Chapter 89. The cross alone is offensive to Trypho on account of the curse, yet it proves that Jesus is Christ

Trypho: Be assured that all our nation waits for Christ; and we admit that all the Scriptures which you have quoted refer to Him. Moreover, I do also admit that the name of Jesus, by which the son of Nave (Nun) was called, has inclined me very strongly to adopt this view. But whether Christ should be so shamefully crucified, this we are in doubt about. For whosoever is crucified is said in the law to be accursed, so that I am exceedingly incredulous on this point. It is quite clear, indeed, that the Scriptures announce that Christ had to suffer; but we wish to learn if you can prove it to us whether it was by the suffering cursed in the law.

Justin: If Christ was not to suffer, and the prophets had not foretold that He would be led to death on account of the sins of the people, and be dishonoured and scourged, and reckoned among the transgressors, and as a sheep be led to the slaughter, whose generation, the prophet says, no man can declare, then you would have good cause to wonder. But if these are to be characteristic of Him and mark Him out to all, how is it possible for us to do anything else than believe in Him most confidently? And will not as many as have understood the writings of the prophets, whenever they hear merely that He was crucified, say that this is He and no other?…

Chapter 97. Other predictions of the cross of Christ

Justin: For it was not without design that the prophet Moses, when Hur and Aaron upheld his hands, remained in this form until evening. For indeed the Lord remained upon the tree almost until evening, and they buried Him at eventide; then on the third day He rose again. This was declared by David thus: ‘With my voice I cried to the Lord, and He heard me out of His holy hill. I laid me down, and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.’ And Isaiah likewise mentions concerning Him the manner in which He would die, thus: ‘I have spread out My hands unto a people disobedient, and gainsaying, that walk in a way which is not good.’ And that He would rise again, Isaiah himself said: ‘His burial has been taken away from the midst, and I will give the rich for His death.’ Isaiah 53:9 And again, in other words, David in the twenty-first Psalm thus refers to the suffering and to the cross in a parable of mystery: ‘They pierced my hands and my feet; they counted all my bones. They considered and gazed on me; they parted my garments among themselves, and cast lots upon my vesture.’ For when they crucified Him, driving in the nails, they pierced His hands and feet; and those who crucified Him parted His garments among themselves, each casting lots for what he chose to have, and receiving according to the decision of the lot. And this very Psalm you maintain does not refer to Christ; for you are in all respects blind, and do not understand that no one in your nation who has been called King or Christ has ever had his hands or feet pierced while alive, or has died in this mysterious fashion— to wit, by the cross — save this Jesus alone.

Chapter 98. Predictions of Christ in Psalm 22

Justin: I shall repeat the whole Psalm, in order that you may hear His reverence to the Father, and how He refers all things to Him, and prays to be delivered by Him from this death; at the same time declaring in the Psalm who they are that rise up against Him, and showing that He has truly become man capable of suffering. It is as follows:

O God, my God, attend to me: why have You forsaken me? The words of my transgressions are far from my salvation. O my God, I will cry to You in the day-time, and You will not hear; and in the night-season, and it is not for lack of understanding in me. But You, the Praise of Israel, inhabit the holy place. Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them. They cried unto You, and were delivered: they trusted in You, and were not confounded. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laughed me to scorn; they spoke with the lips, they shook the head: He trusted on the Lord: let Him deliver him, let Him save him, since he desires Him. For You are He that took me out of the womb; my hope from the breasts of my mother: I was cast upon You from the womb. You are my God from my mother’s belly: be not far from me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many calves have compassed me; fat bulls have beset me round. They opened their mouth upon me, as a ravening and roaring lion. All my bones are poured out and dispersed like water. My heart has become like wax melting in the midst of my belly. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue has cleaved to my throat; and You have brought me into the dust of death. For many dogs have surrounded me; the assembly of the wicked have beset me round. They pierced my hands and my feet, they did tell all my bones. They did look and stare upon me; they parted my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. But do not remove Your assistance from me, O Lord: give heed to help me; deliver my soul from the sword, and my only-begotten from the hand of the dog. Save me from the lion’s mouth, and my humility from the horns of the unicorns. I will declare Your name to my brethren; in the midst of the Church will I praise You. You that fear the Lord, praise Him: all you the seed of Jacob, glorify Him. Let all the seed of Israel fear Him.

Chapter 99. In the commencement of the Psalm are Christ’s dying words

Justin: Now I will demonstrate to you that the whole Psalm refers thus to Christ, by the words which I shall again explain. What is said at first—‘O God, my God, attend to me: why have You forsaken me?’— announced from the beginning that which was to be said in the time of Christ. For when crucified, He spoke: ‘O God, my God, why have You forsaken me?’ And what follows: ‘The words of my transgressions are far from my salvation. O my God, I will cry to You in the day-time, and You will not hear; and in the night-season, and it is not for want of understanding in me.’ These, as well as the things which He was to do, were spoken. For on the day on which He was to be crucified, having taken three of His disciples to the hill called Olivet, situated opposite to the temple in Jerusalem, He prayed in these words: ‘Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.’ Matthew 26:39 And again He prayed: ‘Not as I will, but as You will.’ showing by this that He had become truly a suffering man. But lest any one should say, He did not know then that He had to suffer, He adds immediately in the Psalm: ‘And it is not for want of understanding in me.’ Even as there was no ignorance on God’s part when He asked Adam where he was, or asked Cain where Abel was; but [it was done] to convince each what kind of man he was, and in order that through the record [of Scripture] we might have a knowledge of all: so likewise Christ declared that ignorance was not on His side, but on theirs, who thought that He was not the Christ, but fancied they would put Him to death, and that He, like some common mortal, would remain in Hades. (Chapters 89-108)

Chapter 42. The bells on the priest’s robe were a figure of the apostles

Justin: Moreover, the prescription that twelve bells be attached to the [robe] of the high priest, which hung down to the feet, was a symbol of the twelve apostles, who depend on the power of Christ, the eternal Priest; and through their voice it is that all the earth has been filled with the glory and grace of God and of His Christ. Wherefore David also says: ‘Their sound has gone forth into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.’ And Isaiah speaks as if he were personating the apostles, when they say to Christ that they believe not in their own report, but in the power of Him who sent them. And so he says: ‘Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? We have preached before Him as if [He were] a child, as if a root in a dry ground.’ Isaiah 53:1-2 (And what follows in order of the prophecy already quoted.) But when the passage speaks as from the lips of many, ‘We have preached before Him,’ and adds, ‘as if a child,’ it signifies that the wicked shall become subject to Him, and shall obey His command, and that all shall become as one child. Such a thing as you may witness in the body: although the members are enumerated as many, all are called one, and are a body. For, indeed, a commonwealth and a church, though many individuals in number, are in fact as one, called and addressed by one appellation. And in short, sirs, by enumerating all the other appointments of Moses I can demonstrate that they were types, and symbols, and declarations of those things which would happen to Christ, of those who it was foreknown were to believe in Him, and of those things which would also be done by Christ Himself. But since what I have now enumerated appears to me to be sufficient, I revert again to the order of the discourse.

Chapter 43. He concludes that the law had an end in Christ, who was born of the Virgin

Justin: As, then, circumcision began with Abraham, and the Sabbath and sacrifices and offerings and feasts with Moses, and it has been proved they were enjoined on account of the hardness of your people’s heart, so it was necessary, in accordance with the Father’s will, that they should have an end in Him who was born of a virgin, of the family of Abraham and tribe of Judah, and of David; in Christ the Son of God, who was proclaimed as about to come to all the world, to be the everlasting law and the everlasting covenant, even as the forementioned prophecies show. And we, who have approached God through Him, have received not carnal, but spiritual circumcision, which Enoch and those like him observed. And we have received it through baptism, since we were sinners, by God’s mercy; and all men may equally obtain it. But since the mystery of His birth now demands our attention I shall speak of it. Isaiah then asserted in regard to the generation of Christ, that it could not be declared by man, in words already quoted: ‘Who shall declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth: for the transgressions of my people was He led to death.’ Isaiah 53:8 The Spirit of prophecy thus affirmed that the generation of Him who was to die, that we sinful men might be healed by His stripes, was such as could not be declared. Furthermore, that the men who believe in Him may possess the knowledge of the manner in which He came into the world, the Spirit of prophecy by the same Isaiah foretold how it would happen thus:

And the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, Ask for yourself a sign from the Lord your God, in the depth, or in the height. And Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. And Isaiah said, Hear then, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to contend with men, and how do you contend with the Lord? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son, and his name shall be called Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, before he knows or prefers the evil, and chooses out the good; for before the child knows good or ill, he rejects evil by choosing out the good. For before the child knows how to call father or mother, he shall receive the power of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria in presence of the king of Assyria. And the land shall be forsaken, which you shall with difficulty endure in consequence of the presence of its two kings. But God shall bring on you, and on your people, and on the house of your father, days which have not yet come upon you since the day in which Ephraim took away from Judah the king of Assyria.

Now it is evident to all, that in the race of Abraham according to the flesh no one has been born of a virgin, or is said to have been born [of a virgin], save this our Christ. But since you and your teachers venture to affirm that in the prophecy of Isaiah it is not said, ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive,’ but, ‘Behold, the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son;’ and [since] you explain the prophecy as if [it referred] to Hezekiah, who was your king, I shall endeavour to discuss shortly this point in opposition to you, and to show that reference is made to Him who is acknowledged by us as Christ. (Chapters 31-47)

Chapter 111. The two advents were signified by the two goats. Other figures of the first advent, in which the Gentiles are freed by the blood of Christ

Justin: And that it was declared by symbol, even in the time of Moses, that there would be two advents of this Christ, as I have mentioned previously, [is manifest] from the symbol of the goats presented for sacrifice during the fast. And again, by what Moses and Joshua did, the same thing was symbolically announced and told beforehand. For the one of them, stretching out his hands, remained till evening on the hill, his hands being supported; and this reveals a type of no other thing than of the cross: and the other, whose name was altered to Jesus (Joshua), led the fight, and Israel conquered. Now this took place in the case of both those holy men and prophets of God, that you may perceive how one of them could not bear up both the mysteries: I mean, the type of the cross and the type of the name. For this is, was, and shall be the strength of Him alone, whose name every power dreads, being very much tormented because they shall be destroyed by Him. Therefore our suffering and crucified Christ was not cursed by the law, but made it manifest that He alone would save those who do not depart from His faith. And the blood of the passover, sprinkled on each man’s door-posts and lintel, delivered those who were saved in Egypt, when the first-born of the Egyptians were destroyed. For the passover was Christ, who was afterwards sacrificed, as also Isaiah said, ‘He was led as a sheep to the slaughter.’ Isaiah 53:7And it is written, that on the day of the passover you seized Him, and that also during the passover you crucified Him. And as the blood of the passover saved those who were in Egypt, so also the blood of Christ will deliver from death those who have believed. Would God, then, have been deceived if this sign had not been above the doors? I do not say that; but I affirm that He announced beforehand the future salvation for the human race through the blood of Christ. For the sign of the scarlet thread, which the spies, sent to Jericho by Joshua, son of Nave (Nun), gave to Rahab the harlot, telling her to bind it to the window through which she let them down to escape from their enemies, also manifested the symbol of the blood of Christ, by which those who were at one time harlots and unrighteous persons out of all nations are saved, receiving remission of sins, and continuing no longer in sin…

Chapter 114. Some rules for discerning what is said about Christ. The circumcision of the Jews is very different from that which Christians receive

Justin: For the Holy Spirit sometimes brought about that something, which was the type of the future, should be done clearly; sometimes He uttered words about what was to take place, as if it was then taking place, or had taken place. And unless those who read perceive this art, they will not be able to follow the words of the prophets as they ought. For example’s sake, I shall repeat some prophetic passages, that you may understand what I say. When He speaks by Isaiah, ‘He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb before the shearer,’ Isaiah 53:7 He speaks as if the suffering had already taken place. And when He says again, ‘I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and gainsaying people;’ Isaiah 65:2 and when He says, ‘Lord, who has believed our report?’ Isaiah 53:1— the words are spoken as if announcing events which had already come to pass. For I have shown that Christ is oftentimes called a Stone in parable, and in figurative speech Jacob and Israel. And again, when He says, ‘I shall behold the heavens, the works of Your fingers,’ unless I understand His method of using words, I shall not understand intelligently, but just as your teachers suppose, fancying that the Father of all, the unbegotten God, has hands and feet, and fingers, and a soul, like a composite being; and they for this reason teach that it was the Father Himself who appeared to Abraham and to Jacob. Blessed therefore are we who have been circumcised the second time with knives of stone. For your first circumcision was and is performed by iron instruments, for you remain hard-hearted; but our circumcision, which is the second, having been instituted after yours, circumcises us from idolatry and from absolutely every kind of wickedness by sharp stones, i.e., by the words [preached] by the apostles of the corner-stone cut out without hands. And our hearts are thus circumcised from evil, so that we are happy to die for the name of the good Rock, which causes living water to burst forth for the hearts of those who by Him have loved the Father of all, and which gives those who are willing to drink of the water of life. But you do not comprehend me when I speak these things; for you have not understood what it has been prophesied that Christ would do, and you do not believe us who draw your attention to what has been written. For Jeremiah thus cries: ‘Woe unto you! Because you have forsaken the living fountain, and have dug for yourselves broken cisterns that can hold no water. Shall there be a wilderness where Mount Zion is, because I gave Jerusalem a bill of divorce in your sight?’ Jeremiah 2:13…

Chapter 118. He exhorts to repentance before Christ comes; in whom Christians, since they believe, are far more religious than Jews

Justin: So that you ought rather to desist from the love of strife, and repent before the great day of judgment come, wherein all those of your tribes who have pierced this Christ shall mourn as I have shown has been declared by the Scriptures. And I have explained that the Lord swore, ‘after the order of Melchizedek,’ and what this prediction means; and the prophecy of Isaiah which says, ‘His burial is taken away from the midst,’ Isaiah 53:8 I have already said, referred to the future burying and rising again of Christ; and I have frequently remarked that this very Christ is the Judge of all the living and the dead. And Nathan likewise, speaking to David about Him, thus continued: ‘I will be His Father, and He shall be my Son; and my mercy shall I not take away from Him, as I did from them that went before Him; and I will establish Him in my house, and in His kingdom forever.’ 2 Samuel 7:14f. And Ezekiel says, ‘There shall be no other prince in the house but He.’ Ezekiel 44:3 For He is the chosen Priest and eternal King, the Christ, inasmuch as He is the Son of God; and do not suppose that Isaiah or the other prophets speak of sacrifices of blood or libations being presented at the altar on His second advent, but of true and spiritual praises and giving of thanks. And we have not in vain believed in Him, and have not been led astray by those who taught us such doctrines; but this has come to pass through the wonderful foreknowledge of God, in order that we, through the calling of the new and eternal covenant, that is, of Christ, might be found more intelligent and God-fearing than yourselves, who are considered to be lovers of God and men of understanding, but are not. Isaiah, filled with admiration of this, said: ‘And kings shall shut their mouths: for those to whom no announcement has been made in regard to Him shall see; and those who heard not shall understand. Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?’ Isaiah 52:15, Isaiah 53:1 And in repeating this, Trypho, as far as is allowable, I endeavour to do so for the sake of those who came with you today, yet briefly and concisely. (Chapters 109-124)

Chapter 63. It is proved that this God was incarnate

Trypho: This point has been proved to me forcibly, and by many arguments, my friend. It remains, then, to prove that He submitted to become man by the Virgin, according to the will of His Father; and to be crucified, and to die. Prove also clearly, that after this He rose again and ascended to heaven.

Justin: This, too, has been already demonstrated by me in the previously quoted words of the prophecies, my friends; which, by recalling and expounding for your sakes, I shall endeavour to lead you to agree with me also about this matter. The passage, then, which Isaiah records, ‘Who shall declare His generation? For His life is taken away from the earth,’ Isaiah 53:8— does it not appear to you to refer to One who, not having descent from men, was said to be delivered over to death by God for the transgressions of the people?— of whose blood, Moses (as I mentioned before), when speaking in parable, said, that He would wash His garments in the blood of the grape; since His blood did not spring from the seed of man, but from the will of God. And then, what is said by David, ‘In the splendours of Your holiness have I begotten You from the womb, before the morning star. The Lord has sworn, and will not repent, You are a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek,’ — does this not declare to you that [He was] from of old, and that the God and Father of all things intended Him to be begotten by a human womb? And speaking in other words, which also have been already quoted, [he says]: ‘Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of rectitude is the sceptre of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness, and have hated iniquity: therefore God, even your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your fellows. [He has anointed You] with myrrh, and oil, and cassia from Your garments, from the ivory palaces, whereby they made You glad. King’s daughters are in Your honour. The queen stood at Your right hand, clad in garments embroidered with gold. Hearken, O daughter, and behold, and incline your ear, and forget your people and the house of your father; and the King shall desire your beauty: because he is your Lord, and you shall worship Him.’ Therefore these words testify explicitly that He is witnessed to by Him who established these things, as deserving to be worshipped, as God and as Christ. Moreover, that the word of God speaks to those who believe in Him as being one soul, and one synagogue, and one church, as to a daughter; that it thus addresses the church which has sprung from His name and partakes of His name (for we are all called Christians), is distinctly proclaimed in like manner in the following words, which teach us also to forget [our] old ancestral customs, when they speak thus: ‘Hearken, O daughter, and behold, and incline your ear; forget your people and the house of your father, and the King shall desire your beauty: because He is your Lord, and you shall worship Him.’ (Chapters 55-68)

Besides Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53, Justin also referenced Psalms 45 and 110 as well as a slew of other OT texts. This highlights just how well-versed Justin and the Christians of his day were in respect to the inspired Scriptures.  

FURTHER READING

ORIGEN ON ISAIAH 53

ISAIAH 53 IS NOT ABOUT NATIONAL ISRAEL

PRE-CHRISTIAN EXEGESIS OF ISAIAH 52:13-53:12

More Proof that Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Cannot Be National Israel

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 in Jewish Tradition

Aramaic Paraphrase of Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Isaiah’s Sacrificial Lamb Has Come!

Chapter 55

Now I remember that, on one occasion, at a disputation held with certain Jews, who were reckoned wise men, I quoted these prophecies; to which my Jewish opponent replied, that these predictions bore reference to the whole people, regarded as one individual, and as being in a state of dispersion and suffering, in order that many proselytes might be gained, on account of the dispersion of the Jews among numerous heathen nations. And in this way he explained the words, Your form shall be of no reputation among men; and then, They to whom no message was sent respecting him shall see; and the expression, A man under suffering. Many arguments were employed on that occasion during the discussion to prove that these predictions regarding one particular person were not rightly applied by them to the whole nation. And I asked to what character the expression would be appropriate, This man bears our sins, and suffers pain on our behalf; and this, But He was wounded for our sins, and bruised for our iniquities; and to whom the expression properly belonged, By His stripes were we healed. For it is manifest that it is they who had been sinners, and had been healed by the Saviour’s sufferings (whether belonging to the Jewish nation or converts from the Gentiles), who use such language in the writings of the prophet who foresaw these events, and who, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, applied these words to a person. But we seemed to press them hardest with the expression, Because of the iniquities of My people was He led away unto death. For if the people, according to them, are the subject of the prophecy, how is the man said to be led away to death because of the iniquities of the people of God, unless he be a different person from that people of God? And who is this person save Jesus Christ, by whose stripes they who believe in Him are healed, when He had spoiled the principalities and powers (that were over us), and had made a show of them openly on His cross? At another time we may explain the several parts of the prophecy, leaving none of them unexamined. But these matters have been treated at greater length, necessarily as I think, on account of the language of the Jew, as quoted in the work of Celsus. (Contra Celsus, BOOK I)

FURTHER READING

JUSTIN MARTYR ON PSALM 22 & ISAIAH 53

ISAIAH 53 IS NOT ABOUT NATIONAL ISRAEL

PRE-CHRISTIAN EXEGESIS OF ISAIAH 52:13-53:12

More Proof that Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Cannot Be National Israel

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 in Jewish Tradition

Aramaic Paraphrase of Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Isaiah’s Sacrificial Lamb Has Come!

John Cassian: For if He willeth not that one of His little ones should perish, HOW CANE WE IMAGINE WITHOUT GRIEVOUS BLASPHEMY THAT HE DOES NOT GENERALLY WILL ALL MEN, BUT ONLY SOME INSTEAD OF ALL TO BE SAVED? Those then who perish, perish against His will, as He testifies against each one of them day by day: “Turn from your evil ways, and why will ye die, O house of Israel?” And again: “How often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not;” and: “Wherefore is this people in Jerusalem turned away with a stubborn revolting? They have hardened their faces and refused to return.” (Matt 23:37, Jer 8:5) The grace of Christ then is at hand every day, which, while it “willeth all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth,” calleth all without any exception, saying: “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you.” (Matt11:28) But if He calls not all generally BUT ONLY SOME, it follows that not all are heavy laden either with original or actual sin, and that this saying is not a true one: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God;” nor can we believe that “death passed on all men.” (Rom 3:23, 5:12) And so far do all who perish, perish against the will of God, that God cannot be said to have made death, as Scripture itself testifies: “For God made not death, neither rejoiceth in the destruction of the living.” (Wisdom 1:13) And hence it comes that for the most part when instead of good things we ask for the opposite, our prayer is either heard but tardily or not at all; and again the Lord vouchsafes to bring upon us even against our will, like some most beneficent physician, for our good what we think is opposed to it, and sometimes He delays and hinders our injurious purposes and deadly attempts from having their horrible effects, and, while we are rushing headlong towards death, draws us back to salvation, and rescues us without our knowing it from the jaws of hell.” (The Conferences 13:7)

Ephrem the Syrian: GOD TASTED DEATH FOR EVERY ONE, but, because his immortal nature could not die in the flesh in which he died, he who was dead, as it is, did not die. He did not die because of his nature; he nominally clothed himself with death for his love to us. Since he was superior to death by his nature, death could not approach him. (Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews)

Theodoret of Cyr: Of course, he endured the suffering FOR ALL: EVERYTHING in possession of created nature needed this healing. He said as much, in fact, “so that apart from God he would taste death for everyone,” only the divine nature is without need (he is saying); all other things needed the remedy of the incarnation. By becoming man God the Word destroyed the power of death; in destroying it he promised us resurrection, to resurrection he linked incorruptibility and immortality, and visible things also will share in incorruptibility. (Interpretation of Hebrews 2)

Mathetes or the letter to diognetes: And so, when he had planned everything by himself in union with his Child, he still allowed us, through the former time, to be carried away by undisciplined impulses…. And so, when our unrighteousness had come to its full term, and it had become perfectly plain that its recompense of punishment and death had to be expected, then the season arrived in which God had determined to show at last his goodness and power. O the overflowing kindness and love of God toward man! God did not hate us, or drive us away, or bear us ill will. Rather, he was long-suffering and forbearing. In his mercy, he took up the burden of our sins. He himself gave up his own Son as a ransom for us—the holy one for the unjust, the innocent for the guilty, the righteous one for the unrighteous, the incorruptible for the corruptible, the immortal for the mortal. (Letter to Diognetus 9.1-2)

Ignatius of Antioch: For says [the Scripture], “Thine eye shall not spare him. ”You ought therefore to “hate those that hate God, and to waste away [with grief] on account of His enemies. ”I do not mean that you should beat them or persecute them, as do the Gentiles “that know not the Lord and God;” but that you should regard them as your enemies, and separate yourselves from them, while yet you admonish them, and exhort them to repentance, if it may be they will hear, if it may be they will submit themselves. For our God is a lover of mankind, and “will have ALL MEN to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”. Wherefore “He makes His sun to rise upon the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust;”. of whose kindness the Lord, wishing us also to be imitators, says, “Be ye perfect, even as also your Father that is in heaven is perfect.”  (Epistle to the Philadelphians III)

Cyril of Jerusalem: Do not wonder that THE WHOLE WORLD was redeemed, for it was no mere man but the Only-begotten Son of God who died for it. The sin of one man, Adam, availed to bring death to the world; if by one man’s offense death reigned for the world, why should not life reign all the more “from the justice of the one?” If Adam and Eve were cast out of paradise because of the tree from which they ate, should not believers more easily enter into paradise because of the Tree of Jesus? If the first man, fashioned out of the earth, brought universal death, shall not he who fashioned him, being the Life, bring everlasting life? If Phinees by his zeal in slaying the evildoer appeased the wrath of God, shall not Jesus, who slew no other, but “gave himself a ransom FOR ALL,” take away God’s wrath against man? (Catechetical Lectures 13.2)

Cyril of Alexandria: But how is it that “one died for all,” one who is worth all others, if the suffering is considered simply THAT OF SOME MEN? If he suffered according to his human nature, since he made the sufferings of his body his own… . The death of him alone according to the flesh is known to be worth THE LIFE OF ALL, not the death of one who is as we are, even though he became like to us, but we say that he, being God by nature, became flesh and was made man according to the confession of the Fathers. (Letter 50)

Chrysostom: “The love of Christ,” he says, “constrains us,” that is, urges, impels, coerces us. Then, wishing to explain what had been said by him, he says, convinced of this, that if one person [died] indeed for all, then all have died, he did die for all so that the living might live no longer for themselves but for the one who died and rose for them. Do you see how appropriate it was for him to say, “The love of Christ constrains us”? He is saying, you see, if he died for the sake of us all, he died for the purpose that we the living might live no longer for ourselves but for him who died and rose for us. Accordingly, let us heed the apostolic exhortation, not living for ourselves but for him who died and rose for us. (Homilies on Genesis 34.15)

Chrysostom: Do you see the fruit of the cross, how great it is? Fear not the matter, for it seems to you indeed to be dismal, but it brings forth innumerable good things. From these considerations he shows the benefit of trial. Then he says, “that by the grace of God he might taste death for every one.” “That by the grace of God,” he says. And he indeed suffered these things because of the grace of God toward us. “He who did not spare his own Son,” he says, “but gave him up for us all.” Why? He did not owe us this but has done it of grace. And again, in the epistle to the Romans he says, “Much more have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.” This occurred “that by the grace of God he might taste death for every one,” not for the faithful only, BUT EVEN FOR THE WHOLE WORLD, for he indeed died FOR ALL. But what if all have not believed? He has fulfilled his own part. Moreover, he said rightly, “taste death for every one”; he did not say “die.” For as if he really was tasting it, when he had spent a little time in the grave, he immediately arose. (On the Epistle to the Hebrews 4.3)

Augustine: Paul said: “Therefore all died; and Christ died FOR ALL, in order that they who are alive may live no longer for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again.” ALL PEOPLE, consequently, WITHOUT A SINGLE EXCEPTION, were dead through sin, original sin or original with personal sin superadded, either by ignorance of or conscious refusal to do what is right. AND FOR ALL THESE DEAD SOULS ONE LIVING MAN DIED—a man utterly free from sin—with the intention that those who come alive by forgiveness of their sins live no longer for themselves but for him who died for all on account of our sins and rose again for our justification. (City of God 20.6)

Augustine: As the apostle says, and as we have often repeated: “Since one died for all, therefore all died, and he died for all in order that they who are alive may live no longer for themselves but for him who died for them and rose again.” The living are those for whom he who was living died in order that they might live; more plainly, they are freed from the chains of death, they for whom the one free among the dead died. Or, still more plainly: they have been freed from sin, for whom he who was never in sin died. Although he died once, he dies for each at that time when each, whatever his age, is baptized in his death; that is, the death of him who was without sin benefits each man at the time when, having been baptized in his death, he who was dead in sin shall also die to sin. (Against Julian 6.15.48)

Augustine: Let us then, first of all, lay down this proposition, and see whether it satisfies the question before us: that free will, naturally assigned by the Creator to our rational soul, is such a neutral power, as can either incline towards faith, or turn towards unbelief. Consequently a man cannot be said to have even that will with which he believes in God, without having received it; since this rises at the call of God out of the free will which he received naturally when he was created. God no doubt wishes ALL MEN to be savedand to come into the knowledge of the truth; but yet not so as to take away from them free will, for the good or the evil use of which they may be most righteously judged. This being the case, unbelievers indeed do contrary to the will of God when they do not believe His gospel; nevertheless they do not therefore overcome His will, but rob their own selves of the great, nay, the very greatest, good, and implicate themselves in penalties of punishment, destined to experience the power of Him in punishments whose mercy in His gifts they despised. Thus God’s will is forever invincible; but it would be vanquished, unless it devised what to do with such as despised it, or if these despises could in any way escape from the retribution which He has appointed for such as they. (A Treatise on the Spirit and Letter Chapter 58)

Hilary of Poitiers: Do you now perceive what it is to be the image of God? It means that all things are created in Him through Him. Whereas all things are created in Him, understand that He, Whose image He is, also creates all things in Him. And since all things which are created in Him are also created through Him, recognize that in Him Who is the image there is present the nature of Him, Whose image He is. For through Himself He creates the things which are created in Him, just as through Himself ALL THINGS are reconciled in Him. Inasmuch as they are reconciled in Him, recognise in Him the nature of the Father’s unity, reconciling all things to Himself in Him. Inasmuch as all things are reconciled through Him, perceive Him reconciling to the Father in Himself all things which He reconciled through Himself. (De Trinitate Book VIII)

Pope St. Leo the Great: For as it cannot be denied that “the Word became flesh and dwelt in us,” so it cannot be denied that “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself.

But what reconciliation can there be, whereby God might be propitiated FOR THE HUMAN RACE, unless the mediator between God and man took up the cause OF ALL? And in what way could He properly fulfil His mediation, unless He who in the form of God was equal to the Father, were a sharer of our nature also in the form of a slave: so that the one new Man might effect a renewal of the old: and the bond of death fastened on us by one man’s wrong-doing. Its original technical meaning is the action of an advocate who plays into the enemy’s hand. In theology the devil (διάβολος) is man’s adversary, and man himself is be fooled into collusion with him by breaking God’s Law.

For the pouring out of the blood of the righteous on behalf of the unrighteous was so powerful in its effects, so rich a ransom that, if the whole body of us prisoners only believed in their Redeemer, not one would be held in the tyrant’s bonds: since as the Apostle says, “where sin abounded, grace also did much more abound^” And since we, who were born under the imputation. (To the Monks of Palestine)

FURTHER READING

John Calvin and Particular Redemption

The Case for Unlimited Atonement Pt. 1

LIMITED ATONEMENT DEBATE PT. 2

CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON VS. JAMES WHITE

HOW JUDAS ISCARIOT REFUTES CALVINISM

MESSIAH’S HEAVENLY ENTHRONEMENT

Here’s the Psalm in question:

“A Psalm of David. The Lord says to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool.’ The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your foes! Your people will offer themselves freely on the day you lead your host upon the holy mountains. From the womb of the morning like dew your youth will come to you. The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchiz′edek.’ The Lord (Adonay)is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head.” Psalm 110:1-7

David prophesied that YHWH would enthrone a King who would be the Lord of Israel’s ruler, and therefore superior to him, and who also functions as a Priest from a different order, namely that of Melchizedek. This Melchizedek was the King of Jerusalem who blessed Abraham the father of national Israel, and who ate bread and wine with the patriarch (Cf. Gen. 14:18-20).

David also envisions his Lord overcoming and vanquishing his enemies on the day when he comes to judge and rule the nations.

The point that needs to be emphasized is that this Ruler must be a physical descendent of David since kingship was assigned to his line as an everlasting possession (Cf. Psalm 89:19-37). This indicates that this particular King would be both divine and human since he could not be David’s Lord if he were merely a man. And yet the only Lord whom David submitted to is none other than YHWH God, since there was no other authority figure equal to, let alone greater than, the King of Israel.  

This brings me to my next point.

The Psalms are explicitly clear that YHWH sits enthroned in heaven, and that he alone rules from his heavenly throne as Lord over all creation:

“He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision.” Psalm 2:4

“The ORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven; his eyes behold, his eyelids test, the children of men.” Psalm 11:4

“The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.” Psalm 103:19

“Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high,” Psalm 113:5

“The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the sons of men.” Psalm 115:16

“Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.”

Thus, for David’s Lord to sit at YHWH’s right hand means that he is reigning alongside God on his heavenly throne, which provides further confirmation that this King is truly divine and essentially coequal with YHWH.

BEGOTTEN BEFORE CREATION

Another important fact to point out is that certain Hebrew manuscripts (MSS) and several ancient versions contain a reading, which points to the Messianic King’s prehuman existence and pre-creational divine begetting:

“The Lord said to my lord (Eipen ho Kyrios to Kyrio mou), ‘Sit on my right until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’ A rod of your power the Lord will send out from Sion. And exercise dominion in the midst of your enemies! With you is rule on a day of your power among the splendors of the holy ones. From the womb, before Morning-star, I brought you forth (egennesa se).” Psalm 109:1-3 (Psalms (and Prayer of Manasses),”, translated by Albert Pietersma, A New English Translation of the Septuagint, published by Oxford University Press in 2009, including corrections and emendations made in the second printing (2009) and corrections and emendations made in June 2014, p. 603)

“The Lord said to my Lord: Sit thou at my right hand: Until I make thy enemies thy footstool. The Lord will send forth the sceptre of thy power out of Sion: rule thou in the midst of thy enemies. With thee is the principality in the day of thy strength: in the brightness of the saints: from the womb before the day star I begot thee.” Psalm 109:1-3 Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)

“LORD JEHOVAH said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies as a stool for your feet.’ LORD JEHOVAH will send the scepter of power to you from Zion and he will rule over your enemies. Your people are glorious in the day of power; in the glories of holiness from the womb, from the first, I have begotten you, Son.” Psalm 110:1-3 Peshitta Holy Bible Translation (PHBT https://biblehub.com/hpbt/psalms/110.htm)

“THE LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD will send forth the sceptre of his power out of Zion, and he will rule over thine enemies. Thy people shall be glorious in the day of thy power; arrayed in the beauty of holiness from the womb, I have begotten thee as a child from the ages.” George Lamsa Bible (LAMSA https://biblehub.com/lamsa/psalms/110.htm)

The womb and the morning-star refer to creation, and therefore point to the fact that David’s Lord was already existing as God’s uniquely begotten Son before anything had been created.  

The following Biblical scholars argue that “begotten you” (y^elidtika) should be the preferred rendering of the Hebrew consonants of v. 3, and state that this reading is accepted by many commentators:  

For our present purposes, the main focus of interest in Psalm 110 is the notoriously corrupt verse 3b:

bahadre qodesh merechem mishchar laka tal yaldutheka

The corresponding Greek (Ps 109:3) reads:

en tais lamprostesin ton hagion

ek gastros pro heosphorou exegennesa se.

The MT points the last word as yaldutheka, “your youth.” The NRSV translates accordingly:

From the womb of the morning,

like dew, your youth will come to you.

MANY Masoretic manuscripts, however, read y^elidtika, the reading presupposed by the Greek, and also supported by the Syriac. In view of the consonantal spelling in the MT, and the parallel in Psalm 2, this reading should be preferred and is accepted by many commentators.⁸⁴

By re-pointing the Masoretic text, but making no changes to the consonants we read:

In sacred splendor, from the womb, from dawn, you have the dew wherewith I have begotten you.⁸⁵ (Adela Yarbro Collins & John J. Collins, King and Messiah as Son of God: Divine, Human, and Angelic Messianic Figures in Biblical and Related Literature [William. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., First Edition, First Printing, 2008], 1. The King as Son of God, pp. 16-17; bold and capital emphasis mine)

NEW TESTAMENT

Here are the places where the inspired NT writings either quote or allude to the 110^th Psalm:

“And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, ‘How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, declared, “The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I put thy enemies under thy feet.” David himself calls him Lord; so how is he his son?’ And the great throng heard him gladly.” Mark 12:35-37  

“But he was silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?’ And Jesus said, ‘I am; and you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.’” Mark 14:61-62

“So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen.” Mark 16:19-20

“Brethren, I may say to you confidently of the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens; but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet.’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Acts 2:29-36

“God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” Acts 5:31

“But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.’” Acts 7:55-56

“who is to condemn? Is it Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us?” Romans 8:34

“and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, FAR ABOVE ALL rule and authority and power and dominion, and ABOVE EVERY NAME that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come; and he has put ALL THINGS under his feet and has made him the head over ALL THINGS for the church, which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:19-23

“For in him the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fulness of life in him, who is the head of all rule and authority… If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Colossians 2:9-10, 3:1

“He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high… But to what angel has he ever said, ‘Sit at my right hand, till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet’?” Hebrews 1:3, 13

“Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent which is set up not by man but by the Lord.” Hebrews 8:1-2

“But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, then to wait until his enemies should be made a stool for his feet.” Hebrews 10:12-13  

“looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

“Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.” 1 Peter 3:21-22

As the readers can see, Psalm 110 is consistently applied to Jesus’ post-resurrection and physical, bodily ascension into heaven to sit enthroned alongside the Father as Lord of all creation.

EXTRA-BIBLICAL WRITINGS

I now quote some of the early Christian witnesses to Psalm 110.

ASCENSION OF ISAIAH

CHAPTER 10

AND thereupon I heard the voices and the giving of praise, which I had heard in each of the six heavens, ascending and being heard there:

2. And all were being sent up to that Glorious One whose glory I could not behold.

3. And I myself was hearing and beholding the praise (which was given) to Him.

4. And the Lord and the angel of the Spirit were beholding all and hearing all.

5. And all the praises which are sent up from the six heavens are not only heard, but seen.

6. And I heard the angel who conducted me and he said: “This is the Most High of the high ones, dwelling in the holy world, and resting in His holy ones, who will be called by the Holy Spirit through the lips of the righteous the Father of the Lord.”

7. And I heard the voice of the Most High, the Father of my Lord, saying to my Lord Christ who will be called Jesus:

8. “Go forth and descent through all the heavens, and thou wilt descent to the firmament and that world: to the angel in Sheol thou wilt descend, but to Haguel thou wilt not go.

9. And thou wilt become like unto the likeness of all who are in the five heavens.

10. And thou wilt be careful to become like the form of the angels of the firmament [and the angels also who are in Sheol].

11. And none of the angels of that world shall know that Thou art with Me of the seven heavens and of their angels.

12. And they shall not know that Thou art with Me, till with a loud voice I have called (to) the heavens, and their angels and their lights, (even) unto the sixth heaven, in order that you mayest judge and destroy the princes and angels and gods of that world, and the world that is dominated by them:

13. For they have denied Me and said: “We alone are and there is none beside us.”

14. And afterwards from the angels of death Thou wilt ascend to Thy place. And Thou wilt not be transformed in each heaven, but in glory wilt Thou ascend and sit on My right hand.

15. And thereupon the princes and powers of that world will worship Thee.”

16. These commands I heard the Great Glory giving to my Lord.

17. And so I saw my Lord go forth from the seventh heaven into the sixth heaven.

18. And the angel who conducted me [from this world was with me and] said unto me: “Understand, Isaiah, and see the transformation and descent of the Lord will appear.”…

CHAPTER 11

AFTER this I saw, and the angel who spoke with me, who conducted me, said unto me: “Understand, Isaiah son of Amoz; for for this purpose have I been sent from God.”

2. And I indeed saw a woman of the family of David the prophet, named Mary, and Virgin, and she was espoused to a man named Joseph, a carpenter, and he also was of the seed and family of the righteous David of Bethlehem Judah.

3. And he came into his lot. And when she was espoused, she was found with child, and Joseph the carpenter was desirous to put her away…

18. And when He had grown up he worked great signs and wonders in the land of Israel and of Jerusalem.

19. And after this the adversary envied Him and roused the children of Israel against Him, not knowing who He was, and they delivered Him to the king, and crucified Him, and He descended to the angel (of Sheol).

20. In Jerusalem indeed I saw Him being crucified on a tree:

21. And likewise after the third day rise again and remain days.

22. And the angel who conducted me said: “Understand, Isaiah”: and I saw when He sent out the Twelve Apostles and ascended.

23. And I saw Him, and He was in the firmament, but He had not changed Himself into their form, and all the angels of the firmament and the Satans saw Him and they worshipped.

24. And there was much sorrow there, while they said: “How did our Lord descend in our midst, and we perceived not the glory [which has been upon Him], which we see has been upon Him from the sixth heaven?”

25. And He ascended into the second heaven, and He did not transform Himself, but all the angels who were on the right and on the left and the throne in the midst.

26. Both worshipped Him and praised Him and said: “How did our Lord escape us whilst descending, and we perceived not?”

27. And in like manner He ascended into the third heaven, and they praised and said in like manner.

28. And in the fourth heaven and in the fifth also they said precisely after the same manner.

29. But there was one glory, and from it He did not change Himself.

30. And I saw when He ascended into the sixth heaven, and they worshipped and glorified Him.

31. But in all the heavens the praise increased (in volume).

32. And I saw how He ascended into the seventh heaven, and all the righteous and all the angels praised Him. And then I saw Him sit down on the right hand of that Great Glorywhose glory I told you that I could not behold.

33. And also the angel of the Holy Spirit I saw sitting on the left hand. (The Ascension of Isaiah)

EPISTLE OF BARNABAS

Chapter 12. The cross of Christ frequently announced in the Old Testament

In like manner He points to the cross of Christ in another prophet, who says, And when shall these things be accomplished? And the Lord says, When a tree shall be bent down, and again arise, and when blood shall flow out of wood. Here again you have an intimation concerning the cross, and Him who should be crucified. Yet again He speaks of this in Moses, when Israel was attacked by strangers. And that He might remind them, when assailed, that it was on account of their sins they were delivered to death, the Spirit speaks to the heart of Moses, that he should make a figure of the cross, and of Him about to suffer thereon; for unless they put their trust in Him, they shall be overcome forever. Moses therefore placed one weapon above another in the midst of the hill, and standing upon it, so as to be higher than all the people, he stretched forth his hands, and thus again Israel acquired the mastery. But when again he let down his hands, they were again destroyed. For what reason? That they might know that they could not be saved unless they put their trust in Him. And in another prophet He declares, All day long I have stretched forth My hands to an unbelieving people, and one that gainsays My righteous way. Isaiah 65:2 And again Moses makes a type of Jesus, [signifying] that it was necessary for Him to suffer, [and also] that He would be the author of life [to others], whom they believed to have destroyed on the cross when Israel was failing. For since transgression was committed by Eve through means of the serpent, [the Lord] brought it to pass that every [kind of] serpents bit them, and they died, Numbers 21:6-9; John 3:14-18 that He might convince them, that on account of their transgression they were given over to the straits of death. Moreover Moses, when he commanded, You shall not have any graven or molten [image] for your God, did so that he might reveal a type of Jesus. Moses then makes a brazen serpent, and places it upon a beam, and by proclamation assembles the people. When, therefore, they had come together, they besought Moses that he would offer sacrifice in their behalf, and pray for their recovery. And Moses spoke unto them, saying, When any one of you is bitten, let him come to the serpent placed on the pole; and let him hope and believe, that even though dead, it is able to give him life, and immediately he shall be restored. Numbers 21:9 And they did so. You have in this also [an indication of] the glory of Jesus; for in Him and to Him are all things. Colossians 1:16 What, again, says Moses to Jesus (Joshua) the son of Nave, when he gave him this name, as being a prophet, with this view only, that all the people might hear that the Father would reveal all things concerning His Son Jesus to the son of Nave? This name then being given him when he sent him to spy out the land, he said, Take a book into your hands, and write what the Lord declares, that the Son of God will in the last days cut off from the roots all the house of Amalek. Exodus 17:14 Behold again: Jesus who was manifested, both by type and in the flesh, 1 Timothy 3:16 is not the Son of man, but the Son of God. Since, therefore, they were to say that Christ was the son of David, fearing and understanding the error of the wicked, he says, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool. And again, thus says Isaiah, The Lord said to Christ, my Lord, whose right hand I have holden, that the nations should yield obedience before Him; and I will break in pieces the strength of kings. Isaiah 45:1 Behold how David calls Him Lord and the Son of God. (Epistle of Barnabas)

CLEMENT OF ROME

Chapter 36. All Blessings are Given to Us Through Christ.

This is the way, beloved, in which we find our Saviour, even Jesus Christ, the High Priest of all our offerings, the defender and helper of our infirmity. By Him we look up to the heights of heaven. By Him we behold, as in a glass, His immaculate and most excellent visage. By Him are the eyes of our hearts opened. By Him our foolish and darkened understanding blossoms up anew towards His marvellous light. By Him the Lord has willed that we should taste of immortal knowledge, who, being the brightness of His majesty, is by so much greater than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Hebrews 1:3-4 For it is thus written, Who makes His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire. But concerning His Son the Lord spoke thus: You are my Son, today have I begotten You. Ask of me, and I will give You the heathen for Your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Your possession. And again He says to Him, Sit at my right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool. But who are His enemies? All the wicked, and those who set themselves to oppose the will of God. (First Epistle)

POLYCARP

Chapter 2. An exhortation to virtue

Wherefore, girding up your loins, 1 Peter 1:13; Ephesians 6:14 serve the Lord in fear and truth, as those who have forsaken the vain, empty talk and error of the multitude, and believed in Him who raised up our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, and gave Him glory, 1 Peter 1:21 and a throne at His right hand. To Him all things 1 Peter 3:22; Philippians 2:10 in heaven and on earth are subject. HIM EVERY SPIRIT SERVES. He comes as the Judge of the living and the dead. Acts 17:31 His blood will God require of those who do not believe in Him. But He who raised Him up from the dead will raise us up also, if we do His will, and walk in His commandments, and love what He loved, keeping ourselves from all unrighteousness, covetousness, love of money, evil speaking, false witness; not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing, 1 Peter 3:9 or blow for blow, or cursing for cursing, but being mindful of what the Lord said in His teaching: Judge not, that you be not judged; Matthew 7:1 forgive, and it shall be forgiven unto you; be merciful, that you may obtain mercy; Luke 6:36 with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you again; Matthew 7:2; Luke 6:38 and once more, Blessed are the poor, and those that are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God. (Epistle to the Philippians)

JUSTIN MARTYR

Chapter 45. Christ’s session in heaven foretold

And that God the Father of all would bring Christ to heaven after He had raised Him from the dead, and would keep Him there until He has subdued His enemies the devils, and until the number of those who are foreknown by Him as good and virtuous is complete, on whose account He has still delayed the consummation — hear what was said by the prophet David. These are his words: The Lord said to My Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool. The Lord shall send to You the rod of power out of Jerusalem; and rule You in the midst of Your enemies. With You is the government in the day of Your power, in the beauties of Your saints: from the womb of morning have I begotten You. That which he says, He shall send to You the rod of power out of Jerusalem, is predictive of the mighty word, which His apostles, going forth from Jerusalem, preached everywhere; and though death is decreed against those who teach or at all confess the name of Christ, we everywhere both embrace and teach it. And if you also read these words in a hostile spirit, you can do no more, as I said before, than kill us; which indeed does no harm to us, but to you and all who unjustly hate us, and do not repent, brings eternal punishment by fire. (First Apology)

Chapter 32. Trypho objecting that Christ is described as glorious by Daniel, Justin distinguishes two advents

Trypho: These and such like Scriptures, sir, compel us to wait for Him who, as Son of man, receives from the Ancient of days the everlasting kingdom. But this so-called Christ of yours was dishonourable and inglorious, so much so that the last curse contained in the law of God fell on him, for he was crucified.

Justin: If, sirs, it were not said by the Scriptures which I have already quoted, that His form was inglorious, and His generation not declared, and that for His death the rich would suffer death, and with His stripes we should be healed, and that He would be led away like a sheep; and if I had not explained that there would be two advents of His — one in which He was pierced by you; a second, when you shall know Him whom you have pierced, and your tribes shall mourn, each tribe by itself, the women apart, and the men apart — then I must have been speaking dubious and obscure things. But now, by means of the contents of those Scriptures esteemed holy and prophetic among you, I attempt to prove all [that I have adduced], in the hope that some one of you may be found to be of that remnant which has been left by the grace of the Lord of Sabaoth for the eternal salvation. In order, therefore, that the matter inquired into may be plainer to you, I will mention to you other words also spoken by the blessed David, from which you will perceive that the Lord is called the Christ by the Holy Spirit of prophecy; and that the Lord, the Father of all, has brought Him again from the earth, setting Him at His own right hand, until He makes His enemies His footstool; which indeed happens from the time that our Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, after He rose again from the dead, the times now running on to their consummation; and he whom Daniel foretells would have dominion for a time, and times, and an half, is even already at the door, about to speak blasphemous and daring things against the Most High. But you, being ignorant of how long he will have dominion, hold another opinion. For you interpret the ‘time’ as being a hundred years. But if this is so, the man of sin must, at the shortest, reign three hundred and fifty years, in order that we may compute that which is said by the holy Daniel —’and times’— to be two times only. All this I have said to you in digression, in order that you at length may be persuaded of what has been declared against you by God, that you are foolish sons; and of this, ‘Therefore, behold, I will proceed to take away this people, and shall take them away; and I will strip the wise of their wisdom, and will hide the understanding of their prudent men.’ Isaiah 29:14 and may cease to deceive yourselves and those who hear you, and may learn of us, who have been taught wisdom by the grace of Christ. The words, then, which were spoken by David, are these:

The Lord said to My Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Sion: rule also in the midst of Your enemies. With You shall be, in the day, the chief of Your power, in the beauties of Your saints. From the womb, before the morning star, have I begotten You. The Lord has sworn, and will not repent: You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord is at Your right hand: He has crushed kings in the day of His wrath: He shall judge among the heathen, He shall fill [with] the dead bodies. He shall drink of the brook in the way; therefore shall He lift up the head.’

Chapter 33. Psalm 110 is not spoken of Hezekiah. He proves that Christ was first humble, then shall be glorious

Justin: And I am not ignorant that you venture to expound this psalm as if it referred to king Hezekiah; but that you are mistaken, I shall prove to you from these very words immediately. ‘The Lord has sworn, and will not repent,’ it is said; and, ‘You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek,’ with what follows and precedes. Not even you will venture to object that Hezekiah was either a priest, or is the everlasting priest of God; but that this is spoken of our Jesus, these expressions show. But your ears are shut up, and your hearts are made dull. For by this statement, ‘The Lord has sworn, and will not repent: You are a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek,’ with an oath God has shown Him (on account of your unbelief) to be the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek; i.e., as Melchizedek was described by Moses as the priest of the Most High, and he was a priest of those who were in uncircumcision, and blessed the circumcised Abraham who brought him tithes, so God has shown that His everlasting Priest, called also by the Holy Spirit Lord, would be Priest of those in uncircumcision. Those too in circumcision who approach Him, that is, believing Him and seeking blessings from Him, He will both receive and bless. And that He shall be first humble as a man, and then exalted, these words at the end of the Psalm show: ‘He shall drink of the brook in the way,’ and then, ‘Therefore shall He lift up the head.’

Chapter 34. Nor does Psalm 72 apply to Solomon, whose faults Christians shudder at

Justin: Further, to persuade you that you have not understood anything of the Scriptures, I will remind you of another psalm, dictated to David by the Holy Spirit, which you say refers to Solomon, who was also your king. But it refers also to our Christ. But you deceive yourselves by the ambiguous forms of speech. For where it is said, ‘The law of the Lord is perfect,’ you do not understand it of the law which was to be after Moses, but of the law which was given by Moses, although God declared that He would establish a new law and a new covenant. And where it has been said, ‘O God, give Your judgment to the king,’ since Solomon was king, you say that the Psalm refers to him, although the words of the Psalm expressly proclaim that reference is made to the everlasting King, i.e., to Christ. For Christ is King, and Priest, and God, and Lord, and angel, and man, and captain, and stone, and a Son born, and first made subject to suffering, then returning to heaven, and again coming with glory, and He is preached as having the everlasting kingdom: so I prove from all the Scriptures. But that you may perceive what I have said, I quote the words of the Psalm; they are these:

O God, give Your judgment to the king, and Your righteousness unto the king’s son, to judge Your people with righteousness, and Your poor with judgment. The mountains shall take up peace to the people, and the little hills righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the people, and shall save the children of the needy, and shall abase the slanderer. He shall co-endure with the sun, and before the moon unto all generations. He shall come down like rain upon the fleece, as drops falling on the earth. In His days shall righteousness flourish, and abundance of peace until the moon be taken away. And He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the rivers unto the ends of the earth. Ethiopians shall fall down before Him, and His enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and the isles shall offer gifts; the kings of Arabia and Seba shall offer gifts; and all the kings of the earth shall worship Him, and all the nations shall serve Him: for He has delivered the poor from the man of power, and the needy that has no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy: He shall redeem their souls from usury and injustice, and His name shall be honourable before them. And He shall live, and to Him shall be given of the gold of Arabia, and they shall pray continually for Him: they shall bless Him all the day. And there shall be a foundation on the earth, it shall be exalted on the tops of the mountains: His fruit shall be on Lebanon, and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. His name shall be blessed forever. His name shall endure before the sun; and all tribes of the earth shall be blessed in Him, all nations shall call Him blessed. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things; and blessed be His glorious name for ever, and for ever and ever; and the whole earth shall be filled with His glory. Amen, amen.

And at the close of this Psalm which I have quoted, it is written, ‘The hymns of David the son of Jesse are ended.’ Moreover, that Solomon was a renowned and great king, by whom the temple called that at Jerusalem was built, I know; but that none of those things mentioned in the Psalm happened to him, is evident. For neither did all kings worship him; nor did he reign to the ends of the earth; nor did his enemies, falling before him, lick the dust. Nay, also, I venture to repeat what is written in the book of Kings as committed by him, how through a woman’s influence he worshipped the idols of Sidon, which those of the Gentiles who know God, the Maker of all things through Jesus the crucified, do not venture to do, but abide every torture and vengeance even to the extremity of death, rather than worship idols, or eat meat offered to idols.

Chapter 35. Heretics confirm the Catholics in the faith

Trypho: I believe, however, that many of those who say that they confess Jesus, and are called Christians, eat meats offered to idols, and declare that they are by no means injured in consequence.

Justin: The fact that there are such men confessing themselves to be Christians, and admitting the crucified Jesus to be both Lord and Christ, yet not teaching His doctrines, but those of the spirits of error, causes us who are disciples of the true and pure doctrine of Jesus Christ, to be more faithful and steadfast in the hope announced by Him. For what things He predicted would take place in His name, these we do see being actually accomplished in our sight. For he said, ‘Many shall come in My name, clothed outwardly in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.’ Matthew 7:15 And, ‘There shall be schisms and heresies.’ 1 Corinthians 11:19 And, ‘Beware of false prophets, who shall come to you clothed outwardly in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.’ Matthew 7:15 And, ‘Many false Christs and false apostles shall arise, and shall deceive many of the faithful.’ Matthew 24:11 There are, therefore, and there were many, my friends, who, coming forward in the name of Jesus, taught both to speak and act impious and blasphemous things; and these are called by us after the name of the men from whom each doctrine and opinion had its origin. (For some in one way, others in another, teach to blaspheme the Maker of all things, and Christ, who was foretold by Him as coming, and the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, with whom we have nothing in common, since we know them to be atheists, impious, unrighteous, and sinful, and confessors of Jesus in name only, instead of worshippers of Him. Yet they style themselves Christians, just as certain among the Gentiles inscribe the name of God upon the works of their own hands, and partake in nefarious and impious rites.) Some are called Marcians, and some Valentinians, and some Basilidians, and some Saturnilians, and others by other names; each called after the originator of the individual opinion, just as each one of those who consider themselves philosophers, as I said before, thinks he must bear the name of the philosophy which he follows, from the name of the father of the particular doctrine. So that, in consequence of these events, we know that Jesus foreknew what would happen after Him, as well as in consequence of many other events which He foretold would befall those who believed on and confessed Him, the Christ. For all that we suffer, even when killed by friends, He foretold would take place; so that it is manifest no word or act of His can be found fault with. Wherefore we pray for you and for all other men who hate us; in order that you, having repented along with us, may not blaspheme Him who, by His works, by the mighty deeds even now wrought through His name, by the words He taught, by the prophecies announced concerning Him, is the blameless, and in all things irreproachable, Christ Jesus; but, believing on Him, may be saved in His second glorious advent, and may not be condemned to fire by Him. (Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, Chapters 31-47)

Chapter 63. It is proved that this God was incarnate

Trypho: This point has been proved to me forcibly, and by many arguments, my friend. It remains, then, to prove that He submitted to become man by the Virgin, according to the will of His Father; and to be crucified, and to die. Prove also clearly, that after this He rose again and ascended to heaven.

Justin: This, too, has been already demonstrated by me in the previously quoted words of the prophecies, my friends; which, by recalling and expounding for your sakes, I shall endeavour to lead you to agree with me also about this matter. The passage, then, which Isaiah records, ‘Who shall declare His generation? For His life is taken away from the earth,’ Isaiah 53:8— does it not appear to you to refer to One who, not having descent from men, was said to be delivered over to death by God for the transgressions of the people?— of whose blood, Moses (as I mentioned before), when speaking in parable, said, that He would wash His garments in the blood of the grape; since His blood did not spring from the seed of man, but from the will of God. And then, what is said by David, ‘In the splendours of Your holiness have I begotten You from the womb, before the morning star. The Lord has sworn, and will not repent, You are a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek,‘ — does this not declare to you that [He was] from of old, and that the God and Father of all things intended Him to be begotten by a human womb? And speaking in other words, which also have been already quoted, [he says]: ‘Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of rectitude is the sceptre of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness, and have hated iniquity: therefore God, even your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your fellows. [He has anointed You] with myrrh, and oil, and cassia from Your garments, from the ivory palaces, whereby they made You glad. King’s daughters are in Your honour. The queen stood at Your right hand, clad in garments embroidered with gold. Hearken, O daughter, and behold, and incline your ear, and forget your people and the house of your father; and the King shall desire your beauty: because he is your Lord, and you shall worship Him.’ Therefore these words testify explicitly that He is witnessed to by Him who established these things, as deserving to be worshipped, as God and as Christ. Moreover, that the word of God speaks to those who believe in Him as being one soul, and one synagogue, and one church, as to a daughter; that it thus addresses the church which has sprung from His name and partakes of His name (for we are all called Christians), is distinctly proclaimed in like manner in the following words, which teach us also to forget [our] old ancestral customs, when they speak thus: ‘Hearken, O daughter, and behold, and incline your ear; forget your people and the house of your father, and the King shall desire your beauty: because He is your Lord, and you shall worship Him.’ (Trypho, Chapters 55-68)

TERTULLIAN

Chapter 13. The Force of Sundry Passages of Scripture Illustrated in Relation to the Plurality of Persons and Unity of Substance. There is No Polytheism Here, Since the Unity is Insisted on as a Remedy Against Polytheism

Well then, you reply, if He was God who spoke, and He was also God who created, at this rate, one God spoke and another created; (and thus) two Gods are declared. If you are so venturesome and harsh, reflect a while; and that you may think the better and more deliberately, listen to the psalm in which Two are described as God: Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever; the sceptre of Your kingdom is a sceptre of righteousness. You have loved righteousness, and hated iniquity: therefore God, even Your God, has anointed You or made You His Christ. Now, since He here speaks to God, and affirms that God is anointed by God, He must have affirmed that Two are God, by reason of the sceptre’s royal power. Accordingly, Isaiah also says to the Person of Christ: The Sabæans, men of stature, shall pass over to You; and they shall follow after You, bound in fetters; and they shall worship You, because God is in You: for You are our God, yet we knew it not; You are the God of Israel. For here too, by saying, God is in You, and You are God, he sets forth Two who were God: (in the former expression in You, he means) in Christ, and (in the other he means) the Holy Ghost. That is a still grander statement which you will find expressly made in the Gospel: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 There was One who was, and there was another with whom He was.

But I find in Scripture the name Lord also applied to them Both: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand. And Isaiah says this: Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Isaiah 53:1 Now he would most certainly have said Your Arm, if he had not wished us to understand that the Father is Lord, and the Son also is Lord. A much more ancient testimony we have also in Genesis: Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrha brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. Genesis 19:24 Now, either deny that this is Scripture; or else (let me ask) what sort of man you are, that you do not think words ought to be taken and understood in the sense in which they are written, especially when they are not expressed in allegories and parables, but in determinate and simple declarations? If, indeed, you follow those who did not at the time endure the Lord when showing Himself to be the Son of God, because they would not believe Him to be the Lord, then (I ask you) call to mind along with them the passage where it is written, I have said, You are gods, and you are children of the Most High; and again, God stands in the congregation of gods; in order that, if the Scripture has not been afraid to designate as gods human beings, who have become sons of God by faith, you may be sure that the same Scripture has with greater propriety conferred the name of the Lord on the true and one only Son of God.

Very well! You say, I shall challenge you to preach from this day forth (and that, too, on the authority of these same Scriptures) two Gods and two Lords, consistently with your views. God forbid, (is my reply). For we, who by the grace of God possess an insight into both the times and the occasions of the Sacred Writings, especially we who are followers of the Paraclete, not of human teachers, do indeed definitively declare that Two Beings are God, the Father and the Son, and, with the addition of the Holy Spirit, even Three, according to the principle of the divine economy, which introduces number, in order that the Father may not, as you perversely infer, be Himself believed to have been born and to have suffered, which it is not lawful to believe, forasmuch as it has not been so handed down. That there are, however, two Gods or two Lords, is a statement which at no time proceeds out of our mouth: not as if it were untrue that the Father is God, and the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God, and each is God; but because in earlier times Two were actually spoken of as God, and two as Lord, that when Christ should come He might be both acknowledged as God and designated as Lord, being the Son of Him who is both God and Lord. Now, if there were found in the Scriptures but one Personality of Him who is God and Lord, Christ would justly enough be inadmissible to the title of God and Lord: for (in the Scriptures) there was declared to be none other than One God and One Lord, and it must have followed that the Father should Himself seem to have come down (to earth), inasmuch as only One God and One Lord was ever read of (in the Scriptures), and His entire Economy would be involved in obscurity, which has been planned and arranged with so clear a foresight in His providential dispensation as matter for our faith.

As soon, however, as Christ came, and was recognised by us as the very Being who had from the beginning caused plurality (in the Divine Economy), being the second from the Father, and with the Spirit the third, and Himself declaring and manifesting the Father more fully (than He had ever been before), the title of Him who is God and Lord was at once restored to the Unity (of the Divine Nature), even because the Gentiles would have to pass from the multitude of their idols to the One Only God, in order that a difference might be distinctly settled between the worshippers of One God and the votaries of polytheism. For it was only right that Christians should shine in the world as children of light, adoring and invoking Him who is the One God and Lord as the light of the world. Besides, if, from that perfect knowledge which assures us that the title of God and Lord is suitable both to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, we were to invoke a plurality of gods and lords, we should quench our torches, and we should become less courageous to endure the martyr’s sufferings, from which an easy escape would everywhere lie open to us, as soon as we swore by a plurality of gods and lords, as sundry heretics do, who hold more gods than One. I will therefore not speak of gods at all, nor of lords, but I shall follow the apostle; so that if the Father and the Son, are alike to be invoked, I shall call the Father  God, and invoke Jesus Christ as  Lord. Romans 1:7 But when Christ alone (is mentioned), I shall be able to call Him  God, as the same apostle says: Of whom is Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever. Romans 9:5 For I should give the name of  sun even to a sunbeam, considered in itself; but if I were mentioning the sun from which the ray emanates, I certainly should at once withdraw the name of sun from the mere beam. For although I make not two suns, still I shall reckon both the sun and its ray to be as much two things and two forms of one undivided substance, as God and His Word, as the Father and the Son. (Against Praxeas)

FURTHER READING

Examining Psalm 110:1 — A look at Its Implications on God being a Multi-Personal Being and upon the Deity of Christ

Psalm 110:1 – Another Clear Testimony to Christ’s Deity Pt. 1

The Binitarian Nature of the Shema [Part 1]

DAVID’S MULTI-PERSONAL LORD PT. 2

APPEARANCE OF THE TRINITY TO ABRAHAM AND DAVID PT. 3

Revisiting the implications that Psalm 110 has on the divine identity of the Messiah Pt. 1

Solomon Was Not David’s Lord! Psalm 110:1 Revisited… Again!

JESUS CHRIST: THE LORD AND THE LORD’S SON

THE KING OF ISRAEL IS THE KING OF THE NATIONS

Zechariah 6:9-15

The Royal Priesthood of Messiah

MICHAEL L. BROWN

Messianic Jewish and Christian scholars speak of two streams of messianic prophecy: the royal prophecies, which point to the worldwide reign of the son of David, and the suffering prophecies, which point to his vicarious suffering and death (see especially Isa 53). In contrast, traditional Judaism embraces the royal stream of prophecy as messianic while rejecting, for the most part, the messianic interpretation of the suffering passages¹ since these passages neither speak of a descendant of David nor describe the beatific Messianic Era prophesied elsewhere (see, e.g., Isa 2:1-4; 9:6-7 [5-6]; 11:1-16; Jer 23:1-6).

Zechariah 6:9-15, then, is highly significant, since it explicitly connects the high priest Joshua, son of Jehozadak, with “the Branch,” which is an epithet of the Messiah son of David (see esp. Jer 23:5; 33:15; cf. also Isa 4:2; Zch 3:8, all with semah; cf. further Isa 11:1 with neser). Thus, the royal messianic prophecies connect here with the priestly (= suffering) messianic prophecies, since it is a high priest who is crowned and who sits on a throne, all while serving as a sign of “a man whose name is the Branch” (Zch 6:12). The Messiah, then, will be a priestly King, just as David was, doing the priestly work of making atonement for the sins of the world before doing the royal work of establishing the kingdom of God on earth.

As for David’s own identity as a priestly king, note that: (1) as a king, he performed a number of priestly acts (see 1Sm 21:1-6; 2Sm 6:14; 24:26); (2) somewhat cryptically, his own sons are called “priests” in 2Sm 8:18 in some Bible versions (HCSB “chief officials”)²; (3) according to the most natural reading of the superscription of Ps 110, David was the author of this psalm and prophesied that his future, exalted descendant (the Messiah; see Mt 22:42-45) would be a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek, the priestly king of Salem (see Ps 110:4; Gn 14:17-24).

Alternatively, the superscription le dāwid, could mean “for David” as opposed to “by David” (or, “of David”), thereby a psalm written for the king by a court poet who declared that his master, David, would be a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.³ Yet on either reading, the Messiah would function as a priestly king, like Melchizedek, since, if David was the author of the psalm, he directly prophesied the Messiah’s priestly role, and if David was the subject of the psalm, it was prophesied that he would be a lasting priest in the order of Melchizedek, and it is David who serves as the prototype of the Messiah. As king, the Messiah would rule and reign and defeat the enemies of God; as priest, he would make atonement for sin, identifying with God’s people in their suffering.

BACKGROUND TO ZECHARIAH 6:9-15

The prophecies of Zch 6 were delivered against the backdrop of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem after the Jewish exiles returned from Babylonian exile. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah helped spur this rebuilding project (Ezr 5:1; 6:14; Hag 1:1-14), which was carried out under the civil leadership of Zerubbabel, a descendant of David appointed as governor of Judah by Cyrus, king of Persia, and Joshua, a descendant of Aaron, serving as the high priest (he is referred to as Jeshua/Yeshua in Ezra and Nehemiah, beginning in Ezr 2:2 and ending in Neh 12:26). Elsewhere in Zechariah, Joshua is mentioned in 3:1, 3, 6, 8, 9, where he is associated with “the Branch” (3:8), Zerubbabel is mentioned in Zch 4:6, 7, 9-10, and it seems likely that it is Zerubbabel and Joshua who are “the two anointed ones … who stand by the Lord of the whole earth” (4:14). This is symbolized by two olive trees and two branches of these olive trees “beside the two golden conduits from which the golden oil is poured out” (4:11-12; note that the Hebrew word for “branches” in these verses is not the same as the word for the Branch of chaps. 3 and 6).

As for Zch 6:1-8, the vision of the four chariots, which represent “the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth” (6:5), the specific connection to vv. 9-15 is unclear. However, Boda argues that “the prophetic sign-act report in 6:9-15 flows out of the final vision report [in 6:1-8], presenting the role of those who would escape from Babylon in the aftermath of its punishment foreseen in 2:10-13 (6-9).”⁴ According to Unger, “Immediately following the overthrow of Gentile world power by the earth judgments symbolized by the horsed chariots (Zech. 6:1-8) occurs the manifestation of Christ in His kingdom glory (Zech. 6:9-15), typified by the crowning of Joshua the high priest…. The crowning of King-Priest Messiah is thus set forth symbolically by the coronation of Joshua, which is not a vision, but an actual historical act, which evidently took place the day following the night of visions.”⁵

TEXTUAL ISSUES

The pivotal question in the text is the number of crowns involved. Are the exiles instructed to make crowns (presumably two, one gold and one silver), one for Zerubbabel and one for Joshua (the gold for Zerubbabel and/or the Messiah, the silver for Joshua, according to rabbinic interpretation), or are they instructed to make one single crown, which is then put on the head of Joshua?⁶

The MT has crowns in 6:11 and 14, but written plene in 6:11 (with the pl. ending –ot) and defectively in 6:14 (with the pl. ending –ot). Note also that the only verb associated with the crowns in MT is tih^eyeh, it will be, in 6:14, but that verb is feminine singular, suggesting that MT may have originally read the singular ‘a^teret (crown) here.⁷ The LXX reads the plural in 6:11 (stephanous) but singular in 6:14 (stephanos). Conversely, the Vulgate translates with the singular in 6:11 (coronas) and the plural in 6:14 (coronae), while the Peshitta has the singular for both verses. Targum Jonathan renders 6:11 with k^elîl ramiskab (great crown)⁸ and 6:14 with tusb^eha’ (glory or splendor; the accompanying verb is singular).

Among English versions, the KJV, NJPSV, and CJB render with “crowns” in both verses; NKJV renders with “elaborate crown” in both verses (understanding the plural form as conveying majesty); HCSB has “crowns” in 6:11 and “crown” in 6:14; NIV, NRSV, ESV, NET, and NLT have “crown” in both verses. In resolving these textual difficulties, scholars have taken three primary approaches: (1) There was only one crown, but it was elaborately made, hence the plural form (according to Barker, the plural form refers “to an ornate crown with many diadems—a plural of extension [cf. Rev 19:12])”; (2) Two crowns were spoken of in 6:11, but the function of only one of them is described in 6:14; (3) Only one crown was involved, and a plural form incorrectly crept into the MT, as reflected by some of the versions.

Also difficult is the exact significance of 6:11, if plural “crowns” is understood, since the Heb. simply says in v. 11b, “and place them on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest.” If singular “crown” is read, then there is no difficulty, with “it” being understood as the object of the verb “place, set,” thus, “Make a crown and place it on the high priest’s head.” If, however, the plural form is retained, it would have to mean: “Make [two] crowns and place [one of them] on the high priest’s head,” which would be quite forced. Otherwise, one would have to envision placing both (or, all of the) crowns on Joshua’s head, which, again, is unlikely.

In light of the cumulative evidence, it seems best either to retain the singular reading of “crown” throughout or, if a plural form was original in the Hebrew, to take it to refer to a single ornate and elaborate crown.

INTERPRETIVE AND TRANSLATION ISSUES

Although some rabbinic interpreters identify Zerubbabel with the Branch (see below, Traditional Jewish Interpretation), most commentators recognize that neither Joshua nor Zerubbabel are being called the Branch themselves,⁹ although there is a debate as to which of these two men represent Him. In Zch 3:8, the Lord said, “Listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your colleagues sitting before you; indeed these men are a sign [’anšê môpēt] that I am about to bring my servant the Branch.” While this does associate Joshua with the Branch on some level, it hardly states that Joshua himself will be the forerunner or representative of the Branch.

Zechariah 6 is more explicit, with the NIV rendering vv. 11-13 (the key words and phrases are set here in italic): “Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jozadak. Tell him this is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the LORD. It is he who will build the temple of the LORD, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two’” (Zch 6:11-13). So, the crown is put on the head of Joshua the high priest, of whom it is then said, “Here is the man whose name is the Branch.” Accordingly, Joshua as a royal priest serves as a direct type of the Messiah, the Branch. This reading of the text mirrors that of the Targum (see immediately below). As for the closing phrase, “there will be harmony between the two,” that would imply between the priesthood and the kingship; the problem with this, however, is that there is no explicit mention of the king, especially as someone other than Joshua, in the passage (see below, Christological Interpretation). Compare the rendering of R. L. Smith in the Word Biblical Commentary: “And he shall build the temple of Yahweh, and he shall bear honor. And he shall sit and rule on his throne, and he shall be a priest upon his throne. And a counsel of peace shall be between the two of them.”¹⁰

In contrast, the NJPSV renders, “Take silver and gold and make crowns. Place one on the head of High Priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and say to him, ‘Thus said the LORD of Hosts: Behold, a man called the Branch shall branch out from the place where he is, and he shall build the Temple of the LORD. He shall build the Temple of the LORD and shall assume majesty, and he shall sit on his throne and rule. And there shall also be a priest seated on his throne, and harmonious understanding shall prevail between them’” (Zch 6:11-13, emphasis added). The Stone version, reflecting Orthodox Jewish thought, translates v. 13 with, “He will build the Sanctuary of HASHEM [the LORD], he will bear majesty, and he will sit and rule upon his throne. The Kohen [priest] will sit upon his own throne, and there will be a disposition of peace between the two of them.”¹¹

In all these translations, there are two distinct figures: the future Messiah (= the Branch) and the future high priest, both apparently typified by Joshua the high priest wearing a crown (unless the one typifying the Branch is Zerubbabel, who is not mentioned, however, in the chapter; see further below, Traditional Jewish Interpretation). And there will be “harmonious understanding” between the Branch and the future high priest. This is also a valid way of reading the text (specifically, 6:13b, “And there shall also be a priest seated on his throne”),¹² since it speaks of two distinct figures between whom there would be harmony. But it fails to explain why Joshua the high priest is crowned and why he alone typifies the Branch, as opposed to crowns being put on the heads of both Zerubbabel and Joshua. Indeed, why not simply crown Zerubbabel, who was of Davidic descent and whose grandfather was Jehoiachin, one of the last kings of Judah before the Babylonian exile?¹³ Zerubbabel is not mentioned at all in chap. 6 (in fact, outside of Zch 4:6-7, 910, he is not mentioned anywhere else in the book), and while some critical scholars have argued that it was Zerubbabel, rather than Joshua, who was the original subject of 6:11-15, there is not a stitch of evidence to support this contention.

As Ehud Ben Zvi observes in the Jewish Study Bible, “One would expect that the king would be crowned, but only the high priest Joshua is. Ibn Ezra, Radak, Rashi, and others consider Zerubbabel to be the Branch, and the person for whom the other crown was meant. The Targum, however, reflects a different understanding [referencing one large crown, and referring to the Branch as the Anointed = Messiah]…. Significantly, it is likely that the text reads ‘crown’ in vv. 11 and 14 (see NRSV) rather than crowns. If this is the case, then there was only one crown in the world of the book, and it was Joshua’s.”¹⁴

Smith notes that “Beuken, Ackroyd, and D. R. Jones believe that Zechariah was speaking to Zerubbabel and Joshua alternatively in v. 13:

And he (Zerubbabel) shall build the temple,

And he (Joshua) shall put on splendor,

And he (Zerubbabel) shall sit and rule upon his throne;

And he (Joshua) shall be priest upon his throne;

And a counsel of peace shall be between them.¹⁵

As Zerubbabel does not appear anywhere in this chapter, his introduction here would be therefore quite gratuitous. Besides, the proposed alternating of subjects presumes too much and disqualifies itself by what it demands. In contrast, Baldwin defends the older Christian, messianic interpretation, explaining, “The symbolic coronation and the enigmatic term ‘Branch’ referred to a future leader, who would fulfill to perfection the offices of priest and king, and build the future Temple with all appropriate splendour (Hag 2:6–9). In this way, the priestly and royal offices will be unified.” And, Baldwin adds, “Nowhere else in the OT is it made so plain that the coming Davidic king will also be a priest. It is for this reason that the passage has occasioned so much questioning.”¹⁶ See also Wolter Rose, Zemah and Zerubbabel, for a detailed defense of the messianic interpretation of Zch 3 and 6.¹⁷

TRADITIONAL JEWISH INTERPRETATION

Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and Radak all understand Zerubbabel himself to be the Branch (in Zch 3:8 as well), interpreting the entire prophecy in Zch 6 with reference to building of the Second Temple, although Ibn Ezra and Radak recognize a possible reference to both Zerubbabel and the Messiah.¹⁸ At 3:8b (“I am about to bring my servant the Branch”), Rashi explains, “For now Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, is insignificant in the king’s court, but I will make his greatness burgeon. I will also give him favor in the eyes of the king, so that he will grant [Zerubbabel’s] request for the building of the Temple and the city.”¹⁹ At 6:12, Rashi points back to his comments at 3:8, adding, “Some interpret this as referring to the King Messiah, but the entire context deals with the [time of the] Second Temple.” Rashi then understands 6:13 to speak first of Zerubbabel, who will bear the glory of the kingship, being of Davidic descent, then of the High Priest, who will sit “on the throne of the priesthood,” and, “The king and the Priest shall love one another.”

In favor of Rashi’s interpretation is the Second Temple context, since Zerubbabel and Joshua were directly involved with the building of that Temple, and it would seem odd to point to a man who was involved in building that structure 2,500 years ago, only to prophesy of another figure who would build a Third Temple in the distant future. The problems with Rashi’s interpretation, however, outweigh its merits. First, he fails to explain why there is no actual mention in the text of Zerubbabel; second, he downplays the messianic significance of the term Branch; third, he fails to explain why it is only Joshua, the High Priest, who is mentioned by name in the text and explicitly crowned (although both Rashi and Ibn Ezra understand 6:13 to say that the High Priest will sit on his own throne); fourth, there seems little reason for the crowns to be placed as a memorial in the temple (Zch 6:14) if they had no future significance; fifth, there is no indication that Zerubbabel ever “ruled” over his people in any royal way, let alone with royal splendor (as emphasized by Abravanel). This would have been anathema to the Persian government, to whom Judah was accountable, and again, nowhere is such a role for Zerubbabel hinted at in any other biblical book dealing with this period of time (in particular, Ezra and Nehemiah).

The other, major rabbinic interpretation also recognizes two figures, Zerubbabel and Joshua, but sees the former as typifying the future Messiah and the latter as typifying the future High Priest, with the Targum explicitly identifying the Branch in 3:8 and 6:12 with the Messiah. As summarized by Stavsky (citing Abravanel, with reference also to Metzudot and Malbim):

Others see the verse as alluding both to Zerubbabel and to the Messiah. Although Zerubbabel was the leader of the Jewish people at that time, he was given the golden crown designated for the monarchy because he was yet only a shoot in the process of growing. He was merely a satrap under Persian rule. However, from among his descendants an individual will rise and sprout who will attain the full glory of the Kingdom of Israel and upon his head will [lie] the golden crown. Nevertheless, since this greatness will come through Zerubbabel he shall merit building the sanctuary of Hashem at this time.²⁰

Accordingly, 6:13 is interpreted with reference to the Messiah, a descendant of Zerubbabel who will build the Third Temple, and the future High Priest, who “shall come before the king to advise him and guide him in carrying out the will of G-d.”²¹

While this interpretation has the merit of recognizing the messianic significance of the passage, it again fails to appreciate the significance of singling out Joshua the High Priest. Why crown the High Priest and then say to him, “Behold, there is a man, his name is Zemah, and he will flourish in his place; he will build the Sanctuary of HASHEM,” and why leave out all reference to Zerubbabel?

CHRISTOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION

According to the Lange commentary to Zch 6:13, “Nearly all interpreters, ancient and modern, render as in the text, and understand the clause to mean, that the Branch would be both king and high priest on one and the same throne.”²² Reflecting this Christological reading, the Pulpit Commentary states, “The Authorized Version is doubtless correct, as the clause is intended to declare that Messiah should, like Melchizedek, combine the offices of Priest and King (Ps. 110:4; Heb. 5:6, 10).”²³ Similarly, Keil explains,

The crowning of Joshua the high priest with a royal crown…. pointed to a man who would sit upon his throne as both ruler and priest, that is to say, would combine both royalty and priesthood in his own person and rank. The expression “Speak thou to him” shows that the words of Jehovah are addressed to Joshua, and to him alone ([’elāyv] is singular), and therefore that Zerubbabel must not be interpolated into v. 11 along with Joshua. The man whom Joshua is to represent or typify, by having a crown placed upon his head, is designated as the Messiah.²⁴

More recently, the Christological interpretation has been defended by Baldwin (see above) and also by Barker, who writes,

In the fourth vision (ch. 3), Joshua was priest; here (6:13) the Branch is to officiate as priest. In the fifth vision (ch. 4), Zerubbabel was the governing civil official; here (6:13) the Branch is to rule the government. In 4:9 Zerubbabel was to complete the rebuilding of the temple; here (6:12) the Branch will build the temple. In 4:14 Zerubbabel and Joshua represented two separate offices; here the Branch is to hold both offices (6:13). Thus, restored Israel is seen in the future under the glorious reign of the messianic King-Priest. The passage is typical-prophetical. Joshua serves as a type of the Messiah, but at certain points the language transcends the experience of the type and becomes more directly prophetic of the antitype.²⁵

And so, as the city of Jerusalem and the temple are being restored under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua, the latter is singled out as a type of the coming Messiah who would combine kingship and priesthood in himself, building the future holy temple.

Some interpreters (most notably Wellhausen) found it so odd that Joshua, the high priest, would serve as the type of the Branch, rather than Zerubbabel, the governor of Davidic descent (spoken of also in Hag 2:20-23 in a significant prophetic passage), that they posited an original Hebrew text in which Zerubbabel’s name replaced Joshua’s.²⁶ But there is not a stitch of evidence to support this, nor is there a reason to reject the universal reading of all the ancient texts and versions, since Zch 3:8 already connected Joshua to the Branch (albeit not as directly) while Ps 110 specifically connected a priestly role to David (and/or the Messiah), hence a priestly king. Here, that image is further drilled home: The Branch, clearly identified as the Davidic Messiah in Jer 23:5 and 33:15 (see also Isa 4:2) will combine the offices of high priest and king as one.

The key question, again, revolves around the interpretation of 6:13. The ESV has, “And there shall be a priest on his throne [meaning, the Branch’s throne], and the counsel of peace shall be between them both”²⁷ (cf. NET’s “Moreover, there will be a priest with him on his throne and they will see eye to eye on everything.”).²⁸ In contrast, the NKJV renders, “So He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both” (cf. the NLT’s, “He will also serve as priest from his throne, and there will be perfect harmony between his two roles.”).²⁹ In favor of the ESV’s rendering, which would be in harmony with the traditional Jewish view, is the final clause, which most likely (but not definitively)³⁰ speaks of two people rather than two offices. In favor of the NKJV’s rendering is that one man, Joshua, is singled out as a type of the Branch, which would point to both roles (royal and priestly) being fulfilled in one person.

From the viewpoint of Christological fulfillment, however, either reading is acceptable. If one person alone is envisaged, then that one person, Joshua, serves as the type of the Messiah, here pictured as a royal priest, which complements the more common picture of the Messiah as a king who engages in some priestly functions. If two persons are envisaged, the Branch and the priest, both of them crowned and both ruling on their thrones, that these two personages are typified by one man, Joshua, a crowned high priest, points again to the Messiah combining both roles in himself.

After detailing the significance of the term semah and the verbal form s-m-h in key OT passages, Boda (Zechariah, 398–99) notes in particular the similarities between Jer 33, a restoration passage that includes a Branch prophecy, and Zch 6:9-15. He adds: “It is important, however, not to miss that the promise is expanded beyond the Davidic line in Jeremiah 33, proceeding to intertwine the future destinies of both the royal Davidic line and the priestly Levitical line (33:17-18), linking both to the enduring covenant with day and night (33:20) and promising not only continual service for both lines, but also a multitude of descendants (33:2122).”³¹

In sum, although a strong argument can be made to read 6:13 with reference to one figure only, the Branch, typified by Joshua, and combining the offices of priest and king in one, it is also possible to see a reference to two future figures, one royal and one priestly, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah. But even if two different individuals are spoken of, it is significant that: (1) it is the high priest Joshua who is crowned and who represents the Branch (thereby merging priesthood and the Davidic Messiah); and (2) it is Joshua, more commonly known as Yeshua, who represents the Branch, since that is the very name borne by the Messiah Himself when He took on human flesh (Mt 1:21).

THE PRIESTLY MESSIAH IN ANCIENT JEWISH HISTORY AND THOUGHT

The Jewish uprising against Antiochus IV beginning in 166 BC was led by the priestly family of Mattathias (the father of the Maccabees), and so it is not surprising that during the subsequent Hasmonean Dynasty (163–142 BC), some of the national leaders combined the priesthood with the monarchy (beginning with Aristobulus I). Thus, it was a descendant of Aaron rather than a descendant of David who ruled the nation as king. Although this was a political phenomenon rather than a theological one (in other words, the hope of a Davidic king was not displaced, nor does it appear that theological justification for a priestly ruler was sought for based on Scripture),³² the fact that the national leader was a priest must have helped prepare the way for the concept of two messianic figures, one from David and one from Aaron. Thus, the Dead Sea Scrolls speak of “the Messiahs of Aaron and Israel” (along with the Prophet),³³ while the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs (c. 100 BC–AD 100; see further, below) speaks of messianic figures from Judah and Levi, both of them highly exalted. While there is no connection made in these texts to Zch 6, it is highly probable that biblical texts such as this (along with Ps 110) played a role in shaping the thinking of these religious Jews whose teachings overlap chronologically, if not intersect theologically, with the ministry of Jesus.

Interestingly, at 4umran, Melchizedek took on an eschatological, semi-divine status in the Melchizedek Scroll (cited as either 114Melch or 11413), being closely identified with YHWH in some texts (especially Isa 61:1-2, which was quoted by Jesus in Lk 4:18-19) and apparently associated with the “anointed one” in Dan 9:25. 34 The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs also speak of two messianic figures, one from Judah (the royal Messiah, descended from David) and one from Levi (the priestly Messiah, descended from Aaron). This writing, however, must be used with caution since the work in its final form is certainly Christian, although it just as certainly utilized earlier Jewish sources. As Collins notes, “We must tread carefully here, however, since many of the Levi-Judah passages in the Testaments actually speak of only one figure, who must be identified as Christ.”³⁵ In some of the key messianic passages, in particular T. Levi 18 and T. Judah 24, Collins suggests that “we should think in terms of a Jewish core, expanded by a Christian redactor,” summarizing with this: “it would seem that T. Levi 18 builds on a Jewish text that envisaged an eschatological priest, and T. Judah 24 incorporated a Jewish prediction of an eschatological king.”³⁶ It is significant that in rabbinic thought, the priestly work of the Messiah has all but disappeared, let alone any concept of a future, priestly Messiah.³⁷ It is impossible to determine whether this was in reaction to the Christian emphasis on the priestly ministry of Jesus (see especially Hebrews for NT foundations) or whether it was simply the result of the Messiah being envisioned more and more in the image of the rabbi-teacher. Either way, it is the lack of recognition of the Messiah’s priestly work that has made it more difficult for traditional Jewish people to recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

Even so, Zch 6:9-15 does anticipate a messianic figure, a royal-priest, just as Ps 110:4 looks forward to an eternal king priest. Thus the author of Hebrews recognizes Jesus as that royal high priest, writing, “It is evident that our Lord came from Judah, and about that tribe Moses said nothing concerning priests” (Heb 7:14). Therefore, he concludes that Jesus is indeed a priest after a different order, not of Levi, but of Melchizedek (Heb 7:15-17). The author of Hebrews also identifies Jesus, the son of David, as the referent of both Zch 6 and Ps 110, concluding that Jesus “is the kind of high priest we need: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens” (Heb 7:26), in fact, a high priest, “who has been perfected forever” (Heb 7:28).

________________________

1. Unless those prophecies are interpreted with reference to the Messiah son of Joseph, a figure of secondary importance in rabbinic literature. See the article “Messiah in Rabbinic Literature” in this book.

2. Note the parallel passage in 1Chr 18:17 which reads “the chief officials at the king’s side.”

3. See Psalm 110.

4. Mark J. Boda, The Book of Zechariah (New International Commentary on the Old Testament; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016), 383. Rabbinic interpretation of Zch 6:1-8 is varied and tends not to make a direct connection with what follows. Kenneth Taylor, however, finds the placement significant, based on the earlier visions of chaps. 3 and 4, writing here, “Thus restored Israel is seen in the future under the glorious reign of the messianic King-Priest” (“Zechariah,” in Tremper Longman III and David Garland, eds., The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Revised Edition [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008], 8:779). He also notes (ibid.) that, “The passage is typical-prophetical. Joshua serves as a type of the Messiah, but at certain points the language transcends the experience of the type and becomes more directly prophetic of the antitype.”

5. Merrill F. Unger, Zechariah (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1962), 109–10.

6. According to V. H. Matthews, M. W. Chavalas, and J. H. Walton, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), in Zch 6:11, “The crown referred to here is a circlet, and, though it is occasionally worn by royalty, it more often adorns a person who is being honored or celebrated. It can be made of precious metals, as it is here, but can also be made of flowers or greenery.” But since the context speaks of the High Priest sitting on a throne and ruling, it is clear that the crown was also of royal significance. According to Boda, Zechariah, 393, “The term for crown here (^at ārâ) is one regularly associated with royalty in the OT, described on the head of a king in 2 Sam. 12:30//1 Chr. 20:2; Ps. 21:3; Jer. 13:18; Ezek. 21:31(26); Song 3:11. Other passages, however, show that such a crown is not restricted to the king in a royal court.”

7. Compare, however, Boda, Zechariah, 387, who notes that “it is possible that a singular verb can be used with a plural noun (see GKC §464k; Davidson §113).” Conversely, he adds, “The plural form of the noun may also be used for a singular entity, either to indicate a ‘plural of excellence’ (see [Zch 6:11] NASB, ‘ornate crown’) or a composite headpiece (see Rev. 19:12, diadēmata polla).”

8. See Kevin J. Cathcart and Robert P. Gordon, The Targum of the Minor Prophets (Aramaic Bible 14; Wilmington: Glazier, 1989), 199.

9. According to the Jewish Study Bible, reflecting both traditional and contemporary Jewish scholarship, “it is unlikely that the readership of the book as a whole … would have understood references to a messianic king (cf. Jer 23:5-6; 33:15-16) as being actually fulfilled in the person of Zerubbabel by the time he built the Temple” (1253, to Zch 3:8). This is contrary to Rashi’s view, cited below.

10. Ralph L. Smith, Micah–Malachi, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, 1998), 216.

11. Yaakov Elman, ed. and trans., The Living Nach: The Later Prophets (Brooklyn, NY: Moznaim, 1996), 776, also reflecting Orthodox Jewish thought, renders v. 13b with, “And there will be a priest before his throne,” meaning the throne of the Branch, understanding Heb. ‘al to mean “before” rather than “on.”

12. Boda, Zechariah, 395, renders v. 13: He himself will build the temple of Yahweh. He himself will bear majesty. He will sit and rule on his throne. A priest will be on his throne…”

13. See also the significant prophetic word to Zerubbabel in Hag 2:20-24.

14. Jewish Study Bible, 1256.

15. Smith, Micah–Malachi, 218.

16. Joyce G. Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, Tyndale Old Testament Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1981), 136–37.

17. Wolter H. Rose, Zemah and Zerubbabel: Messianic Expectation in the Early Postexilic Period (Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement 304; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2000). Rose also views the oracle to Zerubbabel in Hag. 2:20–23 as messianic.

18. Ibn Ezra also notes that some interpreters believe the Messiah will be called Zerubbabel in the future, just as some passages (e.g., Ezk 34:23-24; 37:24-25) speak of the Messiah being a future David.

19. The end of Rashi’s comment, following b. Sanh. 38a, equates Zerubbabel with Nehemiah.

20. Rabbi Yitzchok Stavsky, Trei Asar: The Twelve Prophets, Vol. II: Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi (ArtScroll Tanach Series; Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2009), 239.

21. Ibid.

22. J. P. Lange, P. Schaff, and T. W. Chambers, A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Zechariah (Electronic edition; Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2008), 53.

23. H. D. M. Spence-Jones, ed., The Pulpit Commentary: Zechariah (London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1909), 59.

24. C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, electronic ed. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 10:554. 25. Barker, “Zechariah,” 770. At v. 12, Barker points to Jn 19:5 (spoken of Jesus), “Here is the man!” noting that this verse “may well be intended by John as an allusion to the statement, “Here is the man whose name is the Branch” (ibid., 771–72).

26. According to Boda, Zechariah, 384–85, “For the majority of interpreters, the Sprout figure was from the outset linked to Zerubbabel. Many of these see in the interpretive difficulties and textual variances associated with 6:9–15 evidence of later revisions that shifted this original hope onto other figures, whether that is an anonymous future royal figure from the Davidic line or the present priestly figure of Joshua and the priestly Zadokite line he reestablished.”

27. LXX renders v. 13 with, “And he will receive distinction, and he will sit and rule upon his throne, and the priest will be on his right hand, and there will be a peaceful plan [between] both” (as translated in the Lexham English Septuagint).

28. Cf. also RSV; NRSV; TEV; REC; CEV; CJB.

29. Cf. also KJV; RV; NASB; NIV.

30. Cf., however, D. J. Clark and H. A. Hatton, A Handbook on Zechariah (New York: United Bible Societies, 2002), 175, who states that the final clause “definitely speaks of two people.”

31. Boda, Zechariah, 400.

32. Note, however, that Abravanel believes that both crowns in Zch 6 symbolized the monarchy, one for the high priest and one for the king, in anticipation of the Hasmonean dynasty, although because Joshua was the high priest and not a descendant of David, only the silver crown was placed on his head.

33. 14S 9:11; see also 44175 (Testimonia); for discussion, see Collins, Scepter and Star, 79–109, where other relevant texts are also analyzed. Collins notes that there is “impressive evidence that the Dead Sea sect expected two messiahs, one royal and one priestly” (ibid. 83).

34. See Sam Shamoun, “The Dead Sea Scrolls and God’s Uniplurality: Some Observations on Melchizedek,” Answering Islam, http://www.answeringislam.org/Shamoun/melchizedek-scroll.htm. He claims that in this text, Melchizedek is associated directly with the God of Israel, indicating that devout Jews at that time did not have a problem with such a concept.

35. Collins, Scepter and Star, 102, with reference to M. de Jonge, “Two Messiahs in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs,” in Jan W. van Henten, et al., eds. Tradition and Re-Interpretation in Jewish and Early Christian Literature: Essays in Honour of Jurgen C. H. Lebram (Studia Post Biblica; Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism, 36; Leiden, Netherlands: E. J. Brill, 1997), 191–203. See also T. Judah 21:1–4, where it is asserted that the kingship is subservient to the priesthood.

36. Ibid., 105. See ibid., 105–08, for further discussion of the “Levi tradition,” including the Levi Apocryphon from 4umran (44541).

37. Note that the Messiah son of Joseph, a secondary messianic figure in rabbinic thought, does not correspond to the priestly messianic figure of the Dead Sea Scrolls or the Testament of Levi, and his function is martial rather than priestly, dying in war rather than serving as a priest. Even although Al-Sheikh’s homiletical comment to Zch 12:10 speaks of the atoning power of the death of Messiah son of Joseph, this appears to be linked to the rabbinic concept that the death of the righteous atones (see Michael L. Brown, Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus: Vol. 2: Theological Objections [Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003], 153–167), as opposed to the idea that the Messiah would function as a priest.

FURTHER READING

PROVERBS 8:22-36: THE ETERNALLY BEGOTTEN SON

PROVERBS 30:4: THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE SON

ISAIAH 7:1-16: IMMANUEL HAS COME!

ISAIAH 9:1-7: THE GOD-CHILD IS BORN!

“Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?’ He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.” John 6:70-71

JESUS DIES FOR JUDAS’ SINS

According to Luke’s Gospel, on the night of Jesus’ betrayal our Lord offered the broken bread and the cup which pointed to his sacrificial death to all those who were present, telling them that he was doing this for them.

What makes Luke’s account rather interesting is that Judas was present and actually partook of the Lord’s Supper!

“And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for YOU; do this in remembrance of Me.’ And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for YOU is the new covenant in My blood. But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table. For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!’ And they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this thing.” Luke 22:19-23

This proves that Jesus had come to die for Judas to atone for his sins in order to save him from everlasting judgment.

Now if Christ wanted to exclude Judas he could have easily done so by qualifying his statements, much like we find in John’s Gospel when he washed the feet of the twelve Apostles:

“Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, ‘Lord, do You wash my feet?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.’Peter said to Him, ‘Never shall You wash my feet!’ Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.’ Simon Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.’ Jesus said to him, ‘He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, BUT NOT ALL of you.’For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’ So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’” John 13:1-18

Christ’s statements that not all of his followers were clean, or that he wasn’t speaking about all of them, show that our Lord had no qualms about making sure that his audience knew he wasn’t referring to all of them. Yet no such qualification appears in our Lord’s words to the disciples when offering them the bread and the cup as a token of his sacrificial death on their behalf.

The foregoing, perhaps, explains why Biblical scholars readily admit that Judas personally partook of the Lord’s Supper:

Verse 21

The hand of him that betrayeth me, etc. – What can be desired more, says Dr. Lightfoot, as a demonstration that Judas was present at the eucharist? And, whereas the contrary is endeavored to be proved out of John 13, nothing is made out of nothing; for there is not one syllable throughout that whole chapter of the paschal supper, but of a supper before the feast of the Passover. (Adam Clarke’s Commentary: http://www.studylight.org/com/acc/view.cgi?bk=41&ch=22; bold emphasis mine)

Verse 21

But behold the hand of him that betrayeth me,…. By the “hand” is meant, not figuratively the counsel, contrivance, and conspiracy of Judas to betray him, as the word is used in 2 Samuel 14:19 but literally the hand of Judas, which was then dipping in the dish with Christ, Matthew 26:23 and it follows here, is with me on the table; and is an aggravation of his sin, that one that sat with him at his table, ate bread with him, and dipped his morsel in the same dish, should be the betrayer of him, according to the prophecy in Psalm 41:9 as well as describes and points at the person that should do this action, even one of his disciples; for which disciples, he had just now said, his body is given, and his blood is shed. The phrase, “with me”, is left out in the Syriac and Persic versions. From Luke’s account it appears most clearly, that Judas was not only at the passover, but at the Lord’s supper, since this was said when both were over. (John Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible: http://www.studylight.org/com/geb/view.cgi?bk=41&ch=22; bold emphasis mine)

“… By referring to Judas’s betrayal after the Lord’s supper rather before (Mark 14:18-21; Matt 26:21-25), Luke revealed that participation in the Lord’s Supper does not guarantee membership in God’s kingdom. Compare John 13:26 and 13:27-30. Luke presented similar teachings elsewhere (see comments on 8:4-15; 13:22-30, ‘The Lukan message’).” (Robert Stein, Luke: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture (New American Commentary) [B&H Publishing Group, 1993], p. 546; bold emphasis mine)

“The introduction of a betrayer in v 21 is pregnant with significance. First, it is stunning simply that the inner circle of Jesus’ followers, those who constitute the kin group with whom he has chosen to share Passover, includes a betrayer (cf. 21:16). Though Luke does little linguistically to point his audience in this direction, we may nonetheless hear reverberations of the tragedy detailed with respect to the suffering righteous, including the travesty of treachery by a table intimate (Ps 41:9). Second, although ‘hand’ often has the transferred sense of ‘power,’ this term has also been used in reference to those who stand over against Jesus, those seeking his demise. That such a person is present even at Passover with Jesus is illustrative of the openness of his practices of table fellowship, but is also reminiscent of his earlier warning: Sharing table fellowship with Jesus, even listening to his teachings – these are no guarantee of entry into eschatological redemption (13:22-30)…” (Joel b. Green, The Gospel of Luke (The New International Commentary on the New Testament) [William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997], pp. 764-765; bold emphasis mine)

JUDAS’ NAME WRITTEN IN HEAVEN

Luke also records the Lord’s statements that Judas was one of the disciples whose name had been written in heaven:

“After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go… Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.’ And He said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because YOUR names are written in heaven.’” Luke 10:1, 17-30

For Judas’ name to be recorded in heaven means that God desired to save him from wrath and destruction.

Notable NT scholar Darrell L. Bock explains why he thinks that the twelve Apostles were included among the seventy disciples whom the Lord sent forth to evangelize:

The Mission of the Seventy-two (10:1–24)* The ministry of proclamation is not limited to the Twelve. In 9:1–6 they were sent out on a mission to preach the kingdom, but now a larger group of seventy-two is sent. Jesus does not limit ministry to a select few (see 9:49–50, 60–61). Disciples are called to preach the hope of the kingdom. Luke 22:35 refers back to these instructions when Jesus is addressing the Twelve at the Last Supper. So it appears that the Twelve are part of the seventy-two. They travel two by two to prepare different towns for Jesus’ arrival. It is clear from what Jesus says that the task ahead of them is large. There will be rejection, but they can also anticipate a large harvest. (Bock, Luke (Lk 10:1–24), InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL 1994; bold emphasis mine)

The following passage corroborates that Judas was one of the seventy that rejoiced at the fact that even demons were subject to them because of Christ’s authority:

“And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: ‘Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.’” Matthew 10:1-10

Moreover, the Holy Scriptures teach that God erases or blots out the name of any individual who falls away from God’s grace or refuses to repent and turn to him:

“Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, ‘You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.’ Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, ‘Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.’ And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.’” Exodus 32:30-33

“Add iniquity to their iniquity, And let them not come into Your righteousness. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, And not be written with the righteous.” Psalm 69:27-28

“He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” Revelation 3:5

The risen Lord’s words imply that he will blot out the name of any Christian who fails to endure and overcome.

This is brought out clearly from the fact that the Bible plainly says that Christ will refuse to confess and acknowledge any person who is too ashamed to confess and acknowledge the Lord:

“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 10:32-33

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:38

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will beashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:26

“If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.” 2 Timothy 2:12

The aforementioned texts show that the risen Lord will indeed blot out the name from the Book of Life and refuse to confess anyone who falls short of enduring till the end and/or denies the Son before others.

This is essentially what happened to Judas. I.e., since Judas fell away by betraying Christ, God ended up blotting out his name from the Lamb’s Book of Life.

JUDAS PROMISED TO REIGN WITH CHRIST IN THE AGE TO COME

The final proof that Jesus desired to save Judas, not condemn him to everlasting destruction, comes from Matthew’s Gospel:

“Then Peter answered and said to Him, ‘See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on TWELVE thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.But many who are first will be last, and the last first.’” Matthew 19:27-30

Judas is included in Christ’s promise that the twelve Apostles will rule over the twelve tribes of Israel in the age to come, when the Son physically descends from heaven to renew and transform the earth.

This shows that Judas was destined for salvation, but chose to turn away from Christ and therefore forfeited his right to everlasting life.

In other words, it wasn’t the Son who rejected Judas or predestined him for eternal wrath, as Calvinism would have us believe. Rather, Judas chose to cut himself off from the grace of the Lord Jesus by betraying him, thereby relinquishing the gift of salvation that Christ had come to bestow on him and the entire human race.    

FURTHER READING

John Calvin and Particular Redemption

The Case for Unlimited Atonement Pt. 1

LIMITED ATONEMENT DEBATE PT. 2

CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON VS. JAMES WHITE

ENDNOTES

⁽¹⁾ Here is a helpful post explaining what T.U.L.I.P. means: What is TULIP in Calvinism? What are the five points of Calvinism?.

“But there will be no gloom for her who was in distress. Formerly, he brought contempt to the region of Zebulun and the region of Naphtali, but in the future he will have made glorious the way of the sea, the territory beyond the Jordan—Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; for those living in a land of deep darkness, a light has shined upon them… For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the growth of his government and peace there will be no end. He will rule over his kingdom, sitting on the throne of David, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:1-2, 6-7 – Cf. Matthew 4:12-16; Luke 1:26-35

“‘The time is coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I’ll raise up a righteous branch for David. He will be a king who rules wisely, and he will administer justice and righteousness in the land. In his time Judah will be delivered and Israel will dwell in safety. This is the name by which he will be known: “The LORD Our Righteousness.”’” Jeremiah 23:5-6

“As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, even though you remain least among the clans of Judah, nevertheless, the one who rules in Israel for me will emerge from you. His existence has been from antiquity, even from eternity.” Micah 5:2 – Cf. Matthew 2:1-6; Luke 2:1-7

“In the beginning, the Word existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. Through him all things were made, and apart from him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life brought light to humanity… This was the true light that enlightens every person by his coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him. Yet the world did not recognize him… The Word became flesh and lived among us. We gazed on his glory, the kind of glory that belongs to the Father’s uniquely existing Son, who is full of grace and truth… No one has ever seen God. The uniquely existing God, who is close to the Father’s side, has revealed him.” John 1:1-4, 9-10, 18

“Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” John 20:28

“Pay attention to yourselves and to the entire flock over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to be shepherds of God’s church, which he acquired with his own blood.” Acts 20:28

“To the Israelis belong the patriarchs, and from them, the Messiah descended, who is God over all, the one who is forever blessed. Amen.” Romans 9:5

“Have the same attitude among yourselves that was also in the Messiah Jesus: In God’s own form existed he, and shared with God equality, deemed nothing needed grasping. Instead, poured out in emptiness, a servant’s form did he possess, a mortal man becoming. In human form he chose to be, and lived in all humility, death on a cross obeying. Now lifted up by God to heaven, a name above all others given, this matchless name possessing. And so, when Jesus’ name is called, the knees of everyone should fall, wherever they’re residing. Then every tongue in one accord, will say that Jesus the Messiah is Lord, while God the Father praising.” Philippians 2:5-11

“God has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of the Son whom he loves, through whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether they are kings, lords, rulers, or powers. All things have been created through him and for him. He himself existed before anything else did, and he holds all things together. He is also the head of the body, which is the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself might have first place in everything. For God was pleased to have all of his divine essence inhabit him.” Colossians 1:13-19  

“as we wait for the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior, Jesus the Messiah.” Titus 2:13

“God, having spoken in former times in fragmentary and varied fashion to our forefathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by a Son whom he appointed to be the heir of everything and through whom he also made the universe. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact likeness of his being, and he holds everything together by his powerful word. After he had provided a cleansing from sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Highest Majesty… And again, when he brings his firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’… But about the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of your kingdom is a righteous scepter. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. That is why God, your God, anointed you rather than your companions with the oil of gladness.’ And, ‘In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will come to an end, but you will remain forever. They will all wear out like clothes. You will roll them up like a robe, and they will be changed like clothes. But you remain the same, and your life will never end.’” Hebrews 1:1-3, 6, 8-12 – Cf. Psalm 102:25-27

“From: Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus, the Messiah. To: Those who have received faith that is as valuable as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus the Messiah… For in this way you will be generously granted entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Messiah.” 2 Peter 1:1, 11

“and from Jesus the Messiah, the witness, the faithful one, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and has made us a kingdom, priests for his God and Father, be glory and power forever and ever! Amen. Look! He is coming in the clouds. Every eye will see him, even those who PIERCED HIM, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him. So be it! Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ declares the Lord God, ‘the one who is, who was, and who is coming, the Almighty.’ I am John, your brother and partner in the oppression, kingdom, and patience that comes because of Jesus. I was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus. I came to be in the Spirit on the Day of the Lord, when I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet, saying, ‘Write on a scroll what you see, and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.’ Then I turned to see who was talking to me, and when I turned I saw seven gold lamp stands. Among the lamp stands there was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash around his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, in fact, as white as snow. His eyes were like flames of fire, his feet were like glowing bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of raging waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword. His face was like the sun when it shines with full force. When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. But he placed his right hand on me and said, ‘Stop being afraid! I am the first and the last, the living one. I WAS DEAD—but look!—I am alive forever and ever! I have the keys of Death and Hades.’” Revelation 1:5-18

“When the lamb had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders bowed down in front of him. Each held a harp and a gold bowl full of incense, the prayers of the saints. They sang a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, because you were slaughtered. With your blood you purchased us for God from every tribe, language, people, and nation. You made us a kingdom and priests for our God, and they will reign on the earth.’ Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels, the living creatures, and the elders surrounding the throne. They numbered 10,000’s times 10,000 and thousands times thousands. They sang with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the lamb who was slaughtered to receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise!’ I heard EVERY CREATURE in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and on the sea, and EVERYTHING THAT IS IN THEM, saying, ‘To the one who sits on the throne and to the lamb be praise, honor, glory, and power forever and ever!’ Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!”, and the elders bowed down and worshipped.” Revelation 5:8-14

“To the messenger of the church in Thyatira, write: ‘The Son of God, whose eyes are like flaming fire and whose feet are like glowing bronze, says this: “I know what you’ve been doing—your love, faithfulness, service, and endurance—and that your last actions are greater than the first. But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet and who teaches and leads my servants to practice immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refused to repent of her immorality. Look! I am going to strike her with illness. Those who commit adultery with her will also suffer greatly, unless they repent from acting like her. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts. I will reward each of you as your actions deserve.”’” Revelation 2:18-23 – Cf. Jeremiah 17:10; Isaiah 40:10-11; 62:11; Psalm 62:12; Proverbs 24:12; Matthew 16:27

“‘See! I am coming soon! My reward is with me to repay everyone according to his behavior. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end… I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give this testimony to you for the churches. I am the root and descendant of David, the bright morning star.’… The one who is testifying to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon!’ Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints.” Revelation 22:12-13, 16, 20 – Cf. Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; 48:12; John 5:22

FURTHER READING

BIBLE COMPARISON LISTS PT. 3

 messianic understanding of a particular segment of “Palestinian” Jewry, helping us appreciate how specific Jews interpreted particular [O]ld [T]estament texts which they regarded as prophecies which pointed to the coming of the Messiah.

OT references such as 2 Samuel 7:10-14, Psalm 2:1, Isaiah 11:1-2, Jeremiah 23:5, Daniel 7:14, 27, Amos 9:11 and a few others are all explained in regards to the Messianic Ruler who is to come from David’s line.

What makes the Scrolls rather interesting is that they envision the coming of not one, but two Messiahs, a Royal Davidic Messiah and a Priestly Messiah from the line of Aaron, with the former being subject to the authority of the latter! The Scrolls also speak of a Prophet like Moses to arise in line with the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:18-19.

One Scroll goes as far as to state that the heavens and earth will all be subject to the Messiah.

Even more remarkable is the Aramaic Scroll 4Q246, which mentions a figure that will arise who will be proclaimed the Son of God and shall be called the Son of the Most High. Some scholars have argued that this must be understood as a Messianic scroll as well, one in which the Messiah is identified as the Son of God and the Son of Man of Daniel 7:13-14.

They base this primarily on the fact that these very titles for the Messiah are ascribed to Jesus in Luke’s Gospel in which the author records the annunciation of the birth of Christ by the angel Gabriel to his blessed Mother:

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.’” Luke 1:26-35 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

It seems untenable that Luke would have adopted these names for Jesus if these were the same titles which Jews were ascribing to an antichrist figure, a wicked pagan tyrant whom God would soon destroy by the hands of his holy ones.  

In this post I will be quoting Geza Vermes’ English rendering of the DSS since this late Jewish scholar provides brief explanatory notes to aid the readers in understanding the Messianic views of the Jewish community which produced these texts.

4Q285.fr. 7

The Messiah, Branch of David

[As it is written in the book of] Isaiah the Prophet, [The thickets of the forest] will be cut [down with an axe and Lebanon by a majestic one will f] all. And there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse […] the Branch of David and they will enter into judgement with […] and the Prince of the Congregation, the Br[anch of David] will kill him [ … by strok]es and by wounds. And a Priest [of renown(?)] will command [ … the s]lai[n] of the Kitti[m … ]

4Q285, fr.8

[Answering, he shall say] to the sons of [I]srael: May you be blessed in the name of the Most High [God] … and may His holy name be blessed for ever and ever. [May all His holy angels be blessed. May] the M[ost High] God [bless] you. [May He shine His face towards you and open for you His] good [treasure] which is in heaven [to bring down on your land] showers of blessing, dew, rain, [early rain] and late rain in His/its time, and to give [you the fruit of the produce of corn, wine and o]il plentiful. And may the land [prod]uce for [you fruits of delight. And you shall eat and grow fa]t. And there shall be no miscarriage [in yo]ur [la]n[d] and no [sickness, blight or mildew] shall be seen in [its] produ[ce. And there shall be no loss of children n]or stumbling in [your] congrega[tion, and wild beasts shall withdraw] from your land and there shall be no pestil[ence in your land.] For God is wi[th you and His holy angels stand in your congregation, and His] holy [name] shall be invoked upon you … in your midst…

11Q14

And he shall bless them in the name [of the God] of Israel. Answering he shall say, … to the sons of Israel: May [yo]u be blessed for ever and ever and may His … be blessed … and may His holy angels be blessed. May the Most High God bless you. May He shine His face towards you and open to you His good treasure which is in heaven to bring down on your land showers of blessing, dew, rain, early rain and late rain in His/its time to give you the fruit of the produce of corn, wine and oil plentiful. May the land produce for you fruits of delight. And you shall eat and grow fat. And there shall be no miscarriage in your land and no sickness, blight or mildew shall be seen in its produce. There shall be no loss of children, nor stumbling in your congregation and the wild beasts shall withdraw from [your land.] The sword shall not pass through your land. For God is with you and His holy angels shall be present in your congregation, and His holy name shall be invoked upon you. (Geza Vermes, The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English [Penguin Books, Revised Edition 2004], pp. 230-232)

Commentaries on Isaiah (4Q 11611-5, 3Q4)

Translatable fragments of four commentaries on Isaiah were discovered in Cave 4 (4QpIsaa—d = 4Q161—4). A fifth (4QpIsa e = 4QI65) is too mutilated to be rendered into English. The first document alludes to the defeat of the Kittim and expounds the renowned messianic prophecy of Isa. xi. It is related to 4Q285 (cf. p. 188). The second and the third deal with the Jewish opponents of the sect. The fourth, relying on Isa. liv, identifies the Community as the New Jerusalem. They may all be assigned to the first century BCE. A small fragment from Cave 3 (3Q4) represents a commentary on Isa. i, I, but with no continuous text.

For the editio princeps, see J. M. Allegro and A. A. Anderson, DJD, V, 11—30.

Frs. 8-10

… [and the tallest tre]es [shall be cut down and] the lofty [shall be felled] with the axe, and Lebanon through a powerful one shall fall (x, 33—4).

[Its interpretation concerns the Kit]tim who shall crush the house of Israel and the humble … all the nations and the valiant shall be dismayed and [their] he[arts] shall melt. [And that which he said, The tallest] trees shall be cut down, these are the valiant of the Kit[tim] … [And that which he sa]id. The heart of the forest shall be felled with the axe, th[ey] … for the war of the Kittim. And Lebanon through a po[werful one shall fall (x, 34). Its interpretation concerns the] Kittim who will be given into the hand of his great one … when he flees from be[fore Is]rael … vacat

[And there shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse and a Branch shall grow out of its roots. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or pass sentence by what his ears hear; he shall judge the poor righteously and shall pass sentence justly on the humble of the earth] (xi, 1—3).

[Interpreted, this concerns the Branch] of David who shall arise at the end [of days] … God will uphold him with [the spirit of might, and will give him] a throne of glory and a crown of [holiness] and many-coloured garments … [He will put a sceptre] in his hand and he shall rule over all the [nations]. And Magog … and his sword shall judge [all] the peoples. And as for that which he said, He shall not [judge by what his eyes see] or pass sentence by what his ears hear: interpreted, this means that … [the Priests] … As they teach him, so will he judge; and as they order, [so will he pass sentence]. One of the Priests of renown shall go out, and garments of… shall be in his hands … (Ibid, pp. 551-552)

(4Q174)

This collection of texts assembled from 2 Samuel and the Psalter, and combined with other scriptural passages, serves to present the sectarian doctrine identifying the Community with the Temple, and to announce the coming of the two Messiahs, the ‘Branch of David’ and the ‘Interpreter of the Law’. Originating from Cave 4 (4Q174) and known also as ‘Florilegium’, it probably belongs to the late first century BCE.

For the editio princeps, see J. M. Allegro and A. A. Anderson, DJD, V, 53-7.

I … [I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them that they may dwell there and be troubled no more by their] enemies. No son of iniquity [shall afflict them again] as formerly, from the day that [I set judges] over my people Israel (2 Sam. vii, 10).

This is the House which [He will build for them in the] last days, as it is written in the book of Moses, In the sanctuary which Thy hands have established, O Lord, the Lord shall reign for ever and ever (Exod. xv, 17-18). This is the House into which [the unclean shall] never [enter, nor the uncircumcised,] nor the Ammonite, nor the Moabite, nor the half-breed, nor the foreigner, nor the stranger, ever; for there shall My Holy Ones be. [Its glory shall endure] for ever; it shall appear above it perpetually And strangers shall lay it waste no more, as they formerly laid waste the Sanctuary of Israel because of its sin. He has commanded that a Sanctuary of men be built for Himself, that there they may send up, like the smoke of incense, the works of the Law.

And concerning His words to David, And I [will give] you [rest] from all your enemies (2 Sam. vii, 11), this means that He will give them rest from all the children of Belial who cause them to stumble so that they may be destroyed [by their errors,] just as they came with a [devilish] plan to cause the [sons] of light to stumble and to devise against them a wicked plot, that [they might become subject] to Belial in their [wicked] straying.

The Lord declares to you that He will build you a House (2 Sam. vii, 11c).¹ I will raise up your seed after you (2 Sam. vii, 12). I will establish the throne of his kingdom [for ever] (2 Sam. vii, 13). [I will be] his father and he shall be my son (2 Sam. vii, 14). He is the Branch of David who shall arise with the Interpreter of the Law [to rule] in Zion [at the end] of time. As it is written, I will raise up the tent of David that is fallen (Amos ix, 11). That is to say, the fallen tent of David is he who shall arise to save Israel.

Explanation of How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked (Ps. i, 1). Interpreted, this saying [concerns] those who turn aside from the way [of the people] as it is written in the book of Isaiah the Prophet concerning the last days, It came to pass that [the Lord turned me aside, as with a mighty hand, from walking in the way of] this people (Isa. viii, 11). They are those of whom it is written in the book of Ezekiel the Prophet, The Levites [strayed far from me, following] their idols (Ezek. xliv, Prophet, are the sons of Zadok who [seek their own] counsel and follow 10). They are the sons of Zadok who [seek their own] counsel and follow [their own inclination] apart from the Council of the Community.

[Why] do the nations [rage] and the peoples meditate [vanity? Why do the kings of the earth] rise up, [and the] princes take counsel together against the Lord and against [His Messiah]? (Ps. ii, 1). Interpreted, this saying concerns [the kings of the nations] who shall [rage against] the elect of Israel in the last days.¹¹ This shall be the time of the trial to co[me concerning the house of J]udah so as to perfect … Belial, and a remnant of the people shall be left according to the lot (assigned to them), and they shall practise the whole Law… Moses. This is the time of which it is written in the book of Daniel the Prophet: But the wicked shall do wickedly and shall not understand, but the righteous shall purify themselves and make themselves white (Dan. xii, 10). The people who know God shall be strong. They are the masters who understand…

Testimonia or Messianic Anthology (4Q175)

This short document from Cave 4 (4Q175), dating to the early first century BCE and similar in literary style to the Christian Testimonia or collections of messianic proof-texts, includes five quotations arranged in four groups. Only the last of them is followed by an interpretation.

The first group consists of two texts from Deuteronomy referring to the prophet similar to Moses; the second is an extract from a prophecy of Balaam about the Royal Messiah; the third is a blessing of the Levites and, implicitly, of the Priest-Messiah.

The last group opens with a verse from Joshua, which is then expounded by means of a quotation from the sectarian Psalms of Joshua (cf. 4Q379 below, p. 547). Most experts hold that the commentator, bearing in mind the biblical passage, is alluding to three characters: a father (‘an accursed man’) and his two sons. However, the verb ‘arose’ in the second sentence is in the singular, and it would seem correct to interpret this text as referring to the two brothers only.

For the editio princeps, see J. M. Allegro and A. A. Anderson, DJD, V, 57-60.

The Lord spoke to Moses saying:

You have heard the words which this people have spoken to you; all they have said is right. O that their heart were always like this, to fear me and to keep my commandments always, that it might be well with them and their children for ever! (Deut. v, 28-9). I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren. I will put my words into his mouth and he shall tell them all that I command him. And I will require a reckoning of whoever will not listen to the words which the Prophet shall speak in my Name (Deut. xviii, 18-19).

He took up his discourse and said:

Oracle of Balaam son of Beor. Oracle of the man whose eye is penetrating. Oracle of him who has heard the words of God, who knows the wisdom of the Most High and sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls and his eyes are opened. I see him but not now. I behold him but not near. A star shall come out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel; he shall crush the temples of Moab and destroy all the children of Sheth (Num. xxiv, 15-17).

And of Levi he said:

Give Thy Tummim to Levi, and Thy Urim to Thy pious one whom Thou didst test at Massah, and with whom Thou didst quarrel at the waters of Meribah; who said to his father and mother, ‘I know you not’, and who did not acknowledge his brother, or know his sons. For they observed Thy word and kept Thy Covenant. They shall cause Thy precepts to shine before Jacob and Thy Law before Israel. They shall send up incense towards Thy nostrils and place a burnt-offering upon Thine altar. Bless his power, O Lord, and delight in the work of his hands. Smite the loins of his adversaries and let his enemies rise no more (Deut. xxxiii, 8-11).

When Joshua had finished offering praise and thanksgiving, he said:

Cursed be the man who rebuilds this city! May he lay its foundation on his first-born, and set its gate upon his youngest son (Josh. vi, 26). Behold, an accursed man, a man of Belial, has risen to become a fowler’s net to his people, and a cause of destruction to all his neighbours. And [his brother] arose [and ruled in li]es, both being instruments of violence. They have rebuilt [this city and have set up for it] a wall and towers to make of it a stronghold of ungodliness in Israel, and a horror in Ephraim and in Judah … They have committed an abomination in the land, and a great blasphemy among the children [of Jacob. They have shed blood] like water upon the ramparts of the daughter of Zion and within the precincts of Jerusalem. (Ibid., pp. 577-581)

For the edition princeps, see E. Puech, DJD, XXII, 165-84.

I … [the spirit of God] dwelt on him, he fell down before the throne … O [K]ing, you are angry for ever and your years … your vision and all. For ever you … [the gre]at ones. An oppression will come to the earth … a great massacre in the provinces … the king of Assyria [and E]gypt … he will be great on earth … will make and all will serve … he will be called (or: call himself) [gran]d … and by his name he will be designated (or: designate himself). II The son of God he will be proclaimed (or: proclaim himself) and the son of the Most High they will call him. Like the sparks of the vision, so will be their kingdom. They will reign for years on the earth and they will trample all. People will trample people (cf. Dan. vii, 23) and one province another province vacat until the people of God will arise and all will rest from the sword. Their (the people of God’s) kingdom will be an eternal kingdom (cf. Dan. vii, 27) and all their path will be in truth. They will jud[ge] the earth in truth and all will make peace. The sword will cease from the earth, and all the provinces will pay homage to them. The Great God (cf. Dan. ii, 45) is their helper. He will wage war for them. He will give peoples into their hands and all of them (the peoples) He will cast before them (the people of God). Their dominion will be an eternal dominion (Dan. vii, 14) and all the boundaries of… (Ibid., 4Q246. An Aramaic Scroll, p. 673)

A Messianic Apocalypse

(4Q521)

Commonly referred to as the ‘Resurrection fragment’, this writing consists of sixteen fragments. The script is dated to the beginning of the first century BCE. Whether the designation ‘apocalypse’ is fully justified is a moot point: the writing comes across as a composition in verse akin to the poetry of the late biblical period. The surviving fragments do not appear to include anything patently sectarian. The term ‘Messiah’, probably in the singular, is used without the addition of Aaron or Israel, and the noun ‘hasidim’, absent from the big scrolls and little attested elsewhere, figures in lines 5 and 7. The divine name ‘Lord’ represents, not the Tetragram, but Adonai (four times). The poem incorporates Ps. cxlvi, 6-7 and Isa. lxi, 1, the latter cited also in the New Testament (Lk. iv, 18). As in the Gospels, healing and resurrection are linked to the idea of the Kingdom of God. Line 12 furnishes the most explicit evidence concerning the raising of the dead. Fragment 7, line 6, repeats the same idea, referring to God as ‘He who will raise the dead of His people’.

For the editio princeps, see E. Puech, DJD, XXV, 1—38; cf. G. Vermes, ‘Qumran Forum Miscellanea I’, JJS 43 (1992), 303-4.

Fr. 2

II … [the hea]vens and the earth will listen to His Messiah, and none therein will stray from the commandments of the holy ones.

Seekers of the Lord, strengthen yourselves in His service!

All you hopeful in (your) heart, will you not find the Lord in this?

For the Lord will consider the pious (hasidim) and call the righteous by name.

Over the poor His spirit will hover and will renew the faithful with His power.

And He will glorify the pious on the throne of the eternal Kingdom. He who liberates the captives, restores sight to the blind, straightens the b[ent] (Ps. cxlvi, 7-8).

And f[or] ever I will clea[ve to the h]opeful and in His mercy …

And the fr[uit … ] will not be delayed for anyone And the Lord will accomplish glorious things which have never been as [He … ] For He will heal the wounded, and revive the dead and bring good news to the poor (Isa. lxi, 1).

… He will lead the uprooted and make the hungry rich …

Fr. 7

… [the ear]th and all that is on it; and the sea [and all that is in it] and all the ponds of water and rivers who are doing good before the Lor[d] … … like those who curse and are (destined) for death [when] the Lifegiver will raise the dead of His people.

And we will thank and proclaim to you the righteousness of the Lord, who … (Ibid., pp. 471-472)

209. A VISION OF METATRON

There were four who entered Paradise. Elisha ben Abuyah was one of them. He ascended on high to gaze at the Merkavah, the Divine Chariot. When he reached the door of the seventh place, he came into the presence of the angel Metatron ruled over all the other heavenly beings. Seeing this, Elisha began to quake, and his soul was confused and filled with fright. For Metatron was seated upon that throne like a king, with all the ministering angels standing by him as he presided over the Celestial Court and all the angels. In that instant Elisha opened his mouth and cried, “God forbid, there must be two powers in heaven!” Thereupon a heavenly voice went forth to say, “Return, you backsliding children, all except Aher!”

After that God commanded the angel Anafiel to punish Metatron with sixty fiery lashes for not rising when he saw Elisha, thus giving Elisha the false impression that there were two heavenly powers. As for Elisha, thereafter he became known as Aher, the Other, for at the instant he saw Metatron seated there, he lost his faith.

The two primary versions of this myth about Aher (Elisha ben Abuyah) becoming an apostate are found in the Talmud in B. Hagigah 15a and in 3 Enoch. Elisha’s shock on seeing Metatron in heaven derives primarily from the fact that he is seated, since he had believed that no sitting was allowed in heaven except for God, seated on His Throne of Glory. Thus Elisha identifies Metatron as a “Lesser Yahweh,” a demiurgic figure. And for the Enoch sect, in particular, Enoch/Metatron does play a remarkably extensive role, for he serves as chief of the angels who carries out all of God’s commands.

The rabbinic explanation for Metatron’s being seated is that he is the heavenly scribe, whose job it is to record the merits of Israel. The version in 3 Enoch elaborates on the godlike role Metatron plays, surrounded by ministering angels. Metatron’s punishment of sixty fiery lashes demonstrates his subservience to God. It seems likely that Elisha’s apostasy led him to become a Gnostic, whose primary belief was that there are two powers in heaven.

This myth is directly modeled after Daniel 7, where Daniel has a vision of the Ancient of Days, one of the names of God. Daniel’s vision itself is directly based on Isaiah’s vision in Isaiah 6:1-8. Here, however, Metatron has taken the place of God in Elisha’s vision. This shows the extreme nature of the Metatron mythology, in which Metatron’s role sometimes seems TO ECLIPSE THAT OF GOD. Here, ironically, this is done by drawing on a biblical model. The talmudic version of this myth was likely intended as a warning against Gnosticism in general and speculations about Enoch/Metatron in particular. This accusation finds its answer in 3 Enoch, dating from around the eighth century. It is fascinating to observe how this talmudic warning myth is incorporated in 3 Enoch into the overall myth of Metatron, and slanted in a way to demonstrate that Elisha ben Abuyah failed to recognize Metatron’s true role as God’s second in command. But at the same time the myth is certainly intended to elevate the primary role of Metatron in the heavenly pantheon to one who is second only to God. See “The Four Who Entered Paradise,” p. 173

Anafiel, the angel punishes Metatron, is the same angel who brought Enoch into heaven, where the metamorphosis into Metatron took place. Anafiel YHVH is one of the eight princes of heaven whose names include the Tetragrammaton, suggesting that they are an extension of God. Metatron’s power is over all the angels except these eight princes.

Sources:

Tosefta Hagigah 2:4; B. Hagigah 15a; 3 Enoch 16:1-5; Testament of Abraham 11:1-13:7; Schafer #671-674 from Ms. Oxford 1531.

Studies:

Two Powers by Alan Segal.

“Form(s) of God: Some Notes on Metatron and Christ” by Gedaliahu G. Stroumsa.

Four Powers in Heaven: The Interpretation of Daniel 7 in the Testament of Abraham by Philip B. Munoa, III.

“3 Enoch and the Talmud” by P. S. Alexander.

The Faces of the Chariot by David J. Halperin. (Howard Schwartz, Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism [Oxford University Press, 2004], pp. 174-175; emphasis mine)

233. THE PRIMORDIAL METATRON

The Primordial Metatron was the first of creation, THE SON OF THE SHEKHINAH. The first words of the Torah, In the beginning God created, REFER TO METATRON. The Primordial Metatron assisted God in the creation of the world, and has assisted God ever since in ruling the worlds above and below. When God said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord,” he meant come up TO METATRON.

This description of a Primordial Metatron closely resembles the myths about the Heavenly Man and Adam Kadmon. What is unusual is that the primordial Metatron is described as the Son of the Shekhinah. Since this myth is found in the Zohar, the Shekhinah refers to God’s Bride, making the Primordial Metatron the child of God and the Shekhinah. The Christian echoes of the “son of God” are apparent, as well as the structure of a divine family as is found in other mythic traditions, such as the Greek or Canaanite. See “The Heavenly Man,” p. 124 and “Adam Kadmon,” p. 15

The identification of “the Lord” AS METATRON is, surprisingly, found in the Talmud. For a further discussion of this, see the Introduction, p. 1.

The notion of a Primordial Metatron CONTRADICTS the standard explanation of Metatron’s origin as Enoch, who was transformed into Metatron after being carried into heaven in a fiery chariot. It demonstrates an alternate Metatron tradition apart from that linked to Enoch. Of course, the original Enoch tradition dates from around the second century BCE, the Zohar from the thirteenth century. Thus it is possible that this is one of many new mythic traditions found in the Zohar.

Sources:

B. Sanhedrin 38b; Zohar 1:94b.

234. THE ANGEL METATRON

God made a throne for Metatron similar to the Throne of Glory, and spread a curtain of splendor over him, and on it were fixed all kinds of lights in the universe. Metatron sits on that throne at the entrance to the seventh heavenly palace, where he judges all the upper beings, the family on high, with permission of God. So too does he offer the souls of the righteous in the heavenly Temple as an atonement for the Jewish people. The hand of God rests on the head of His servant, whose height is that of the entire universe, and the attending angels stand before him.

Before God appointed Metatron to serve the Throne of Glory, God opened up three hundred thousand gates of discernment to him, and as many gates of cunning, compassion, and love, as well as gates of humility, sustenance, mercy, and the fear of heaven. And God revealed the mysteries of the Torah to him and all the secrets of wisdom, and all the secrets of Creation.

Then God gave Metatron a royal crown that included 49 precious stones, each as bright as the light of the sun. The light of these stones penetrates to the far corners of all seven heavens. God Himself engraved on Metatron’s crown the letters with which the heavens and the earth and all their hosts were created. So too did God give him His cloak, His crown, and His name. And God made Metatron a garment with all types of light in it, and He dressed him in it. So too did God give Metatron the highest splendor, which is the light of the soul that Adam forfeited by his sin.

And God sent forth a herald, who announced that Metatron was ruler over all the princes of heaven and over the children of heaven. And every angel who had to speak in God’s presence should speak to him instead. Indeed, there are those who say that Metatron is the Lord God of Israel, God of the heavens and God of the earth, God of Gods, God of the sea and God of the land.

This is Metatron, Prince of the Presence. The angels who are with him encircle the Throne of Glory on one side and the celestial beasts are on the other side, and the Shekhinah is in the center of the Throne of Glory. And God called Metatron the little god before His entire heavenly family, as it is said, for “My Name is within him” (Exod. 23:23).

Then Metatron brings the fire of deafness and puts it in their ears, so that they do not hear the sound of God’s speech and the explicit Name that Metatron utters at that time in seven voices, or, some say, seventy voices in all.

In the Hekhalot texts, describing heavenly journeys, the angel Metatron is described in terms that are virtually equal, AND SOMETIMES SUPERIOR, to those used to describe God. When Hekhalot Rabbati describes Metatron as “Lord God of Israel, God of heavens and God of the earth, God of Gods, God of the sea and God of the land,” there is little doubt that the author regards Metatron at least as the “Lesser Yahweh,” if not God’s equal. Just the fact that both God and Metatron are served by Surya, the Prince of the Presence is clear indication of their divine status, and he is described as treating them equally, prostrating himself a thousand times before each one.

According to Gershom Schoem, Metatron was a secret name for Michael. Michael is not only one of the archangels, but he is also the High Priest in the heavenly Temple, so that his role is already elevated, although not to the heights of Metatron. Metatron is more commonly linked to Enoch and the belief that Enoch had been transformed into Metatron. See “The Metamorphosis and Enthronement of Metatron,” p. 156.

Sources:

Numbers Rabbah 3b; Shi’ur Komah, Oxford Ms. 1791, ff. 58-70, 3 Enoch 10:1-13:2; Hekhalot Rabbati 11, 27; Zohar Hadash 42d, 68a.

Studies:

3 Enoch or the Hebrew Book of Enoch by Hugo Odeberg. Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and Talmudic Tradition by Gershom Schoem. (Ibid., pp. 195-196; emphasis mine)

FURTHER READING

THE ANGEL METATRON: JUDAISMS’ SECOND YHWH

TWO POWERS IN HEAVEN: REVEALING ISRAEL’S SECOND GOD

THE ONE LORD JEHOVAH IS AT LEAST TWO

For instance, Genesis states that Jehovah appeared at Sodom and Gomorrah as a man in order to rain fire and brimstone from the Jehovah who was in heaven:

“Then Jehovah rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Jehovah out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before Jehovah: and he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the Plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the Plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt.” Genesis 19:24-29 American Standard Version (ASV)

Compare:

“And the Lord (Kyrios) rained on Sodom and Gomorrha brimstone and fire from the Lord (para Kyriou) out of heaven.” Genesis 19:24 LXX

Moreover, the Holy Spirit revealed to King David that Jehovah would enthrone the Messiah his Lord together with himself who would then go forth to crush his enemies in the day of battle:

“Jehovah gives dominion to the king. A Psalm of David. Jehovah saith unto my Lord (Adoni), Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Jehovah will send forth the rod of thy strength out of Zion: Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people offer themselves willingly In the day of thy power, in holy array: Out of the womb of the morning Thou hast the dew of thy youth. Jehovah hath sworn, and will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever After the order of Melchizedek. The Lord (Adonay) at thy right hand Will strike through kings in the day of his wrath. HE will judge among the nations, HE will fill the places with dead bodies; HE will strike through the head in many countries. HE will drink of the brook in the way: Therefore will HE lift up the head.” Psalm 110:1-7 ASV

Note how the Greek and Latin versions render the aforementioned Psalm:

“[A Psalm of David.] The Lord (ho Kyrios) said to my Lord (to Kyrio mou), Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool… With thee is dominion in the day of thy power, in the splendours of thy saints: I have begotten thee from the womb before the morning… The Lord (Kyrios) at thy right hand has dashed in pieces kings in the day of his wrath.” Psalm 109:1, 3, 5 LXX

“The Lord (Dominus) said to my Lord (Domino meo): Sit thou at my right hand: Until I make thy enemies thy footstool… With thee is the principality in the day of thy strength: in the brightness of the saints: from the womb before the day star I begot thee… The Lord (Dominus) at thy right hand hath broken kings in the day of his wrath.” Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)

Hence, David’s Lord is God’s unique Son who was begotten from before creation!

Both the Lord Jesus and his inspired emissaries applied this Psalm to Christ himself:

“And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.” Mark 12:35-37

“So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” Mark 16:19-20 AV – C.f. 14:61-62

“Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Acts 2:29-36 AV – C.f. 5:31; 7:55-56

“who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high… But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?” Hebrews 1:3, 13 AV – C.f. 8:1; 10:12-13; 12:2

The following Bible expositor brings out the significance of this particular Psalm:

The key to understanding this lies in identifying the two distinct persons referred to by the name of “Lord.” The first use of the word refers unmistakably to Jehovah. The other word “Lord” is the Hebrew adon and means “master” or “ruler.” It was sometimes used as a name of God and sometimes applied to a human master. Although the word itself does not always indicate a divine person, the words that follow show that David’s Lord (Adon) was equal with God.

One day when Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees in Jerusalem, He asked them what they believed concerning the identity of the Messiah. From whom would the Promised One be descended? They answered correctly that He would be the son of David. But Jesus showed them that according to Psalm 110 (which they acknowledged to be messianic) the Messiah would also be David’s Lord. How could He be David’s son and David’s Lord at the same time? And how could David, the king, have someone who was his Lord on earth?

The answer of course was that the Messiah would be both God and man. As God, He would be David’s Lord. As man, He would be David’s son. And Jesus Himself, combining in His Person both deity and humanity, was David’s Master and David’s son…

110:5 The last three verses of the Psalm picture the Lord Jesus as a mighty Conqueror, putting down all lawlessness and rebellion prior to the inauguration of His kingdom. The problem of identifying the personages in these verses is largely solved if we think of them as being addressed to Jehovah and as referring to the Messiah-King. Thus verse 5 would read:

THE LORD (Adonai–here the Lord Jesus) is at Your (Jehovah’s) right hand; He (Messiah) shall execute kings in the day of His wrath.        

110:6 It is the Lord Jesus marching forth against the Gentile nations, as foreseen in Joel 3:9-17; Zechariah 14:3; and Revelation 19:11-21. He executes judgment among the nations, strewing the landscape with their corpses. The further statement “He shall execute the heads of many countries” could also be translated “He shall strike through the head over a wide land.” This could be a reference to the doom of the Man of Sin, “whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming” (2 Thess. 2:8).

110:7 As He goes forth to deal with His foes, the King shall drink of the brook by the wayside. Since water is often a type of the Holy Spirit (John 7:38, 39), this suggest that the Lord is refreshed and reinvigorated by the ministry of the Spirit, and this explains why He subsequently lifts up His head in victory. (William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary, edited by Art Farstad [Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN 1995], pp. 724-726)

There’s more.

The Deutero-canonical book of Sirach mentions the composer praying to his Lord, who happens to be the Father of his Lord!

“My soul shall praise the Lord even to death. And my life was drawing near to hell beneath. They compassed me on every side, and there was no one that would help me. I looked for the succour of men, and there was none. I remembered thy mercy, O Lord, and thy works, which are from the beginning of the world. How thou deliverest them that wait for thee, O Lord, and savest them out of the hands of the nations. Thou hast exalted my dwelling place upon the earth and I have prayed for death to pass away. I called upon the Lord, the father of my Lord, that he would not leave me in the day of my trouble, and in the time of the proud without help. I will praise thy name continually, and will praise it with thanksgiving, and my prayer was heard. And thou hast saved me from destruction, and hast delivered me from the evil time. Therefore I will give thanks, and praise thee, and bless the name of the Lord.” Sirach 51:8-17 DRA

Here’s the particular verse in question:

I called upon the Lord, the father of my Lord, that he would not leave me in the day of my trouble, and in the time of the proud without help.

Invocavi Dominum patrem Domini mei, ut non derelinquat me in die tribulationis meae, et in tempore superborum, sine adjutorio. Sirach 51:14 Douay-Rheims + Latin Vulgate (DR + LV http://www.drbo.org/cgi-bin/d?b=drl&bk=26&ch=51&l=14-#x)

And here’s the same passage as it is rendered from the Greek versions:

“I appealed to the Lord, the Father of my lord (epekalesamen Kyrion patera Kyriou mou), not to forsake me in the days of affliction, at the time when there is no help against the proud.” Sirach 51:10 Revised Standard Version (RSV)

“I called to help the Lord, (the) father of my Lord (or the Father of my Lord), that he forsake not me in the day of my tribulation, and forsake not me without help, in the time of them that be proud. [I inwardly called the Lord, father of my Lord, that he forsake not me in the day of my tribulation, and in time of proud men, without help.]” Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

We find a similar statement in a late 1^st–early 2^nd century AD Christian pseudepigraphal writing:

6. And I heard the angel who conducted me and he said: “This is the Most High of the high ones, dwelling in the holy world, and resting in His holy ones, who will be called by the Holy Spirit through the lips of the righteous the Father of the Lord.”

7. And I heard the voice of the Most High, the Father of my Lord, saying to my Lord Christ who will be called Jesus: (The Ascension of Isaiah – Early Christian Writings, 10:6-7; bold emphasis mine)

Here the Father of the Lord is the Father of Jesus Christ.

Liberal biblical scholar Margaret Barker comments on this early and widespread belief among both Christians and Jews that there are at least two distinct divine Persons who are called Jehovah/Lord:

The fusion of Yahweh and El Elyon led to the widely attested tradition of the two Yahwehs, where both High God and Angel had the same name. In the Apocalypse of Abraham, the guardian angel is Jaoel, but this is also one of the names for God. In the song of praise which Abraham was instructed to sing before the fiery presence of God, among the names of God are ‘El, El, Jaoel’ (Ap. Abr. 17.13). In the Apocalypse of Moses there is the archangel Joel (Ap. Mos. 43.5) and Jael is one of the names for God (Ap. Mos. 29.4). Metatron was known as the Little Yahweh, implying that there was a Greater Yahweh, but this seems to have been more of a title than a name, conferring a certain status when he was enthroned. Something similar had been said of Moses by Philo: ‘He was named God and King’ (Life of Moses, 1.158), although he used theos implying that the original had been ‘elohim, rather than kyrios which would have indicated the title Yahweh. Other texts also mentioned both a Greater and a Lesser Yahweh:

The titles … functioned independently of the Metatron traditions. Thus we encounter the Great Jao and the Little Jao in the third century Christian gnostic work Pistis Sophia and in the gnostic Book of Jeu. In the Syriac Gannat Bussame (Garden of Delights) we find listed among deities worshipped by unbelievers ‘Adonai katon the general of Adonai gadol, who are reverenced by the Israelites’.¹⁷

There is also the mysterious reference in Sir. 51.10: ‘I appealed to the Lord (kyrios), the Father of my Lord (kyrios), not to forsake me in the days of affliction’, which is the earliest use of the two Lords I have found.

The Ascension of Isaiah is an Apocalypse expanded by Christians at the end of the first century; it has two Yahwehs: ‘And I saw how my LORD and the angel of the Holy Spirit worshipped and both together praised the LORD’ (Asc. Isa. 9.40). This implies that for the first Christians both Father and Son were known as Yahweh, since there follows this: ‘And I heard the voice of the Most High, the Father of my LORD as he said to my LORD Christ who will be called Jesus ‘Go out and descend through all the heavens’ (Asc. Isa. 10.7).¹⁸

Eusebius, writing in the early fourth century, shows that Christians remembered the tradition of the two LORDS, two Yahwehs:

First, then, Moses expressly speaks of two divine lords in the passage where he says ‘Then the LORD rained from the LORD fire and brimstone upon the city of the ungodly’ where he applied to both the like combination of Hebrew letters in the usual way and this combination is the mention of God expressed in the four letters which is with them unutterable.

In accordance with him David also, another prophet, as well as king of the Hebrews, says, ‘The LORD said unto my Lord, sit thou on right hand’ indicating the Most High God by the first LORD and the second to him by the second title.

This is he whom the same prophet in other places clearly distinguished as the Word of the Father.¹⁹ (Barker, The Great Angel: A Study of lsrael’s Second God [Westminster John Knox Press LouisvilIe, Kentucky 1992], Chapter 5. The Evidence of the Angels, pp. 81-82; bold emphasis mine)

In the second part of my discussion, I will seek to unveil the identity of the Lord who is said to be the Son of the Lord from Jewish writings. I will then demonstrate how this establishes that Christianity is the continuation and fulfillment of this specific strand of ancient Judaism.