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Why are prophecies hard to interpret
A prophet may be speaking about their own time and the society they are living in with kings and empires and moral problems form that society
What is the preterist viewpoint
Understanding prophecies as referring to the present.
According to the preterist viewpoint, what are the OT prophets talking about
if the time- ie. God's rage due to sins, kings failing to follow God's laws.
According to the preterist viewpoint, what was the final hope of the OT prophets
Hope that a better king would come along to save the Jewish Kingdom from its enemies, rule justly and restore good religion (which never happened)
What does a futurist/ historicist viewpoint mean
Understanding prophecies as referring to the future
According to the futurist viewpoint, what are the OT prophets talking about
God’s future destruction of sinners on Judgement day. (Future empires that will persecute God’s people- eg. Roman empire or Nazis). Predictions of Jesus as the Saviour and Messiah who succeeds where previous kings failed
Who believes in the preterist view
Liberal believers who treat the prophets as describing their own time and only accidentally describing future events
Who believes in the futurist view
Conservative and fundamentalist believers
What does Messiah mean
“The anointed one”. (In the OT, prophets, priests and kings were anointed when they were given positions of responsibility. The anointing in the ceremony was a sign that God had chosen them.) Over time messiah became to mean a particular person, chosen by God, not just anyone
What is the kingly messiah
(Some Jews expected the messiah to be a king.) They assumed that the true king of the line of David would contrast to pagan kings like Herod and would rule fairly and wisely. There was a hope that the occupying Romans would be driven out of the land and the publicans would be punished. There was a hope that the messiah would be a warlord who would smash their enemies and set up a Jewish state based on Biblical laws (zealot idea)
how did The prophet Daniel describe the messiah
as a supernatural king who would defeat evil empires and the demons that controlled the empires, abolishing war and suffering
What is a priestly messiah
Priesthood was seen to be corrupt and collaborating with the roman occupiers. Some Jews thought that the messiah would reform the priesthood (essene idea). This messiah might abolish the temple and set up a better form of worship
What is a prophetic messiah
Prophet who would guide the nation back to God (moving away from hellenism). (Moses had promised that God would send another prophet just as great).
How is the prophetic messiah a Pharisee idea
as they taught people how to live holy lives by following Jewish law closely as opposed to waging wars or sacrificing animals
What is a suffering messiah
Messiah that died an atoning death. (Links to the song of suffering servant in Isaiah 53)
What is the messianic age
Arrival of the messiah would usher in a new age. (End war, create peace, no more evil and suffering. All natural enemies will be reconciled and live in peace)
What is some archaeological evidence of the house of David (TDS)
The Tel Dan Stele- carved stone commemorating a victory in battle. It mentions Omri (the king of northern Israel) and an ally of “the house of David”. It dates from around 800 BCE.
What is some archaeological evidence of the house of David (MS)
Moabite Stone- dates from around 850 BCE which also mentions the House of David, although the text is damaged- the missing portion is assumed to complete the phrase
What happened to the temple
Destroyed by the babylonians
What did people believe had happened to the line of David
It had ‘gone underground’. This meant that when the Jews returned to Jerusalem, the other dynasties that ruled over them were seen as illegitimate- due to 2 Samuel 7:16
What did the Jews believe about the Davidic line
Jews also believed that the line of David would “endure forever” so a son of David would eventually appear to claim the throne. This son will be a kingly messiah
What did 1st century Jews believe was needed for the Son of David to appear (Religious purity)
Jews needed to return to the pure worship of God. However groups like the sadducees, pharisees and essenes had different ideas of what this meant (eg. is it sacrifices or sticking to religious law
What did 1st century Jews believe was needed for the Son of David to appear (Military action)
the Jews needed to start by resisting the Romans; once the rebellion was in full swing the Son of David would appear to lead it (popular zealot belief)
How is the Christian understanding of the Son of David applied to Jesus
The idea of a spiritual king, not a political one who forces the kingdom of God onto others. Jesus succeeds where David doesn’t, by dying an atoning death rather than conquering his enemies by force
What are the reasons for the messiah being from the line of David
David was the original messiah- anointed by God to be the best king. God’s promise to David that his line would endure forever has to be fulfilled. Therefore there must be a descendent of David who will return to save the Jews from their enemies
why did the house of David fail
The house of david failed because the Jews were sinful, so worshipping God again and living morally will cause the messiah to return and restore their kingdom
What are the reasons for the messiah not being from the line of David (exist)
King David may not have really existed. He may have been a legend like King Arthur. If he did exist his line was destroyed by the Babylonians
What are the reasons for the messiah not being from the line of David (warlord)
The messiah is more than just a warlord. He is supposed to defeat evil or he may be a prophet. He is supposed to be a wise teacher not a king from a failed dynasty
What are the servant songs
Tells of the suffering servant who serves God with total selflessness and loyalty (Bet he faces mockery, abuse and attacks by the people that he has been sent to help. He endures the suffering without complaint and is eventually murdered)
what was the mission of the suffering servant
He is given a mission by God to lead the nations of the world
what happens to the suffering servant
God returns the servant to life and rewards him in front of the whole world. The people who mistreated him are stunned and ashamed
Who grouped together the 4 places that the suffering servant appears
Bernard Duhm
What does the first servant song (42:1-4) describe
God chooses a servant who will bring justice to the earth. This servant is a Kingly messiah and a prophetic messiah who brings about God’s will on earth
How does the first servant song link to Jesus
Jesus’ baptism in the synoptic gospels, as God is pleased with Jesus and puts spirit into him
What does the second servant song (49:1-6) describe
From the servants POV- Describes how he was called by God to lead all nations. The servant will not be a political or military ruler, but a light to the gentiles (a source of inspiration as a moral teacher)
How does the second servant song link to Jesus
This links to the Great commission to convert to Gentiles
What does the third servant song (50:4-9) describe
The servant describes the abuse he must face, but is confident in God’s protection
How does the third servant song link to Jesus
Predicts the “turn the other cheek” teaching and anticipates the abuse Jesus faces
What does the fourth servant song (52:13-53:12) describe
Describes the servant as a man of sorrows- this expression is commonly applied to Jesus by Christians. The servant doesn’t suffer for himself, he takes on other people's pain but nobody appreciates it. (Instead he is regarded as a victim and evil-doer, assuming he is punished by God). It describes the servant dying an atoning death that brings healing to others
How does the fourth servant song link to Jesus
Jesus’ crucifixion which according to the OT is considered to be cursed by God. Also links to Jesus’ atoning death and his wounds healing original sin
What is the significance of the lamb to the slaughter
Jesus is regarded as the lamb of God. The Gospels also present him as remaining silent in the face of his accusers. (After the miserable death God will restore the servant to life again. This predicts Jesus’ resurrection)
What is the Christian belief about the servant songs
The predict a suffering messiah (Jesus), who dies an atoning death and is resurrected
What did St Jerome say about the servant songs
Isaiah describes all the mysteries of the church so vividly that you would assuming he wasn’t prophesying about the future instead he was composing a history of past events
What are the problems with this Christian interpretation
There is no evidence that 1st century Jews believed that the messiah was going to be a suffering servant or that Isaiah 53 was supposed to predict the messiah. This is backed up by the disciples stunned reaction over the idea of Jesus dying
What is the modern Jewish interpretation of the servant songs
The servant is symbolic of ‘Israel’ (the entire Jewish nation) due to earlier references of Israel as God’s servant in Isaiah. Therefore, Jews are the ones sent into the world to be the light for the gentiles, but some are mocked and torture for this. (Therefore Jews think that their sufferings will be vindicated by God and the sufferings of their nation will be a valuable lesson for the rest of the world)
How does Morna Hooker sum up the modern Jewish interpretation
Israel has been chosen by God as his servant and is to be restored from exile and will manifest God’s glory to all nations
What is the futurist Jewish interpretation of the servant songs
They refer to the future suffering of all Jews (eg. the holocaust)
What is the idea of a second Isaiah
Some servant songs were written by someone else. Therefore they may be referencing the destruction of the kingdom of Judah and the Jewish exile to Babylon. (This is the preterist interpretation- they refer to events going on at the time of composition)
What is the Jewish interpretation of the suffering servant
The suffering servant represents the holiest and best Jewish people. That would suggest that the text is saying that anyone who is devoutly serving God is bound to suffer
How do the Jewish interpretations treat the suffering servant
As a corporate personality- a single person symbolising the experiences of a larger group
Who is William Wrede
(A German scholar who in 1901 published a controversial idea based on his study of the Gospel of Mark.) He proposed that Jesus never claimed to be the messiah and that his disciples didn’t see him as that either. It was only after Jesus’ death that this idea surfaced
How does Wrede understand the messianic secret
Jesus had an unmessianic ministry- not kingly, prophetic or priestly, and he died a very unmessianic death on the cross after teaching God’s love and forgiveness. Later christians believed Jesus had been resurrected and was the messiah
why did Wrede come up with the messianic secret
When Mark was written, the followers and family of Jesus who shared a different view were still around and objected to the Christians calling Jesus the messiah. So Mark’s Gospel argues that Jesus had claimed to be the Messiah but he had done so secretly (eg. making people keep it a secret or speaking in parables). Therefore, the passages where Jesus admits to being the messiah in Mark are fictitious
What are the strengths of Wrede’s theory (Mark)
Based on Markian Priority (which put Mark first in the order of the Gospels), so the other Gospels didn’t have to keep Jesus’ identity secret since the original audience who remembered Jesus’ ministry would have died
What are the strengths of Wrede’s theory (Isaiah)
Theory ties in with the suffering servant being the messiah debate. The 1st century Jews didn’t understand the messiah to be the suffering servant and the resurrection was what made people believe Jesus was the messiah, so any stories about Jesus being recognised as the messiah before he died couldn’t have been historically true
What are the criticisms of Wrede’s theory (Morna Hooker critiques- priority)
Not everyone accepts markian priority (eg. may catholics see Matthew as the first Gospel).
What are the criticisms of Wrede’s theory (Morna Hooker critiques- celebrity)
There are many good reasons for Jesus to keep his messianic identity secret. (If he was seen as a famous miracle worker, this would get in the way of his real mission- Jesus didn’t want to be a celebrity).
What are the criticisms of Wrede’s theory (Morna Hooker critiques- misunderstand)
People will misunderstand what Jesus' messianic identity. They would have expected him to raise an army or declare himself king. The authorities would have become even more suspicious and would have silenced him if they thought he was coming up with a revolution. What are the criticisms of Wrede’s theory (Morna Hooker critiques- identity)
What are the criticisms of Wrede’s theory (messiah)
Jesus distances himself from the term messiah and uses son of man instead
What are the criticisms of Wrede’s theory (historical Jerusalem)
The triumphal entry when Jesus arrives in Jerusalem is described in all the synoptic gospels and John’s gospel, suggesting it is a historical event. There is no secrecy in this story, with the palms symbolising liberation, the declarations of people saying he is from the line of David and the donkey symbolising that he is coming in peace.
what is the background of Matthew’s Gospel
Matthew may have had a rabbinic background. likely used a lot of Markan material
What does Hooker see Matthew’s prologue as
prophetic key
what is the proof text of the first dram of Joseph
(Isaiah 7:14)- a virgin will give birth to a son, who will be called Immanuel (‘God is with us’)
what is the proof text of Herod, the magi and bethlehem
(micah 5:2) the messiah (ruler of Israel) will be born in Bethlehem
what is the proof text of the second dream of Joseph
Hosea 11:1- God called Israel (my son) out of Egypt (the Exodus). Joseph must take Jesus to Egypt for safety
what is the proof text of Herod, the murder of the children and bethlehem
(Jeremiah 31:15) Jeremiah pictures Rachel weeping over her children as they are taken into captivity in Babylon. The exiled Jews did return to their land as Jesus will do from Egypt. Rachel represents the mothers weeping for their murdered sons. Rachel died in childbirth- her grave is thought to be in bethlehem
what is the proof text of the third dream of Joseph
(Isaiah 11:1)- Jesus went to live in Nazareth- there is a reference to a branch which Jewish readers would recognise this to mean he was a descendent of Joseph
how does the title (1:1) link Matthew’s birth narrative to the expectations of the line of David
references messiah, son of David and son of Abraham
how does the genealogy (1:2-17) link Matthew’s birth narrative to the expectations of the line of David
Jesus’ genealogy is traced through the line of Joseph and through the direct royal line of David
What is the period from Abraham to David in the genealogy
viewed as the first age of waiting- promises made to Abraham came to be fulfilled through David’s kingship
what is the period from David to the Exile in the genealogy
age of decline- it ends with the last king and the exile
what is the period from the Exile to the Messiah in the genealogy
era of waiting- ends with the birth of Jesus
how does the birth of Jesus (1:18-25) link Matthew’s birth narrative to the expectations of the line of David
told from the point of joseph (emphasising Jesus’ davidic lineage). the name Immanuel shows that God was with them (‘I am always with you’- last words Jesus says)
how does the escape to Egypt and return (chapter 2) link Matthew’s birth narrative to the expectations of the line of David
the Jews see the Exodus as the beginning of their history and look forward to the new Exodus under a new Moses at the end of time. Jesus was hidden and saved like Moses. return was called for, like Moses after Pharaoh’s death
how does bethlehem (chapter 2) link Matthew’s birth narrative to the expectations of the line of David
bethlehem is stressed as Jesus’ birthplace- link between Jesus and king David
how do the magi and Herod (chapter 2) link Matthew’s birth narrative to the expectations of the line of David
Herod’s decree to kill the children links to the killing of the first born by Pharaoh
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