Doug Mason

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Posts by Doug Mason

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  6

  If you enjoy a challenge, then read this book

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  if you enjoy a challenge, i recommend this book: mind the gap: how the jewish writings between the old and new testament help us understand jesus, by matthias henze.

  fortress press.. one example from the book:.

  while there are several individuals in the bible who are said to be anointed, the word “messiah” or “anointed one” is never used in the old testament to designate a future anointed redeemer figure.

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  Doug Mason

  Hi Phizzy,

  The Qumran Community believed they were living in the very last of the Last Days.

  Judaism was never homogenous, and is still not. Further, it continually evolved, so that the Judaism when the Scriptures were worked on at the time of the Babylonian Exile was not the Judaism at the time of the Judaism of Jesus and his contemporaries. Features of Jesus' Judaism included features that did not exist when the OT texts were being written:

  The religion of the Old Testament is not the Judaism of Jesus. While in the New Testament, Jesus studies and teaches in the synagogues, there are no synagogues in the Old Testament. While in the New Testament, Jesus’s disciples call him rabbi, there are no rabbis in the Old Testament. While in the New Testament, Jesus is often involved in conversations with the Pharisees, there are no Pharisees in the Old Testament. While in the New Testament, Jesus expels demons and unclean spirits, there are no demons in the Old Testament. The list goes on. These are not incidental matters in the life of Jesus. They all stem from the Jewish world to which Jesus belonged. (Henze, page 2)

  And their texts had evolved as the scribes kept making amendments while making the necessary copies.
  

  The Qumran community appears to have expected two Messiahs, one a king the other a priest, with the latter taking precedence.

  The NT writers were aware of the Qumran sect. For example, when Luke has Jesus provide the evidence to John the Baptist (Luke 7:20-22), he adds parts from the Qumran Community's Messianic Apocalypse.

  To answer John [the Baptist]’s doubts and, at the same time, reaffirm Jesus’s identity as the Messiah. Jesus’s reply is remarkably similar to the list in the Messianic Apocalypse from Qumran. The first and last element in Jesus’s response, “to give sight to the blind” and “to proclaim good news to the poor,” are also found in the text from Qumran.

  And there is a third element shared by both texts, the raising of the dead. There is no resurrection language in Isaiah 61. The Messianic Apocalypse and the Gospel of Luke draw heavily on the prophecies found in the book of Isaiah in their respective descriptions of the messiah, and yet, they both go a step further and add to their set of messianic expectations the hope for the resurrection of the dead.

  Luke leaves no doubt that Jesus is the anointed of Isaiah. But he also makes clear that there is more. He adds the resurrection of the dead. That addition, we now know from the Messianic Apocalypse, was not Luke’s invention, but had become a fixed part of the messianic expectations in early Judaism by the time Luke wrote his Gospel. By including it in Jesus’s response, Luke not only draws on the prophet Isaiah, he responds to the expectations expressed in the Messianic Apocalypse. (Henze, page 77)

  Doug
• 
  6

  If you enjoy a challenge, then read this book

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  if you enjoy a challenge, i recommend this book: mind the gap: how the jewish writings between the old and new testament help us understand jesus, by matthias henze.

  fortress press.. one example from the book:.

  while there are several individuals in the bible who are said to be anointed, the word “messiah” or “anointed one” is never used in the old testament to designate a future anointed redeemer figure.

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  Doug Mason

  Thanks, Magnum.

  There is one book that I yearn for but it's expensive:

  Companion to Ancient Israel (ed. Susan Niditch; Oxford: Wiley Blackwell, 2013).

  The article that created my interest is by Mark Smith at Jismor 9.

  http://www.cismor.jp/uploads-images/sites/3/2014/07/723615e7fc0170b6f8c05dd145dd429d4.pdf

  Doug
• 
  6

  If you enjoy a challenge, then read this book

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  if you enjoy a challenge, i recommend this book: mind the gap: how the jewish writings between the old and new testament help us understand jesus, by matthias henze.

  fortress press.. one example from the book:.

  while there are several individuals in the bible who are said to be anointed, the word “messiah” or “anointed one” is never used in the old testament to designate a future anointed redeemer figure.

  1. 
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  Doug Mason

  If you enjoy a challenge, I recommend this book: Mind the Gap: How the Jewish Writings between the Old and New Testament Help Us Understand Jesus, by Matthias Henze. Fortress Press.

  One example from the book:

  While there are several individuals in the Bible who are said to be anointed, the word “messiah” or “anointed one” is never used in the Old Testament to designate a future anointed redeemer figure.

  In other words, there are no texts in the Old Testament that know of the concept of a messiah as an awaited agent of God, a descendant of David who will appear to reign over a restored kingdom of Israel at the end of time. That concept of a future messiah was only developed in later times, after the Old Testament.

  There are several “messiahs” in the Old Testament, to be sure, but they are not divine figures of the end of time. They are the kings, priests, and prophets of ancient Israel.

  And yet, when Andrew tells his brother Simon Peter, “We have found the Messiah,” or when the Samaritan woman declares, “I know that the Messiah is coming,” they are not referring to an earthly king, priest, or prophet. They are expressing the hope for a future redeemer figure, the messiah of the end time. We find that concept develop in the literature that was written during the gap years in between the Old and the New Testament.

  There are no texts in the Old Testament that speak of a future messianic figure of the end time. (Henze, pages 58-59)
  
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  1

  The "Messiah"

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i will appreciate corrections and criticisms of my draft notes on the subject of "messiah".. it will not surprise anyone that the material is not simplistic nor emotive.. https://jwstudies.com/messiahs_emerged__preliminary_draft_.pdf.

  thanks,.

  doug.

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  Doug Mason

  I will appreciate corrections and criticisms of my draft notes on the subject of "Messiah".

  It will not surprise anyone that the material is not simplistic nor emotive.

  https://jwstudies.com/MESSIAHS_EMERGED__Preliminary_Draft_.pdf

  Thanks,

  Doug
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  10

  "Burnt remains from 586 BCE Jerusalem may hold key to protecting planet."

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  "a new analysis of 1st temple-era artifacts, magnetized when babylonians torched the city, provides a way to chart the geomagnetic field – physics’ holy grail – and maybe save earth".

  https://www.timesofisrael.com/burnt-remains-of-586-bce-destruction-of-jerusalem-help-map-physics-holy-grail/?utm_source=the+daily+edition&utm_campaign=daily-edition-2020-08-09&utm_medium=email#comments.

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  Doug Mason

  According to the Bible, Jerusalem fell in the 5th month (August) whereas the WTS marks the start of their 2520 years two months later, in the 7th month (October).
• 
  10

  "Burnt remains from 586 BCE Jerusalem may hold key to protecting planet."

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  "a new analysis of 1st temple-era artifacts, magnetized when babylonians torched the city, provides a way to chart the geomagnetic field – physics’ holy grail – and maybe save earth".

  https://www.timesofisrael.com/burnt-remains-of-586-bce-destruction-of-jerusalem-help-map-physics-holy-grail/?utm_source=the+daily+edition&utm_campaign=daily-edition-2020-08-09&utm_medium=email#comments.

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  Doug Mason

  "A new analysis of 1st Temple-era artifacts, magnetized when Babylonians torched the city, provides a way to chart the geomagnetic field – physics’ Holy Grail – and maybe save Earth"

  https://www.timesofisrael.com/burnt-remains-of-586-bce-destruction-of-jerusalem-help-map-physics-holy-grail/?utm_source=The+Daily+Edition&utm_campaign=daily-edition-2020-08-09&utm_medium=email#comments
  
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  16

  What was Jesus "anointed" as?

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  it is illogical to say that “jesus was anointed as christ”.

  that’s like saying that “jesus was anointed as anointed”.

  the question that needs to be asked is: “what was jesus anointed as?”.

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  Doug Mason

  Godbeliever,

  The passage at Isaiah 61/Luke 4 speaks of features of the anointing that would be associated with the imminent final eschatological divine intrusion into human affairs. It was not an appointing to become the leader of the religious community or of the royal household. The anointing of people such as David or of the High priest are irrelevant.

  Eschatology speaks in terms of release from oppression, restoration of sight, and so forth. Jesus' resurrection was a sign that the final eschatological moment had arrived. His miracles were signs of the Last Days. Jesus had seen the evil spirits evicted from heaven.

  It's all mystical and the roles of Pesher and of Midrash are pertinent here. The context of Isaiah 61 is the neo-Babylonian captivity and exile, and it was addressing that situation. Analyse the passage solely in its original context

  Psalm 2 is saying that the Israelite nation was already God's Son and that their king was enthroned. Once more the role of Pesher comes into play. Read it literally in its own immediate context, for that was how it was written.

  Doug
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  2

  Comments on a range of topics

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  hi,.

  recent brief comments i made over a range of subjects.. https://jwstudies.com/doug_s_answers_at_quora__1_.pdf .

  doug.

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  Doug Mason

  Hi,

  Recent brief comments I made over a range of subjects.

  https://jwstudies.com/Doug_s_answers_at_Quora__1_.pdf

  Doug
• 
  16

  What was Jesus "anointed" as?

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  it is illogical to say that “jesus was anointed as christ”.

  that’s like saying that “jesus was anointed as anointed”.

  the question that needs to be asked is: “what was jesus anointed as?”.

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  2. 
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• 

  Doug Mason

  A most valuable book:

  https://eclass.uoa.gr/modules/document/file.php/THEOL264/charlesworth%20messiah.pdf

  Doug
• 
  16

  What was Jesus "anointed" as?

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  it is illogical to say that “jesus was anointed as christ”.

  that’s like saying that “jesus was anointed as anointed”.

  the question that needs to be asked is: “what was jesus anointed as?”.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Doug Mason

  It is illogical to say that “Jesus was anointed as Christ”. That’s like saying that “Jesus was anointed as anointed”. It says nothing. The question that needs to be asked is: “What was Jesus anointed as?”

  Anointing in the Hebrew literature (the Christian “Old Testament”) referred to becoming a Priest or a King. If that had been the understanding of the multitude in Jesus’ time, it would be seen as a threat to the Saducees on the one hand and to Rome on the other. Hence Jesus would not want his disciples to advertise that claim.

  However, in the Jewish literature from the 3rd or 2nd century on, the concept of Messiah took on an apocalyptic eschatological meaning. This Messiah took on a transcendental supernatural dimension that fought, not against mortal enemies such as Assyria, Babylon, Persia, or Greece, but against powers in heaven, where war was raging. This supernatural dimension was responsible for the Dead Sea communities and similar last-day movements, including John the Baptist’s, which Jesus joined through his baptism.

  Jesus is reported to be expecting the imminent final intrusion by God and he expected this Kingdom would be set up within the lifetime of his own generation. He already saw warring evil forces falling from heaven. His resurrection showed that this last day had started to arrive.

  Thus to understand the anointing of Jesus requires understanding the Jews’ expectations that developed from the 3rd/2nd centuries, including in Daniel, Enoch, Jubilees, the Dead Sea scrolls, and so forth. This Jesus Messiah was appointed to the supernatural priesthood and kingship through a spiritual anointing (chrio).