The Messiah – In the Old Testament, the Apocrypha, and the Dead

To purchase the accompanying PowerPoint and Instructor’s Guide ($20), or to or-

der printed booklets:

http://www.sundayschoolcourses.com/messiah/index.htm

To access this .pdf file on the Web (free):

http://www.sundayschoolcourses.com/messiah/messiah.pdf

The Messiah – In the Old Testament, the

Apocrypha, and the Dead Sea Scrolls

Written by Robert C. Jones

Acworth, Georgia

 2002 Robert C. Jones

Christian Theology and History Adult Sunday School Courses

Robert Jones

www.sundayschoolcourses.com

I’ve always been a strong believer in adult Sunday School classes and Bible studies in our churches. And many

churches have quality, Biblically-based adult-focused programs. Unfortunately, just as many churches tend to

downplay adult education, focusing on children’s education (not a bad thing in itself), or focusing on the needs of

the “unchurched”, where topics such as church history and theology are often purposely ignored.

Yet there is a strong need for adult education focused on both the Bible and the basic tenets and history of the

Faith. Among the reasons:

 Not all adults come from a strong childhood background in the church – adult Sunday School classes/Bible

studies may be their first serious introduction to what Christianity is all about

 Christianity (and especially Evangelical Christianity) is under constant attack from the media and popular

culture (movies, music, etc.). We need to give fellow Christians the tools to defend the Faith against

attack (or to provide a “ready defense” as Peter says in 1 Peter 3:15)

 Even adult Christians that have a strong Biblical background often know little about the origins and history

of their Faith

To better meet the needs of adult Christians (both those mature in their Faith, and those just starting out in the

“School of Christ”), I’ve written a series of courses that focus on the history of the Christian Church (including the

Jewish roots), as well as the development of doctrine in the Church. The topics represented in these courses are

intended to both further the participant’s walk in the Faith, as well as serve as a starting point for Christian

apologetics.

While the primary purpose of these courses is for use in churches, they also may be useful for High School and

College projects, especially the courses focused primarily on historical aspects.

One note: these courses are primarily written from an Evangelical Protestant viewpoint (I come from a Reformed

Church background), but I hope I've given ample time to other points of view throughout the various courses.

The Messiah – In the Old Testament, the

Apocrypha, and the Dead Sea Scrolls

Written by Robert Jones

Acworth, Georgia

To purchase the accompanying PowerPoint and Instructor’s Guide ($20), or to or-

der printed booklets:

http://www.sundayschoolcourses.com/messiah/index.htm

To access this .pdf file on the Web (free):

http://www.sundayschoolcourses.com/messiah/messiah.pdf

"Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW

INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright  1973,

1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by

permission of Zondervan Publishing House."

[email protected]t

www.sundayschoolcourses.com

Table of Contents

CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY AND HISTORY ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL COURSES .............................................................. 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................................................. 4

INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 5

QUIZ ........................................................................................................................................................................... 5

NOMENCLATURE ........................................................................................................................................................... 5

OLD TESTAMENT .................................................................................................................................................... 6

HISTORICAL BOOKS ......................................................................................................................................................... 6

THE PSALMS AND JOB ..................................................................................................................................................... 7

THE PROPHETS .............................................................................................................................................................. 8

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MESSIAH (OLD TESTAMENT)....................................................................................... 14

APOCRYPHA ......................................................................................................................................................... 15

DEAD SEA SCROLLS .............................................................................................................................................. 16

A DIVINE MESSIAH? ...................................................................................................................................................... 16

A SUFFERING SERVANT MESSIAH? .................................................................................................................................... 18

A TEACHER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS ...................................................................................................................................... 18

TWO MESSIAHS?.......................................................................................................................................................... 19

SOURCES .............................................................................................................................................................. 19

NOTES .................................................................................................................................................................. 20

Introduction

The Old Testament, the Apocrypha and the Dead Sea Scrolls contain

prophecies of a coming messiah. Christians believe that this messiah

has already come (and will come again) – Jesus Christ. Also,

Christians believe that the Messiah – Jesus – is divine, the very Son

of God. Using the three aforementioned sources, a strong case can

be made (as was made by the Gospel writers) that Jesus was/is the

promised messiah.

In this course, we’ll examine many of the more well-known

messianic prophecies in the Old Testament, and in other Second Temple Judaism sources, and

show how they intersect with the Christian concept of the messiah. We’ll also make a few

observations on the tricky question of what kind of messiah the Jews of Jesus’ period were

expecting. Many Bible commentaries written before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls state

that the Jews of Jesus’ time were looking for a warrior/king messiah that would lead them out

of subjugation by the Romans. The Dead Sea Scrolls seem to paint quite a different picture of

what the coming messiah would be like – a picture must more like the Christian image of the

messiah.

Quiz

1. T/F Messiah is a Greek word meaning “anointed one”

2. T/F Most Christians and Jews are united in their respective interpretations of the

“suffering servant” passages in Isaiah

3. T/F All messianic prophecies in the Old Testament refer to the First Coming of Christ

4. T/F There are no references in the Old Testament to a divine messiah

5. T/F According to the book of Genesis, the messiah will be descended from the tribe of

Judah

6. T/F Christ was the family name of Jesus’ father, Joseph

7. T/F In the Apocrypha, Judas Maccabeus is presented as the messiah

8. T/F No Second Temple Judaism writings refer to a “Son of God”

9. T/F According to the Old Testament, the messiah will receive his priestly authority from

the Levites

10. T/F According to the Old Testament, the messiah will bring

salvation to the Gentiles

Nomenclature

Messiah comes from a Hebrew word meaning “anointed one”. In

Greek, the word was translated as Christos, hence the nomenclature

“Jesus the Christ”. In Judaism and Christianity, the term has a special

meaning, which we will explore in this course. (Note: In the Old

Testament, prominent officials were anointed – Samuel, for example,

anointed both Saul and David.)

Old Testament

The main source of prophecy foretelling the coming of Jesus is found, of course, in the Old

Testament. By some estimates, there are over 300 messianic prophecies in the Old Testament.

In this section, we’ll examine some of the more well known ones.

For many Christians, the paramount importance of the Old Testament is as a foundation for the

new. The coming of Jesus is foretold in the Old Testament, and realized in the New.

Historical books

While messianic prophecy is sparse in the Old Testament historical books, there are some key

references. We learn that the messiah will:

 Come out of Judah

 Battle with Satan (the serpent)

 Will have both priestly and kingly roles

 Will be a latter day Moses.

Reference

Notes

Genesis 3:14-15

“…he will crush your head, and you will strike

his heel.”

 Many people view that this is the first

Messianic prophecy in the Bible, viewing

that the “he will crush your head, and

you will strike his heel” verse is referring

to the death of Jesus on the cross and

the ultimate victory of Christ over Satan.

Genesis 49:10

“The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor

the ruler’s staff from between his feet.”

 The first indication in the Bible that the

Messiah will come from the tribe of

Judah (the tribe of Jesus)

Numbers 24:17

“A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will

rise out of Israel.”

 This verbiage was connected with the

messiah in the Dead Sea Scrolls

Deuteronomy

18:15,18-19

“I will raise up for them a prophet like you

*Moses+ from among their brothers…”

 The role of this foretold prophet was

associated with Jesus – see John 6:14,

John 7:40, Acts 3:22-23

Reference

Notes

I Samuel 2:35

“I will raise up for myself a faithful priest…”

 The role of Jesus as a great priest is

discussed in Hebrews

The Psalms and Job

While we often think of the Psalms as being comprised primarily of praise songs, there is

actually a great deal of messianic prophecy contained within. We learn (in addition to the

characteristics already listed in the historical books):

 The messiah will be a Redeemer, and will live on earth

 The messiah is God’s son; the messiah is divine

 The messiah will suffer at the hands of his detractors

 The priestly authority of the messiah is through the order of Melchizedek – not through the

Levites

 The messiah will be rejected by some of his own people

Reference

Notes

Job 19:25

“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in

the end he will stand upon the earth.”

 The messiah as an incarnate redeemer

Psalms 2

““You are my Son; today I have become your

Father.”

 In this chapter of Psalms, we see many of

the elements of messianic prophecy from

a Christian standpoint – the messiah as a

king, as the anointed one, as a son of

God

 Some translations don’t capitalize “Son”

and “Anointed One”

Psalms 22:1,16,18

“…they have pierced my hands and my feet”

 Psalms 22 contains several messianic

allusions that have New Testament

counterparts

 Verse one contains words that Jesus

speaks from the cross (Matt 27:46)

 Verse 16 refers to the piercing of the

hands and feet (Jesus was, of course,

crucified)

 Verse 18: “They divide my garments

among them and cast lots for my

Reference

Notes

clothing” (John 19:24)

Psalms 118:22

“The stone the builders rejected has become

the capstone…”

 Jesus quotes this verse in all three

Synoptic Gospels (Matt 21:42, Mark

12:10, Luke 20:17) and the verse is

quoted in reference to Jesus in Acts 4:11

and 1 Peter 2:7

Psalms 110:1-4

“The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right

hand until I make your enemies a footstool

for your feet…”

 Verse 1 is perhaps the clearest indication

in the Old Testament of a divine messiah

– Jesus quotes it in Luke 20:41-44; Peter

also refers to this verse in Acts 2:29-36

 Verses 2-4 note that a single messiah will

have the attributes of both king (“The

LORD will extend your mighty scepter

from Zion…” and high priest (“You are a

priest forever, in the order of

Melchizedek.”) Note that this priesthood

is not passed down through the Levitical

line, but rather through the older line of

the mysterious Melchizedek (see

Hebrews 7, for example)

The prophets

The major and minor prophets provide a veritable cornucopia of messianic references, and

introduce the elements of an end times messiah. Messianic characteristics of the messiah

introduced in the prophets include:

 The messiah will be the final judge (and thus will be part of the end times)

 The messiah will bring peace to believers and a sword to nonbelievers

 The messiah will usher in a new era of peace and tranquility

 The divine messiah will become incarnate, born of a virgin (or a young woman)

 He will reign on David’s throne forever

 He will be proceeded by a messenger (Elijah, according to Malachi)

 He will bring salvation to the Gentiles

 He will bear the sins of many (and will be severely persecuted for his efforts)

 He will perform miracles

 He existed before becoming incarnate

 He will be present at the end times

 He will come up out of Egypt

Reference

Notes

Isaiah 2:2-4

“They will beat their swords into plowshares

and their spears into pruning hooks…”

 Similar to the description of the New

Reference

Notes

Heaven, the New Earth, and the New

Jerusalem in Rev 21

Isaiah 4:2-4

“In that day the Branch of the LORD will be

beautiful and glorious…”

 Isaiah introduces the metaphor of the

messiah as a Branch

 The messiah will come with “spirit of

judgment and a spirit of fire”

 Jesus as the final judge is discussed

in Rev 20:11-15

 Jesus baptizes with the Spirit and

with Fire (Matt 3:11)

Isaiah 7:14

“The virgin will be with child and will give

birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

 Another sign of an God-incarnate

messiah – Immanuel means “God with

us” (see also Matt 1:23)

 Some scholars contend that “virgin”

should be translated as “young women”

– which doesn’t change the fact of God

becoming incarnate on earth

Isaiah 9:1-7

“And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of

Peace”

 Another strong indication of a divine,

incarnate messiah

 These verses can’t be talking about an

earthly king who lives and dies, because

he will “reign on David’s throne…

from that time on and forever”

Isaiah 11:1-10

“A shoot will come up from the stump of

Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear

fruit…”

 The messiah will come from Judah (Jesse

was the father of Kind David)

 While the messiah will be stern in rooting

out unrighteousness (“with the breath of

his lips he will slay the wicked”),

ultimately, the messiah will bring peace

(“The wolf will live with the lamb…” – see

Revelation 21:1-5)

Isaiah 40:1-8

“A voice of one calling: ‘In the desert prepare

the way for the LORD; make straight in the

wilderness a highway for our God’”

 The role assigned John the Baptist in the

Reference

Notes

New Testament (Matt 3:1-3)

Isaiah 42:1-4

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my

chosen one in whom I delight”

 The messiah will bring justice

 The messiah won’t be ostentatious (“He

will not shout or cry out, or raise his

voice in the streets”)

Isaiah 49:1-7

“I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,

that you may bring my salvation to the ends

of the earth”

 Verse 6 is key to understanding the

Christian concept of the messiah. The

messiah is not just a leader to lead the

Jewish people out of bondage, but rather

also a “light for the Gentiles”. Given the

fast acceptance of Christianity by Gentile

(Greek, Roman) audiences in the 1

and

century, this point is especially

important.

Isaiah 52:13-15, 53

 “He was despised and rejected by men, a

man of sorrows, and familiar with

suffering…”

 “For he bore the sin of many, and made

intercession for the transgressors”

 These famous “suffering servant”

passages are among the most

controversial in the Bible. Christians

point to them because of the

obvious parallels with Jesus – a man

rejected and murdered, who bore

the sins of many.

 Many Jewish scholars view that

these passages are not about the

messiah at all, but are rather

referring to Israel. However, there

are some intriguing passages in the

Dead Sea Scrolls that show 2

Temple Jewish expectations of a

“suffering servant” messiah.

Reference

Notes

Isaiah 59:16-20

 “The Redeemer will come to Zion, to

those in Jacob who repent of their sins…”

 “He put on righteousness as his

breastplate, and the helmet of salvation

on his head…”

Isaiah 61:1-3

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,

because the LORD has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor…”

 The messiah as the anointed one

 The messiah will proclaim “the day of

vengeance of our God”

Isaiah 62:11

“See, your Savior comes!”

 The messiah as a savior

Jeremiah 23:5-6

“This is the name by which he will be called:

The LORD Our Righteousness.”

 Jeremiah, like Isaiah, uses the Branch

metaphor to describe the messiah, who:

 Is a king in the line of David (Judah)

and

 Will be called “The LORD

Righteousness” – another sign that

the messiah will be divine (similar

language is used to describe

Melchizedek)

Jeremiah 33:14-18

“I will make a righteous Branch sprout from

David’s line…”

 Jeremiah continues the “Branch”

metaphor

Ezekiel 37:24-28

“David my servant will be their prince

forever…”

 Another indication that the messiah will

come from the line of David

 Ultimately, the messiah will bring about

an environment in which “*God’s+

dwelling place will be with them” – see

Rev 21

Daniel 3:25

“Look! I see four men walking around in the

fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth

looks like a son of the gods.”

 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are

saved from the furnace by one who

“looks like a son of the gods” – a pre-

incarnate Jesus?

Daniel 7:13-14

“In my vision at night I looked, and there

Reference

Notes

before me was one like a son of man, coming

with the clouds of heaven. He approached

the Ancient of Days and was led into his

presence. He was given authority, glory and

sovereign power; all peoples, nations and

men of every language worshiped him. His

dominion is an everlasting dominion that will

not pass away, and his kingdom is one that

will never be destroyed.”

 The messiah existed before becoming

incarnate – and will exist forever

Daniel 9:20-27

“From the issuing of the decree to restore

and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed

One…”

 Here we have an actual use of the

Hebrew word for messiah – or “the

anointed one”

Hosea 3:5

“Afterward the Israelites will return and seek

the LORD their God and David their king. They

will come trembling to the LORD and to his

blessings in the last days…”

 The messiah, from the line of David, will

be present during the end times

Hosea 11:1

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out

of Egypt I called my son…”

 Matt 2:15 records that Jesus came out of

Egypt

Jonah 1:17

“But the LORD provided a great fish to

swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish

three days and three night…”

 Some scholars believe that the story of

Jonah and the fish is a foretelling of the

death and resurrection of Jesus. See

Matt 12:40.

Zechariah 3:8-9

“I will remove the sin of this land in a single

day”

 Zechariah continues the analogy of the

Branch in reference to the messiah, and

references the fact that through this

Branch, God will “remove the sin of this

land in a single day”

Zechariah 6:12-13

“It is he *the Branch+ who will build the

temple of the LORD, and he will be clothed

with majesty and will sit and rule on his

throne.”

Zechariah 8:23

“In those days ten men from all languages

and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by

the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with

you, because we have heard that God is with

you.’”

 The messiah will be a light to the whole

Reference

Notes

world, not just to the Jews

Zechariah 9:9-10

“See, your king comes to you, righteous and

having salvation, gentle and riding on a

donkey”

 The Gospel writers associated this

passage with the entering of Jesus into

Jerusalem (Matt 21:1-9)

 “He will proclaim peace to the nations.

His rule will extend from sea to sea.”

Zechariah 10:4

“From Judah will come the cornerstone”

Zechariah 11:12-13

“So they paid me thirty pieces of silver”

 Matt 26:15 records that Judas received

30 pieces of silver for betraying Jesus

Zechariah 12:10

“They will look on me, the one they have

pierced…”

 The messiah will come from the line of

David

 A continuation of the Isaiah “suffering

servant” theme – the messiah will be

pierced

Zechariah 13:1

“On that day a fountain will be opened to the

house of David and the inhabitants of

Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and

impurity”

 The messiah will take away sins

Malachi 3:1-3

“See, I will send my messenger, who will

prepare the way before me. Then suddenly

the Lord you are seeking will come to his

temple…”

 A messenger (John the Baptist in

Christian theology) will precede the

coming of the Lord

Malachi 4:5-6

“See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before

that great and dreadful day of the LORD

comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers

to their children, and the hearts of the

children to their fathers; or else I will come

and strike the land with a curse.”

 Elijah will return before the day of the

Lord.

 “And he *John the Baptist+ will go on

before the Lord, in the spirit and

Reference

Notes

power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of

the fathers to their children and the

disobedient to the wisdom of the

righteous—to make ready a people

prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:17)

 “These men *the Two Witnesses+

have power to shut up the sky so

that it will not rain during the time

they are prophesying.” (Rev 11:6 –

see also 1 Kings 1:17)

Characteristics of the messiah (Old Testament)

If we combine our lists from the three sections of the Old Testament, we come up with the

following characteristics of the messiah – no wonder that the authors of the New Testament

associated these characteristics with Jesus!

 The messiah will come out of Judah

 He’ll battle with Satan (the serpent)

 He’ll have both priestly and kingly roles

 The messiah will be a Redeemer, and will live on earth

 The messiah is God’s son; the messiah is divine

 The messiah will suffer at the hands of his detractors

 The priestly authority of the messiah is through the order of Melchizedek – not through the

Levites

 The messiah will be rejected by some of his own people

 The messiah will be the final judge (and thus will be part of the end times)

 The messiah will bring peace to believers and a sword to nonbelievers

 The messiah will usher in a new era of peace and tranquility

 The divine messiah will become incarnate, born of a virgin (or a young woman)

 He will reign on David’s throne forever

 He will be proceeded by a messenger (Elijah, according to Micah)

 He will bring salvation to the Gentiles

 He will bear the sins of many (and will be severely persecuted for his efforts)

 He will perform miracles

 He existed before becoming incarnate

 He will come up out of Egypt

Apocrypha

The term “Apocrypha” (capital “A”) refers to a collection of books written in the Inter-

Testamental period (and into the 1

century). In general, these books (2 Esdras and Prayer of

Manasseh are exceptions) appeared in the Greek translation of the Old Testament known as

the Septuagint, but not in Hebrew versions of the Old Testament.

Before examining a book of the Apocrypha that contains many messianic allusions, we should

first point out some books which don’t make an obvious messianic linkage – the histories of the

Maccabees (1

, 2

and 3

Maccabees). Judas Maccabeus is almost the prototype of the type

of messiah that was described in older Bible commentaries as being what the Jews of Jesus’

time were expecting – a great military leader that frees the Jews from an occupying force, and

re-consecrates the temple. And yet, there are no references in the Apocrypha even suggesting

that Judas might be the messiah. Thus, the Jews of the Second Temple period must have been

looking for additional characteristics in a messiah.

The book of the Apocrypha that has the most messianic allusions (and is also the most

apocalyptic of the Apocryphal books) is 2 Esdras. Like the Dead Sea Scrolls (which we’ll

examine shortly), 2 Esdras has an almost Christian view of the messiah.

While 2 Esdras does not appear in the Septuagint, it appears in the Slavonic Bible as 3 Esdras,

and in an appendix in the Vulgate as 4 Esdras. The work is very apocalyptic in tone, presenting

a series of visions of the end times. 2 Esdras was probably written in 1

Century A.D.

There are a number of messianic passages in 2 Esdras, and the messiah described therein is

remarkably similar to the Christian concept of the messiah. Among the key points:

 The messiah is God’s son

 At one point the messiah will die – but will be around during the end times

 The messiah will come from the line of David

 The messiah will be the final judge of the ungodly

“

For my son the Messiah shall be revealed with those who are with him, and those who remain shall

rejoice four hundred years.

After those years my son the Messiah shall die, and all who draw human

breath.” (2 Esdras 7:28-29, NRSV)

“

And as for the lion whom you saw rousing up out of the forest and roaring and speaking to the eagle

and reproving him for his unrighteousness, and as for all his words that you have heard,

this is the

Messiah whom the Most High has kept until the end of days, who will arise from the offspring of David,

and will come and speak with them. He will denounce them for their ungodliness and for their

wickedness, and will display before them their contemptuous dealings.

For first he will bring them alive

before his judgment seat, and when he has reproved them, then he will destroy them.

But in mercy he

will set free the remnant of my people, those who have been saved throughout my borders, and he will

make them joyful until the end comes, the day of judgment, of which I spoke to you at the beginning.” (2

Esdras 12:31-34, NRSV)

“

When these things take place and the signs occur that I showed you before, then my Son will be

revealed, whom you saw as a man coming up from the sea.” (2 Esdras 13:32, NRSV)

“

Then he, my Son, will reprove the assembled nations for their ungodliness…” (2 Esdras 13:37, NRSV)

Dead Sea Scrolls

Many older Bible commentaries discuss the type of messiah that the Jews at the time of Jesus

were looking for. These older commentaries often state that a King David-type conqueror/king

that would free the Jews from the Romans was the archetypical messianic figure. However, the

Dead Sea Scrolls (mostly written between 250 B.C. and 70 A.D.) shed a different light on Second

Temple Jewish messianic expectations. There is, for example, some evidence in the scrolls that

1) the messiah would be divine (not just a temporal warrior/king) and that 2) the messiah

would suffer.

The Manual of Discipline (from the Dead Sea Scrolls Slide Set, Biblical Archaeology Society)

The two main theories as to who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls are 1) the Essenes (described in

some detail as a Jewish religious sect by Josephus) and 2) the scrolls are the library of the

Temple, taken to Qumran for safekeeping during the Jewish Revolt of the 1

century A.D.

Regardless of which is the correct theory, we can make the statement that there was at least

one prominent Jewish religious sect that had these proto-Christian ideas about the messiah –

and perhaps they were actually ideas believed by many Jews.

A divine messiah?

Like the Christian interpretation, the Scrolls seem to be expecting a divine messiah. For

example, one enigmatic scroll seems to discuss the messiah being (depending on the

translation) “begat”, “engendered”, or “fathered” by God:

1Q28a/1QSa “This is the assembly of famous men, *those summoned to+ the gathering of the community

council, when [God] begets the Messiah with them.” (Translated by Florentino Garcia Martinez, Shanks,

p. 66)

In a commentary on 2 Samuel 7:14, a messianic figure from the line of David is discussed. This

figure will rule at the end of time:

4Q174 “...he is the Branch of David who shall rise...*to rule+ in Zion *at the end+ of time.” (Shanks, p. 68)

A startling passage from the scrolls talks of a figure that will have “everlasting sovereignty”, and

will be called “Son of the Most High” and the “Son of God”. (Compare with Luke 1:32-33).

4Q246 “Affliction will come to earth...[] and great carnage among countries...[] the kings of Assyria [and

Eg]ypt...[he] will be great on earth...all will serve...he will be called great...and by his name he will be

designated...’Son of God’ will he be called and ‘Son of the Most High’ they will call him....His kingdom will

be an everlasting kingdom and all his ways will be truth. He will jud[ge] the earth in truth and all will

make peace. The sword will cease from the earth and all provinces will worship him. The great God will

be his patron...His sovereignty is everlasting sovereignty...” (Shanks, p. 69)

1 Enoch (of which 20 copies were found among the Scrolls) describes a figure that it refers to as

either the “Son of man” or the “Elect One”, amplifying on the description in Daniel 7:13-14.

The “Son of man” prophesied in 1 Enoch sounds remarkably like Jesus Christ – down to the

detail that he existed before all creation (see John 1:1-18). Some excerpts follow.

“*The Ancient of Days+ answered and said to me: This is the Son of man, to whom righteousness belongs;

with whom righteousness has dwelt; and who will reveal all the treasures of that which is concealed; for

the Lord of spirits has chosen him...” (1 Enoch 46:1, Laurence translation)

“Before the sun and the signs were created, before the stars of heaven were formed, his [this Son of Man]

name was invoked in the presence of the Lord of spirits. A support shall he be for the righteous and the

holy to lean upon, without falling; and he shall be the light of nations...All who dwell on earth, shall fall

down and worship before him...” (1 Enoch 48:3-4, Laurence)

“...and his *the Elect one+ glory is forever and ever; and His power from generation to generation.” (1

Enoch 48, Pt II:2, Laurence)

One of the key roles for the “Son of man”/”Elect One” will be to preside over what, in Christian

terms, is referred to as Judgment Day. Some excerpts regarding the day of judgment (and the

role of the “Son of man”) follow:

“O ye kings, O ye mighty, who inhabit the world, you shall behold my Elect one, sitting upon the throne of

my glory. And he shall judge Azazeel [Satan], all his associates, and all his hosts, in the name of the Lord

of spirits.” (1 Enoch 54:5, Laurence)

“Who *the Elect one+ shall judge all the works of the holy, in heaven above, and in a balance shall he

weigh their actions. And then He shall lift up his countenance to judge their secret ways in the word of

the name of the Lord of spirits, and their progress in the path of the righteous judgment of the God most

high.” (1 Enoch 60:11, Laurence)

“He sat upon the throne of his glory; and the principal part of the judgment was assigned to him, the Son

of man.” (1 Enoch 68:39, Laurence)

Finally, the Thanksgiving Hymns, perhaps written by the Teacher of Righteousness (see

following section) refer to a figure born of a woman, who will be a wonderful counselor

(compare with Isaiah 9:1-7):

“...for in the waves of death she gives birth to a man-child;

with pains of Sheol he bursts forth

from the crucible of the pregnant one,

a wonderful counselor with his power;

yes, a man comes forth from the waves...” (Burrows, p. 403)

A suffering servant messiah?

Another enigmatic scroll seems to prove that (some) Jews at the time of Jesus interpreted the

Isaiah “suffering servant” passages as referring to the messiah. The scroll talks of this figure as

atoning for all of the children of his generation. In the same scroll, in an unfortunately

incomplete fragment, there is discussion of “hanging” and “let not the nail approach him”, but

the fragment is not clear if it is talking about the same person as in the earlier quotes.

4Q541 “He will atone for all the children of his generation, and he will be sent to all the children of his

[pe]ople. His word is like a word of heaven, and his teaching is in accordance with the will of God. His

eternal sun will shine, and his light will be kindled in all the corners of the earth, and it will shine in the

darkness. Then the darkness will pass away [fr]om the earth, and thick darkness from the dry land...

They will speak many words against him, and they will invent many [lie]s and fictions against him and

speak shameful things about him. Evil will overthrow his generation...His situation will be one of lying and

violence [and] the people will go astray in his days, and be confounded...

...and do not afflict the weak by wasting or hanging...*Let+ not the nail approach him...” (Translation from

The Suffering Servant at Qumran, John J. Collins, Bible Review, Dec. 1993)

A Teacher of Righteousness

A mysterious figure appears in the Dead Sea Scrolls, but is never identified by name – the

Teacher of Righteousness. The teacher is mentioned specifically in the Habakkuk Commentary,

the Damascus Document, and the Psalms Commentary, and (perhaps) by inference in the MMT

and Thanksgiving Scroll. Some scholars view that the teacher was the leader or founder of the

sect.

Unlike Judas Maccabeus in the Apocrypha, the Teacher is accorded special powers in the Scrolls

that sound remarkably messianic. This could mean that the Scroll-writers viewed that the

teacher was the messiah (see, for example, The First Messiah by Michael O. Wise), or that the

teacher had characteristics one would associate with the messiah to come. Some examples

follow (note in the fourth quote below, the “interpreter of the law who came to Damascus” is

sometimes interpreted as being the founder of the sect, the Teacher of Righteousness):

Commentary on Hab 2:1 “This means the teacher of righteousness, to whom God made known all the

mysteries of the words of his servants the prophets.” (Burrows, p. 368)

Damascus Document “...the arising of him who will teach righteousness at the end of days.” (Burrows, p.

354)

Commentary on Hab 2:4 “This means all the doers of the law in the house of Judah, whom God will rescue

from the house of judgement because of their labor and their faith in the teacher of righteousness.”

(Burrows, p. 149)

Damascus Document “…the star is the interpreter of the law who came to Damascus, as it is written, ‘A

star shall come forth out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.’ The scepter is the prince of the

whole congregation. And when he arises, he ‘shall break down all the sons of Seth.’” (Burrows, p. 355)

The teacher of righteousness attracted a lot of attention in the early days of scroll research,

because of some seeming parallels with Jesus (a great prophet, put to death by enemies, who is

expected “at the end of days”.)

Two messiahs?

Finally, like the Old Testament, the Scrolls assign both a priestly and kingly role to the messiah.

Interestingly enough, in one of the Scrolls, it could be interpreted that they believed these roles

would be assumed by two different people, rather than by one:

“…they shall be judged by the first judgments by which the men of the community began to be

disciplined, until there shall come a prophet and the Messiahs of Aaron and Israel.” (Manual of Discipline,

Burrows, p. 383)

Sources

Title

Author

Publisher

Date

Art Explosion 600,000

Nova Dev.

1999

Dead Sea Scrolls Slide

Set

Biblical

Archaeology

Society

1993

Holy Bible - New

International Version

Zondervan

1973

Holy Bible – New

Revised Standard

Version

Zondervan

1989,

1993

Religious Stained Glass

Corel

1993

The Book of Enoch –

From the Ethiopic

Translation by

Richard Laurence

Hoffman

Printing Co.

1996

The Dead Sea Scrolls

Millar Burrows

The Viking

Press

1961

The Mystery and

Meaning of the Dead

Sea Scrolls

Hershel Shanks

Random

House

1998

The Suffering Servant

at Qumran

John J. Collins

Bible Review

Dec.

1993

Notes

About the Author

Robert C. Jones grew up in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. He made his living as a

hotel lounge band leader/musician from 1974-1981. In 1981, he moved to the Atlanta,

Georgia area, where he received a B.S. in Computer Science at DeVry Institute of

Technology. From 1984-2009, Robert worked for Hewlett-Packard as a computer

consultant.

Robert is an ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church. He has written and taught

numerous adult Sunday School courses (see front inside cover). He has also been active

in choir ministries over the years, and has taught the Disciples Bible Study six times.

Robert is also President of the Kennesaw Historical Society, for whom he has written several books, including “The

Law Heard 'Round the World - An Examination of the Kennesaw Gun Law and Its Effects on the Community”,

“Retracing the Route of the General - Following in the Footsteps of the Andrews Raid”, and “Kennesaw (Big Shanty)

in the 19

Century”. A new book, “Images of America: Kennesaw”, was published by Arcadia in 2006.

Robert has also written several books on ghost towns in the Southwest, including in Death Valley, Nevada, Arizona,

New Mexico, and Mojave National Preserve.

In 2005, Robert co-authored a business-oriented book entitled "Working Virtually: The Challenges of Virtual

Teams". His co-authors were Lise Pace and Rob Oyung.

His interests include the Civil War, Medieval Monasteries, American railroads, ghost towns, hiking in Death Valley

and the Mojave, and Biblical Archaeology.

Robert is available as a guest speaker on Christian history and theology topics in the Atlanta Metro area, and North

Georgia. See http://www.sundayschoolcourses.com/speaker.htm for more information.

robertcjones@mindspring.com

http://www.sundayschoolcourses.com/

The “Christian History and Theology” courses:

A Brief History of the Celebration of the Lord’s Supper

A Brief History of Christian Baptism

A Brief History of the Inquisition

A Brief History of Protestantism in the United States

A Brief History of Western Monasticism

Acts of the Apostles: Background and Commentary

Angels: In the Bible, the Apocrypha & the Dead Sea Scrolls

Apocrypha and Christianity, The

Basic Christian Theology

Crusades: A Brief History (1095-1291), The

Dead Sea Scrolls and Christianity, The

Evidence for the Gospel Accounts of Jesus Christ

Heaven: In the Bible, the Apocrypha and the Dead Sea Scrolls

Hell and the Devil: In the Bible, the Apocrypha and the Dead Sea Scrolls

Heresies & Schisms in the Early Church

Holy Spirit: In the Bible, the Apocrypha and the Dead Sea Scrolls, The

Jewish Religious Parties at the Time of Christ Part One: Pharisees and Sadducees

Jewish Religious Parties at the Time of Christ Part Two: The Essenes

Joseph of Arimathea: Biblical & Legendary Sources

Meet the Apostles - Biblical and Legendary Accounts: Part One – The Twelve

Meet the Apostles - Biblical and Legendary Accounts: Part Two – After the Twelve

Messiah – In the Old Testament, the Apocrypha, and the Dead Sea Scrolls, The

Origins of the Major Protestant Denominations in the United States

Origins of the New Testament

Revelation: Background & Commentary

“Romans” and the Reformation

Top 25 Events in the History of the Christian Church, The

Search for the Pre-Incarnate Christ in the Old Testament, The

Theological Roots of the Protestant Reformation: A Handbook

Women as Leaders in the Church: From Miriam to Joan of Arc

Worship and Cultural Patterns in the Early Church