity" Buddhism The concept of a messiah does not exist in Buddhism . Christianity See Also: Christian views of Jesus Christian s believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah and that he fulfilled some Messianic prophecies before Returning To Heaven and that he will fulfill the rest when he returns in his Second Coming . Hinduism The concept of a messiah does not exist in Hinduism . Islam Islam believes that Allah will bring about a savior before the end of time to establish control of Islam over all religions and establish the Kingdom of God on this earth. In Islamic traditions, that savior is known by the name of " Al-Mahdi ". Based on Mohammed 's teachings, the Mahdi will be an Arab, from the tribe of Banû Hãshim, descended from Mohammad through his daughter Fatima and a descendant of Husayn, son of Fatima and ‘Ali. He will appear in Mecca and Imam al-Mahdi will be helped by Prophet Jesus, who will descend to the earth soon after the appearance of the Mahdi and will join the Mahdi in establishing the Kingdom of God on earth. (Rizvi, 1997) Judaism See Also: Jewish Messiah ''' The commonly-known denominations include Orthodox Judaism , Conservative Judaism , Reform Judaism , Reconstructionist Judaism , Humanistic Judaism , Hassidic Judaism . and views and interpretations vary both between denominations and among scholars within a particular denomination. "Jewish sources have not, as a general rule, focused attention on the specific personal qualities of the Messiah." (Spitzer) Supernatural Messiah rejected Judaism rejects the idea that the Messiah(s) will have any supernatural nature, e.g., Son Of God , Half-man/half-god , an Angel , etc. "The Talmud nowhere indicates a belief in a superhuman Deliverer as the Messiah." (Cohen, 1949. Chap. XI, ''The Hereafter'', § I. The Messiah, p. 347) ''Meshiach ben Yosef'' and ''Meshiach ben David'' One Talmudic interpretation for the two possible strands of prophecy is that there are two Messiahs, ''Meshiach ben Yosef'' Messiah son of Joseph (in Egypt) and ''Meshiach ben David'', Messiah son of (King) David. In this sense ''ben'' is interpreted as "descendant". One Messiah will prepare the world for Moshiach Ben Dovid. (Schochet) Returning Messiah rejected Again, which texts are prophecy, which are messianic and the precise interpretation remain open questions. Some texts considered by some to be messianic prophecies (e.g., Isaiah 52:13-53:12 by Christians) seem to indicate a Messiah who will suffer; other texts seem to indicate a Messiah who will rule. Christians explain this as one Messiah (Jesus) who came and will return—Judaism does not believe Jesus is the Messiah and rejects this "returning Messiah" interpretation. (Kaplan, 2004, p. 5) Messianic Judaism The views of Messianic Judaism regarding Messianic prophecy are essentially the same as those of Christianity. ''(Readers should note that mainstream Judaism does not consider Messianic Judaism to be a branch of Judaism.)'' Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism believes in the imminent coming of a World Savior (Saoshant), who would be born of a virgin, and who would lead humanity in the final battle against Evil. Wide diversity of views Messianic prophecy is a subject of great debate with a wide diversity of views. Views vary:
"Skeptic" defined "Skeptic" as used here simply means someone with a different interpretation; it is not a comment on a person's general religious beliefs. Highly volatile reactions As with many areas of politics, religion, etc., interpretation of alleged prophecy often evokes strong emotional reactions, and sometimes even leads to claims of prejudice, antisemitism, racism, religious bigotry, etc. Issues in Messianic prophecy Interpretations vary and involve questions such as:
Arguments that a passage is not prophetic Several types of arguments are offered that a particular passage is not a prophecy, including:
Arguments against particular interpretations Several types of arguments are offered that a particular passage is not a prophecy or that a particular interpretation is wrong. (Brown, 2003)
Many of these issues can arise any time text from a different time or culture or language is being interpreted. Interpretation problems can even exist between generations or social groups The Messiah has not come yet. This is the most common objection by Jews regarding any claim that any messianic prophecy has been fulfilled, especially claims that Jesus is the Messiah. (All Brown's books and his course), (Kaplan, 1976) Past event The passage is not prophetic because it refers to an event that had already occurred when the passage was written. Context errors Out of textual context The passage is taken out of context from the surrounding text. Not in historical context The interpreter is assuming a particular historical situation that is not accurate. Out of cultural context The passage is not being interpreted through the moral and cultural values of the time when it was written. Ambiguity The text is ambiguous. It might be talking about the Messiah but it could reasonably be interpreted in other ways. Particular problems with the source text are: (a) Hebrew does not have upper- and lowercase letters; (b) the original Greek text was written all uppercase; and (c) the original texts had no punctuation, paragraphing, etc., not even spaces between words. In some instances, the source text makes sense whether a letter is at the end of one word or at the beginning of the next, but the meaning varies signficantly. Translation problems Inaccurate translation The translation the interpreter is using does not accurately translate the original text. For instance, the New Living Translation (NLT) is a paraphrase, not an actual translation. The authors frequently add text to make the point clear. (This practice is sometimes called ''dynamic'' translation, as opposed to ''literal'' translation.) Translator's bias A particular Hebrew word can be translated by several different English words. The translator chose a word that fits his particular theological interpretation. Uncommon usage A particular word may technically be accurate but it probably does not convey the intended meaning. For instance, if someone says, "Is there a draft in here?" he is probably talking about cool moving air, not a preliminary version of a document—unless, of course, he is looking through a stack of papers. Not about the Messiah The passage is not referring to the Messiah. This is one of the most common objections by Jews to Christian interpretations. The fact is that very few passages in the Hebrew Bible specifically use the term Messiah. (Brown, 2003) Not about Jesus "If you could read it in Hebrew you would realize it is not talking about Jesus." That is one of the most common objections Jews raise when someone claims that a passage in the Hebrew Bible is referring to Jesus. (Brown, 2003) Contrary to widely-accepted interpretation(s) The interpretation is contrary to all of the following:
For instance, a new interpretation based on new Archaeological discoveries or availability of documents not available to earlier interpreters, e.g., the Dead Sea Scrolls or the Nag Hammadi documents could probably survive this objection. A new interpretation may survive this objection on the grounds that it is a ''clarification'' or a ''more precise statement or analysis'' even though all information used was previously available. Types of Messianic prophecies Messianic prophecies fall into a number of general types (McDowell, 1999, Chapter 8):
Examples of types As examples, passages are listed below which many Christians consider to be messianic prophecies that refer to Jesus , who they believe is the Messiah. (McDowell, 1999, Chapter 8; Brown, 2003; Ankerberg, 1997, Chapter 11) See Arguments Against Particular Interpretations for the types of objections raised to these, in particular The Messiah Has Not Come Yet and Not About The Messiah . Moshiach Online has an excellent set of articles on Jewish interpretations regarding the Messiah. Ancestors of Messiah
When the Messiah will come See Also: Messianic prophecies concerning the time of birth
Where the Messiah will come
Nature of the Messiah
: Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? : Who has gathered the wind in His fists? : Who has bound the waters in a garment? : Who has established all the ends of the earth? : What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if you know? Personality of the Messiah
Activities of the Messiah
Authority of the Messiah
Miracles of Messiah
How the Messiah will come (style)
How the Messiah will come (logistics)
Reaction to the Messiah's arrival
Acceptance of the Messiah
(Note: This says that the Lord is speaking and that he says the Lord Almighty sent him.) Rejection of the Messiah
Results of the Messiah's coming (short-term)
Results of the Messiah's coming (long-term)
Fulfilled prophecies Passages cited as fulfilled prophecies Examples cited by Christians as fullfilled Messianic prophecies are Psalm 22 and Isaiah 52:13-53:12, referred to as the "suffering servant" passage. Christians view these two passages as prophecies describing the Crucifixion of Jesus. (McDowell, 1999, Chapter 8; Brown, 2003; Ankerberg, 1997, Chapter 11, pp. 222-223) The Gospel of Matthew identifies numerous passages of the Hebrew Bible as Messianic prophecies and then asserts that they were fulfulled by Jesus. Skeptics' response Skeptics point out that neither Psalm 22 nor the suffering servant passage says that it is referring to the Messiah. According to the Bible commentator Rashi, the suffering servant desribed in Isaiah chapter 53 is actually the Jewish people; sometimes Isaiah mentions groups of people as if they were one person. According to Brown (DVD, 2003) and Juster (2005), among others, the rabbinic response, e.g., Rashi and Maimonides , is that although the suffering servant passage cleary is prophetic and even if Psalm 22 is prophetic, the Messiah has not come yet, therefore, the passages could not possibly be talking about Jesus. Brown points out that the rabbinic interpretation of the suffering servant passage is that the servant is Israel, not either Jesus ''or'' the future Messiah. Messianic scholar Russell Resnick (2004) presented the interesting view that the passage refers to both Jesus and Israel and that, therefore, neither interpretation is completely right and neither interpretation is completely wrong. Debate about whether certain passages are prophecies Opinion is not unanimous as to which passages are messianic prophecies and which are not. However, there is a particular subset of passages that engender another type of debate—whether certain passages described either by modern Christians or by New Testament authors as prophecies are in fact prophecies at all because, e.g., they describe events that had already occurred before the New Testament was written. For example, Matthew 2:14 states, ''"So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'Out of Egypt I called my son.'"'' This is referring to Hosea 11:1. However, that passage reads, "''When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.''" Skeptics' view As noted by Juster (2005) and Resnick (2004), skeptics say that the Hosea passage clearly is talking about a historical event and therefore the passage clearly is not a prophecy. Response Different explanations are offered for why these types of passages should be considered prophecies, depending on the particular passage. The ''Pesher'' interpretation method Resnick (2004), Juster (2005) and Waldman (2005) have pointed out that around the time of Christ there was a Jewish method of biblical interpretation know as ''pesher'' in Hebrew. It was a widely-known and widely-accepted interpretive technique that the Jewish writers of the New Testament would have been familiar with. In modern Christian theological terminology, this approach involves "typology". When a New Testament author describes something as a prophecy that clearly is ''not'' a prophecy, he is saying essentially, "This event is an example of the ''type'' of thing that this Old Testament passage is referring to." The ''Remez'' interpretation method Also, per Resnick (2004), Juster (2005), Waldman (2005), Brown (DVD, 2003), Klayman (2004) and others, Jews and Christians tend to ask different questions about the Bible. One example cited is that a ''common'' question of Jewish biblical scholars is, "Why is ''this'' passage next to ''this'' passage?" Christian biblical scholars virtually never examine the text from that perspective. Jewish interpretive techniques often look for a "hint" at a deeper meaning; per Resnick (2004), Juster (2005) and Waldman (2005), this "hint" is known as ''remez'' in Hebrew. Because the New Testament writers were fluent in Biblical Hebrew , sometimes they are using a play on Hebrew words in the original Tanach that is not obvious to Greek scholars and translators or to English-speaking readers. Messianic rabbi and Christian seminary graduate Juster (2005) gives the example of Matthew saying at Matthew 2:23 "and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: 'He will be called a Nazarene.'" The words "Nazareth" and "Nazarene" do not occur in the Old Testament. Juster opines that Matthew is hinting at two Hebrew words: the root ''n-z-r'', meaning "branch", and "Nazarite". Another possible explanation offered is that such a prophecy once existed in the biblical texts but was lost. This theory is supported by the fact that such a verse exists in a copy of Samuel found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. References Printed materials Bahá'í Christian & Messianic Books
Magazines and journals Jewish Moslem Online Anti-missionary sites (Jewish responses to common Christian interpretations) Video Recorded courses Baruch HaShem Messianic Synagogue may be contacted by phone or mail or by email through its website but it does not sell the DVD sets through the website. Courses are 20 class hours, seminary level and require books not included with the course materials. Many of the views presented in the BHS courses are not unique to Messianic Judaism and are common in mainstream Christianity. Notes See also External links Christian Specific prophecies and claimed fulfillments Jewish |