New evidence from before Jesus' birth about the Messiah and resurrection

by glenster 6 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  glenster

  Archaeological evidence from the time before Jesus' birth indicates a hope for
  a messiah who would be slain, rise in three days, and evil would be defeated by
  justice.

  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/06/world/middleeast/06stone.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
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  Midget-Sasquatch

  The Paleojudaica site is usually very boring but every so often it has some interesting bits of news. This stone was reported on their site not too long back and they even had a link to the article written by Knohl.

  Here's the link to a pdf of the article:

  ftp://tichonadmin:[email protected]/site/Israel_Knohl_on_Hazon_Gabriel.pdf
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  Narkissos

  Wow! Excellent find MS!

  It makes a lot more sense within the broader context of the "Son of Joseph" tradition...

  On edit, afterthought: the only OT reference for a "resurrection on the third day" (not after three days and three nights, which depends from the -- also Northern -- Jonah) is Hosea 6:1ff, where the immediate reference is to Ephraim (v. 4).
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  Midget-Sasquatch

  Thanks for pointing out that OT scripture reference to three days and Ephraim. I think Knohl should have included it in the article as more support for his view.

  I'll admit I knew very little about the rabbinic tradition of a messiah 'Son of Joseph', so reading all of this was fascinating. Its like seeing the individual mythic threads before being woven into the Gospel tapestry and being able to tease out some of them from the finished product (eg. Jesus -> a son of Joseph). Its also interesting to see the Jewish millieu that it stems from (people lately tend to over emphasize the pagan contribution to the myth). I've always been more caught up with the kingly and priestly messiahs of the Qumran material, and the possible connections of a historical Jesus to an essene like, anti-establishment movement, but this was enjoyable to read.
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  Leolaia

  I've been following the Hazon Gabriel story since January.

  One should bear in mind that the text is fragmentary and its reconstruction and interpretation is uncertain. There will likely be a good deal of discussion in the scholarly community before a clear picture emerges, but what has been published already is fascinating.

  Its original publication (with photos of the stone and a transcription of the Hebrew text) can be found here:

  http://www.nfc.co.il/uploadFiles/138240993022919.pdf

  The transcription of the text can also be found here:

  http://bib-arch.org/images/DSS-stone-hebrew.jpg

  And a preliminary English translation:

  http://bib-arch.org/news/dssinstone_english.pdf

  The first thing I'd like to see is a detailed comparison between the language and concepts of the text and what is found in extracanonical Qumran texts -- particularly with respect to similarities in OT exegesis and combinations of OT allusions. A number of things I find interesting about the text:

  • The prolific use of YHWH and the Yahweh-Sabaoth designation in a Second Temple apocalyptic text, 15 instances in the extant portion alone (expect the WTS to be all over this)
  • The mention of the Hasidim (the Hasidaeans) could be BIG in scholarship of Jewish history, as this group was pivotal in Second Temple history but its identity is obscure -- largely because references to them are few and contradictory. A new reference to a social group of Hasidim (mentioned alongside other groups like the prophets and the returnees from exile) could well be significant.
  • There looks like a hypostasization of the kbwd "glory" of YHWH in the text more advanced than in the OT. I am reminded of the kbwd yhwdh in 4QpNahum, which is probably a hypostasis of God (rooted in the reference in Isaiah 40:5 to the future revelation of the kbwd yhwh in Israel): "In the last time, the bad deeds of the Flattery-Seekers [i.e. the Pharisees] will be made manifest to all Israel and many will perceive their wrongdoing and reject them ... and when the glory of Judah is made manifest, the simple-hearted folk of Ephraim will withdraw from their company, abandon the ones who deceive them, and ally themselves to the [God of] Israel" (4Q169 iii 3:3-5).
  • This passage from 4QpNahum is also similar to the Vision of Gabriel for its mention of Ephraim. In the new text, the kbwd of YHWH is announced as present in Jerusalem, the "evil plant" (= Pharisees?) is condemned, and David asks something from before Ephraim (lines 16-27). Ephraim seems to correspond in 4QpNahum to the am ha-arets who could ally themselves to the Pharisees or to the righteous. With the mention of the Hasidim in the same text, could there be a similar concept here?
  • The scenario seems to be one familiar from Ezekiel, the War Scroll, 4 Ezra, and Revelation -- one of Jerusalem, the holy city, being surrounded by armies of all of the nations of the earth. If there is a slain messiah here (which is still very much unclear), it is a slaying that occurs within this conflict. This is reminiscent of the slaying of the "two witnesses" (Elijah & Moses // Elijah & Enoch) or a single prophet figure in Jerusalem in Jewish-Christian tradition (cf. the Oracles of Hystaspes and Revelation), the related tradition of the slaying and resurrection of Tabitha during a similar crisis (cf. the Apocalypse of Elijah), and the priestly figure of Taxo in the Assumption of Moses. The figure in the Oracles of Hystaspes is further parallel to the one presumed by Knohl, rising after three days: "This one [the king of Syria] will fight against the prophet of God he will conquer and kill him and suffer him to lie unburied. But after the third day, he will rise again" (Lact. Div. Inst. 7.17.3-8).

  • The "three holy ones of eternity" (shlwshh qdwshy h-`wlm) is a unique and enigmatic reference. I wonder who they are? A sort of triad of angelic powers? They appear to be the same as the "three shepherds". In the Animal Apocalypse (second century BC), the angels overseeing Israel and Judah are construed as wayward shepherds.
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  dawg

  This is all we get from poster over this subject?
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  Midget-Sasquatch

  Dawg

  I figure most of the people who come to JWD are to varying degress already disillusioned with any form of religion, thanks to the WTS. The more they interact on the board, the more they can come to terms with a number of doubts. So with that, I wouldn't expect news like this to trigger a wave of startled or outraged posters screaming this is "the greatest story ever sold". Or maybe I'm projecting my own tepidness on religion. I appreciate a good story though and like to know what played a part in its coming together.