A Biblical Vision, Part I: Mastering the Old Testament Witness to Christ

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A B i b l i ca l Vi s i on, Par t I : Mas ter i ng the Ol d Tes tament Wi tnes s to Chr i s t

I. General observations regarding Messianic prophecy as it relates to the Old Testament Witness to Christ

A. Definitions of Messiah

1. Messiah is derived from the Greek Messias (which is a transliteration of the Aramaic form of the Hebrew Mashach , which means “to anoint”).

2. New Testament equivalent terminology: Christos (“anointed one”)

3. Anointing in the Old Testament

a. Kings were anointed (e.g., Saul, 1 Sam. 24.6; David, 2 Sam. 19.21).

b. “Anointed one” translated messiah in Dan. 9.25-26 was in common use by the Jews at the times close to the birth of Jesus.

4. Messianic prophecy linked to eschatological hope (the expectation that Israel had that God would send an anointed one who as King and Priest would deliver from sin and end oppression).

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A Novel Method in Old Testament Exegetical Study: Treat Messianic Prophecies as Predictive and Prophetic

What was neglected by both sides of this debate [that is, on one side which views Old Testament texts as history understood in terms of the author’s situation, and, on the other side, which viewed the Old Testament texts as predictions of future events] as well as was the