MESSIAH
and
in
2
Esdras,
but
they
are
also
to
appear
in
llterar
ture
that
was
clearly
subjected
to
Christian
redaction.
The
Messiah
was
generally
regarded
as
a
descendant
of
David.
He
was
to
free
Israel
from
the
power
of
the
heathen
world,
kill
its
emperor
of
the
Idngdom
of
evil,
and
set
up
his
own
Kingdom.
He
was
regarded
also
as
pre-existent,
not
merely
ideally,
but
actually.
For
a
merely
ideal
pre-existence
is
not
to
be
argued
from
the
well-known
saying
including
the
seven
things
created
before
the
world
was
made.
The
name
here
undoubtedly
implies
personaUty,
and
in
some
of
the
later
Jewish
writings
this
pre-existent
state
is
somewhat
minutely
described.
He
is
to
be
hidden
until
he
appears,
but
the
obvious
inconsistencies
of
view
were
never
fuUy
systematized.
Doubtless
because
of
the
Messianic
arguments
of
Christians,
based
upon
such
passages
as
Is
S3,
the
Rabbis
were
forced
to
the
recognition
of
the
idea
of
the
suffering
Messiah.
In
this
recognition,
however,
no
change
was
made
in
the
conception
of
the
Messiah
the
son
of
David,
but
the
belief
came
to
involve
a
second
Messiah
the
son
of
Joseph.
His
office
and
person
are
not
described
in
detail,
but
later
Rabbinic
teaching
held
that
he
would
appear
before
the
coming
of
the
Messiah
the
son
of
David,
would
gather
faithful
Jews
to
him,
defeat
his
people's
enemies,
and
establish
a
great
empire
with
its
capital
and
temple
at
Jerusalem.
Thereafter
some
one
of
the
various
transcendental
enemies
of
Israel,
like
Gog
and
Magog,
would
defeat
and
slay
him.
Then
the
Messiah
son
of
David
would
come
and
resurrect
the
Messiah
son
of
Joseph,
and
establish
the
great
and
more
permanent
Messianic
Kingdom.
This
conception
of
the
Messiah
son
of
Joseph,
however,
has
never
played
a
very
large
role
in
Rabbinic
Messiamsm,
and
must
be
regarded
in
the
hght
of
a
concession
to
Christian
oppo-nents
rather
than
as
a
reaUy
formative
influence.
The
older
hope
of
the
Messiah
son
of
David
is
that
dominant
among
orthodox
Jews,
who
still
await
iiis
coming,
which
is
to
follow
the
appearance
of
Elijah
(Mai
31
4'-
').
VI.
The
Messiah
of
the
NT.
—
As
its
very
name
indi-cates,
Christianity
centres
about
the
belief
that
Jesus
was
the
Messiah.
The
definition
of
that
word
as
applied
to
Jesus
is
one
about
which
there
is
some
difference
of
opinion.
Conceivably
it
might
be
(a)
that
of
Pharisaic
Messianism;
(6)
something
altogether
new;
or,
more
probably,
(c)
the
old
conception
modified
by
certain
new
elements.
In
discovering
what
the
Messianic
conceptions
of
the
NT
are,
it
is
necessary
to
avoid
a
dogmatic
attitude
of
mind,
and
to
come
to
the
discussion
from
the
historical-exegeticai
point
of
view._
In
such
a
method
the
point
of
departure
is
the
presupposition
that
current
beliefs
and
definitions
were
used
by
Jesus
and
His
disciples
wherever
such
thoughts
and
definitions
are
not
distinctly
changed
or
abrogated.
A
disregard
of
this
primary
principle
in
historical
method
has
too
frequently
iSeen
the
cause
of
false
perspective
and
anachronistic
conclusions
as
regards
NT
thought.
1.
Jems'
conception
of
Messiahship.
—
That
Jesus
conceived
of
Himself
as
a
Messiah
seems
to
be
beyond
question,
if
the
saying
of
Mk
14"-
'^
is
regarded
as
his-torical.
But
such
a
conclusion
does
not
rest
wholly
upon
a
single
saying.
His
words
concerning
His
con-quest
of
Satan
(Mk
3^-^)
are
altogether
consonant
with
the
conception
of
Himself
as
Christ;
and
His
assent
to
the
confession
of
the
Apostles
at
Csesarea
Philippi
is
a
practical
acceptance
of
the
title
(Mk
S^'-^",
which
has
been
made
more
explicit
in
Mt
16"-'",
Lk
9ia.zo)_
Hig
answer
to
the
inquiry
of
John
the
Baptist
as
to
whether
He
were
the
Coming
One
(Mt
ll"",
Lk
7"')
can
be
interpreted
only
as
affirmative.
The
question
was
genuinely
Messianic,
and
the
Scripture
which
He
used
(Is
35'-
')
was
given
a
Messianic
inter-pretation
by
the
Rabbis.
To
give
it
any
other
than
a
Messianic
implication
is
to
render
the
whole
episode
unintelligible.
It
is
to
be
noticed
further
that
this
saying
is
not
exposed
to
the
difficulties
which
inhere
in
some
of
the
apocalyptic
sayings
attributed
to
Jesus,
MESSIAH
or
in
the
repeated
Messianic
designations
of
the
Fourth
Gospel.
It
is
easy
by
a
process
of
subjective
criticism
to
remove
such
sayings
from
the
field
of
discussion,
but
such
procedure
IS
arbitrary
in
view
of
the
facts
already
adduced.
It
is
true
that
in
the
Synoptic
Gospels
Jesus
does
not
at
the
beginning
of
the
Galilean
ministry
go
about
the
country
announcing
that
He
is
the
Christ,
but
neither
does
He
undertake
this
sort
of
propaganda
according
to
the
Johannine
source.
And
it
should
not
be
overlooked
that
in
any
case
His
words
in
the
synagogue
of
Nazareth
(Lk
4'«-»«,
Mt
13"-",
Mk
6'-»),
which
can
best
be
interpreted
as
an
exposition
of
His
oon-ceirtion
of
His
Messiahsnip,
were
uttered
in
the
early
part
of
His
ministry.
While
some
allowance
may
be
made
for
the
Johannine
accounts
of
the
early
acceptance
of
Jesus
as
Christ,
there
is
no
reason
why
the
ascription
of
the
title
to
Hun
by
the
disciples
might
not
have
been
made
at
the
beginnmg^
of
the
ministry
in
the
same
futurist
sense
as
is
involved
in
the
obvious
Messianic
definition
implied
in
the
questions
of
the
sons
of
Zebedee
in
the
Synoptic
cycle
(Mk
10*-<»).
The
fact
that
Jesus
accepted
such
inter-pretations
of
His
future
makes
it
plain
that
He
regarded
Himself
as
Christ,
at
least
in
the
sense
that
He
was
to
do
Messianic
work
in
the
future.
This,
however,
brings
us
face
to
face
with
the
question
as
to
how
far
Jesus
appUed
to
Himself
the
eschatological
Messianic
hopes
of
His
people,
and
how
far
He
developed
an
original
Messianic
ideal.
As
yet
no
consensus
of
scholars
has
been
reached
on
this
very
difficult
point.
Certain
things,
however,
seem
to
be
estabUshed.
(a)
Jesus
was
not
regarded
generally
as
the
Christ,
but
rather
as
a
prophet
and
miracle-worker.
He
certainly
refused
to
commit
Himself
to
the
Messianic
programme
of
the
Zealots.
He
rejected
the
title
'Son
of
David'
(Mk
12"),
and
refused
to
be
made
a
king,
or
to
use
physical
force
in
bringing
in
the
Kingdom
of
God
(Jn
6«;
cf.
Mt
48-i«,
Lk
46-8,
Mk
1417.
48).
(j)
Unless
all
reference
by
Jesus
to
the
future
in
terms
of
eschatology
is
to
be
denied
(a
decision
impossible
for
reasonable
criticism).
He
certainly
thought
of
Himself
as
returmng
in
the
near
future
to
establish
a
Kingdom
that
was
eschatological.
Although
it
is
probable
that
the
writers
of
the
Gospels
have
imported
eschatological
references
into
the
sayings
of
Jesus,
it
is
impossible
to
remove
them
altogether.
If,
as
is
probable,
Jesus
conceived
of
the
Kingdom
as
the
gift
of
God,
for
whose
coming
men
were
to
prepare,
it
is
inevitable
that
His
Messianic
career
would
nave
been
regarded
as
future
as
truly
as
the
Kingdom
itself
(cf.
Mt
6'°,
Mk
9',
Lk
12^2,
Mt
25,
Mk
146i-
«,
Mk
13,
1
Th
4»-",
Mt
192«,
Lk22»»).
(c)
But
although
the
coming
of
the
Kingdom,
with
the
attendant
Judgment,
was
still
in
the
future,
Jesus
cannot
be
said
to
have
conceived
of
His
mission
wholly
in
terms
of
eschatology.
He
had
broken
with
Pharisa-ism
too
completely
to
warrant
our
attributing
to
Him
o
priori
complete
subjection
to
any
Pharisaic
conception.
If
there
is
anything
that
stands
out
in
the
expression
of
Jesus'
self-consciousness,
it
is
that
His
experience
of
God
was
superior
to
that
of
a
prophet.
While
in
the
Synoptic
Gospels
He
does
not
use
explicitly
the
terms
'Christ'
or
'Son
of
God'
of
Himself,
His
reticence
in
the
use
of
terms
is
balanced
by
His
conception
of
His
own
relation
to
the
Kingdom
of
God.
He
was
the
'Son
of
Man,'
i.e.,
in
accordance
with
Dn
7",
He
was
the
type
of
the
coming
Kingdom.
If,
as
is
undoubtedly
the
case.
He
maintained
reserve
in
His
preaching
in
making
explicit
claims
concerning
Messiahship,
such
reserve
is
easily
explained
as
a
preventive
against
those
mis-apprehensions
with
which
people
would
have
been
sure
to
regard
His
work.
The
spirit
of
the
Lord
was
upon
Him
to
enable
Him
to
do
certain
deeds
which
it
was
expected
the
Christ
would
perform.
He
was
gathering
disciples
who,
as
His
followers,
were
to
share
in
the
coming
Kingdom.
In
a
word,
because
of
the
Divine
Spirit
embodied
in
His
own
self-consciousness.
He
was
already
engaged
in
the
work
of
saving
God's
people,
(d)
The
connecting
link
between
the
Messianic
career
of
service
and
the
Messianic
career
of
glory
was
His
death.
