Major Messianic OT Hebrew Texts (OT604)

Messianic Texts Syllabus 6

Major Messianic OT Hebrew Texts (OT604)

Fall 2012

Richard P. Belcher, Jr

Course Description

The major OT texts that have traditionally been considered to be Messianic will be the focus of this course. They will be read in the Hebrew and their meaning in the OT context will be explored. The way these texts anticipate the Messiah will also be discussed with attention given to how these texts have been interpreted by others.

Note: this course is a little lighter on the translation of the Hebrew and a little heavier on the reading, so any reading finished before the class starts will benefit the student, especially the articles by Charlesworth, the Foreword to Mowinckel's work by Collins, and then Mowinckel's work itself (all are written from a more critical perspective and serve as background to our discussions)

Course Objectives

1) To better understand key Messianic texts through a detailed look at the Hebrew.

2) To solidify and build on the foundation of Hebrew language and grammar.

3) To be exposed to the different approaches to the concept of the Messiah and to the different understanding of Messianic texts.

4) To gain an appreciation for the development of the concepts related to the Messiah and their connection to Jesus Christ.

Assignments

A) Reading Assignments

1) Each student will read the following works in addition to any reading that will be assigned weekly in relationship to the translation of the Hebrew texts

J. H. Charlesworth, "From Jewish Messianology to Christian Christology: Some Caveats and Perspectives," in Judaisms and their Messiahs at the Turn of the Christian Era (eds. Jacob Neusner, E. S. Frerichs, and W. S. Green; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987), 225-264

J.H. Charlesworth, "From Messianology to Christology: Problems and Prospects" in The Messiah (ed. J. H. Charlesworth; Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992), 3-35; [have Ken order for our library]

John J. Collins, "Mowinckel's He That Cometh in Retrospect," in Sigmund Mowinckel, He That Cometh: The Messiah Concept in the Old Testament and Later Judaism, with a foreward by John J. Collins (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, ET 1956, 2005)

J. Gordon McConville, "Messianic Interpretation of the Old Testament in Modern Context," in The Lord's Anointed (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995), 1-18

Richard S. Hess and M. Daniel Carroll R., eds., Israel's Messiah in the Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003); Part 1 of this work is read in connection with the translation of Deuteronomy 18 and Part 2 deals with the concept of the Messiah at Qumran

Walter C. Kaiser, The Messiah in the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995)

Sigmund Mowinckel, He That Cometh: The Messiah Concept in the Old Testament and Later Judaism, with a foreward by John J. Collins (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, ET 1956, 2005), 1-260

2) Each student will consult a major work on the Messiah in the OT besides Kaiser. The student should become familiar with the author's approach and should come prepared each week to report the author's view if he covers the text we are translating in class.The work must be chosen from the following list (or a work approved by the professor if not on the list):

a) E. W. Hengstenberg, Christology of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1970 reprint)

b) Philip E. Satterthwaite, Richard S. Hess, Gordon J. Wenham, eds., The Lord's Anointed: Interpretation of Old Testament Messianic Texts (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995)

c) Gerard Van Groningen, Messianic Revelation in the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1990)

d) Gerhardos Vos, The Eschatology of the Old Tesament (ed. James T. Dennison; Philipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2001)

3) There will be a specific reading assignment for each week of class that will coincide with the text we are translating (see the schedule below)

B) Translation of texts

1) The text should be translated and the verbs parsed.

2) Two commentaries should be read, one older and one modern commentary that deals with the language. For modern commentaries it may be helpful to think in terms of a commentary series (NICOT, NAC, Expositors Bible Commentary, WBC, AB, OTL). Older commentaries could include Calvin, Keil and Delitzsch, Leupold, Geneva Series, etc.

3) The student should come with one grammar question from the text that arose as they translated the text or read the commentaries (grammars that can be used are Arnold/Choi, Waltke/O'Connor, Jouon, Gesenius)

4) A major book on the Messiah in the OT should also be consulted in relationship to the text translated for class (see above)

C) Project on the Son of Man

1) The Son of Man concept in Daniel 7 should be examined (this is Aramaic so you may be limited in looking at the original language)

2) Articles or chapters on the Son of Man should be read. The following are suggested but your reading should not be limited to the following:

a) Mowinckel, Behold He Cometh, pp. 346-468 (read enough to get his view; also check the Foreward to this work by Collins)

b) F. H. Borsch, "Further Reflections on 'The Son of Man:' The Origins and Development of the Title," in J. H. Charlesworth, The Messiah, 130-144

c) John J. Collins, "The Danielic Son of Man," in The Scepter and the Star: Messianism in light of the Dead Sea Scrolls (2nd ed.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010), 191-214

d) John J. Collins and Adela Yarboro Collins, King and Messiah as Son of God (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008), three chapters are pertinent to the topic

e) Oscar Cullman, The Christology of the New Testament (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1963), pp. 137-192

f) Van Groningen, Messianic Revelation in the Old Testament, 810-818

3) Jesus use of the Son of Man in the Gospels should be examined

4) An Essay will be written that will cover

a) the various views concerning the meaning and origen of the Son of man

b) the view of the Son of Man in Daniel 7

c) how Jesus uses the concept Son of Man in the Gospels

d) some comment about the source of the concept as used by Jesus

Evaluation

1) The Project on the Son of Man will be worth 40%

2) The reading will count 30%. Each student must hand in a list with page numbers of what they have read.

3) Classroom preparedness and participation will count 30%.

Schedule

August 22 Introduction to the Course

Lecture on the Messiah in the OT

August 29 Key Text: Gen 3:14-15

Others: Gen 4:1; 5:28-29

Reading Westermann, Genesis 1-11, 256-261

T. Desmond Alexander, "Messianic Ideology in the Book of Genesis," in The Lord's Anointed, 19-32

September 5 Key Text: Gen 49:8-12

Others: Ezek 21:30-32 [25-27]

Reading Westermann, Genesis 37-50, 227-231

Vos, The Eschatology of the OT, 89-104

September 12 Key Text Num 24:15-19

Others: Num 23:10, 23-24

Reading Noth, Numbers, 192-193

K. Cathcart, "Numbers 24:17 in Ancient Translations and Interpretations," in The Interpretation of the Bible, ed. J. Krasovec (Sheffield, 1998)

September 19 Key Text: Deut 18:15-19

Reading Block article and responses in Israel's Messiah in the Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls, 17-84

September 26 Key Text: Job 19:23-27

Others: Job 9:33, 16:19

Reading Michael D. Oblath, “Job's Advocate: A Tempting

Suggestion,” BBR 9 (1999): 189-201

Read Clines, Job 1-20 (WBC) on the texts listed

above

October 3 Key Text: Amos 9:11-15

Others: Acts 15:13-20

Reading Stuart, Hosea-Jonah, 395-400

Calvin, [403-413]

October 10 No Class: Reading Week

October 17 Key Text: Isa 7:10-16

Others: Isa 8:1-4; 9:6-7

Reading Seitz, Isaiah 1-39, 60-75

Robert Reymond, Jesus Divine Messiah, 89-106

October 24 Key text: Isaiah 11:1-2, 6-9

Others: Isaiah 4:2, Jeremiah 23:5-7

Reading NIDOTTE on rc,nE and xm;c,

October 31 Key Text: Isaiah 53:1-12

Reading Childs, Isaiah, 410-423

November 7 Key Text: Dan 9:24-27

Reading Goldingay, Daniel, 257-263, 266-268

Assigned commentaries:

Walvoord, Daniel, 216-237

Young, Daniel, 195-221

Adams, The Time of the End

November 28 Key Text: Zech 11:7-14

Others: Zech 9:9-10; 12:10

Reading Meyers and Meyters, Zechariah 9-14, 261-281, 296-303

Assigned commentaries: Leupold, Boda, KD