The Messiah in the Old and New Testaments

by Stanley E. Porter

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2007

Overview

When the ancients talked about "messiah", what did they picture? Did that term refer to a stately figure who would rule, to a militant who would rescue, or to a variety of roles held by many? While Christians have traditionally equated the word "messiah" with Jesus, the discussion is far more complex. This volume contributes significantly to that discussion.

Ten expert scholars here address questions surrounding the concept of "messiah" and clarify what it means to call Jesus "messiah." The book comprises two main parts, first treating those writers who preceded or surrounded the New Testament (two essays on the Old Testament and two on extrabiblical literature) and then discussing the writers of the New Testament. Concluding the volume is a critical response by Craig Evans to both sections. This volume will be helpful to pastors and laypersons wanting to explore the nature and identity of the Messiah in the Old and New Testaments in order to better understand Jesus as Messiah.

Contributions to this volume include:

• "The Messiah: Explorations in the Law and Writings," Tremper Longman III
• "Figuring the Future: The Prophets and Messiah," Mark J. Boda
• "The Messiah in the Qumran Documents," Al Wolters
• "Messianic Ideas in the Apocalyptic and Related Literature of Early Judaism," Loren T. Stuckenbruck
• "Jesus as Messiah in Mark and Matthew," I. Howard Marshall
• "The Messiah in Luke and Acts: Forgiveness for the Captives," Stanley Porter
• "Remembering Jesus: John's Negative Christology," Tom Thatcher
• "Divine Life and Corporate Christology: God, Messiah, Jesus, and the Covenant Community in Paul," S. A. Cummins
• "Messianic Themes of Temple, Enthronement, and Victory in Hebrews and the General Epistles," Cynthia Long Westfall
• "The Messiah in the Old and New Testaments: A Response," Craig A. Evans

Praise for the Print Edition

The book reflects careful thought and intense study of many publications on Jewish messianism.

—James H. Charlesworth

Overall, this collection of papers is a helpful introduction to the messianism of the New Testament. The essays by Porter, Thatcher, and Cummins were particularly helpful expositions of the Christologies of the New Testament and how they focused on Jesus as Messiah.

—Michael F. Bird

Product Details

• Title: The Messiah in the Old and New Testaments
• Editor: Stanley Porter
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2007
• Pages: 282

About Stanley Porter

Stanley Porter is president, dean, and professor of New Testament at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario. He is the author of several books, including Idioms of the Greek New Testament, Verbal Aspect in the Greek of the New Testament, Paul in Acts, and The Criteria for Authenticity in Historical-Jesus Research. Porter is also the editor of more than forty other books.

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Contents

Top Highlights

“In the Torah the word is almost exclusively used of an anointed priest and in the Writings of an anointed king. However, in both cases, with the exception of Dan 9:25 and 26 to be discussed below, the word is used to refer to a present, not a future, priest or king. The terms’ occurrences do not in and of themselves justify the expectation of an eschatological figure, either priestly or royal, and certainly not prophetic.” (Page 16)

“Those who define ‘eschatology’ in a historical, cosmic, cataclysmic, final ways restrict eschatology to late apocalyptic writings in the Hebrew Bible, and even then, as von Rad has noted, ‘not with absolute precision.’ However, those who understand eschatology as a future hope that envisions the breaking in of a new era have a greater openness to the presence of this phenomenon in the Old Testament. This latter approach appears more consistent with the evidence of Old Testament expectation.” (Page 43)

“‘a future royal figure sent by God who will bring salvation to God’s people and the world and establish a kingdom characterized by features like peace and justice.” (Page 36)

“To summarize our argument thus far, we have recognized that the concept of ‘anointed priest’ in the Pentateuch and ‘anointed king’ in the Psalms always refers to the contemporary human king. This seems to be an accurate reading of the intention of the author and its first reception. However, with the failure of the monarchy and in the light of the promise to David of an eternal dynasty, the thoughts of some would have turned to the possibility of a future anointed king.” (Page 24)

Product Details

• Title: The Messiah in the Old and New Testaments
• Author: Stanley E. Porter
• Series: McMaster New Testament Studies
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Print Publication Date: 2007
• Logos Release Date: 2011
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Jesus Christ › Messiahship--Congresses; Bible › Criticism, interpretation, etc.--Congresses; Messiah › Biblical teaching--Congresses; Christianity › Origin--Congresses
• ISBNs: 9780802807663, 0802807666
• Resource ID: LLS:MESSIAHOTNT
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T01:30:37Z

About Stanley E. Porter

Stanley E. Porter, PhD, University of Sheffield, has taught for more than 30 years in post-secondary institutions in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. He is a Greek and New Testament expert, and, since 2001, has been the president, dean, and professor of New Testament at McMaster Divinity College. He's best known for his works on verbal aspects in New Testament Greek, is actively involved in OpenText.org and the Linguistics Institute of Ancient and Biblical Greek, and is a regular columnist for Christian Week.

Porter is the author or editor of numerous New Testament and Greek studies, including Idioms of the Greek New Testament, Discourse Analysis and the New Testament: Approaches and Results, and Dictionary of New Testament Background. He has edited over 80 volumes and authored 28 books on various New Testament and related topics, including How We Got the New Testament: Text, Transmission, Translation, and The Gospel of John in Modern Interpretation. Plus, he's published more than 450 journal articles, chapters in books, and dictionary entries and regularly speaks at major conferences and other venues around the world.

His interests include Greek language and linguistics, hermeneutics and various methods of interpretation, and a range of New Testament studies from the Gospels to John to Acts to Paul. He is also a papyrological and text-oriented research specialist and is interested in the wider Greco-Roman world. Outside of academia, Stanley has served in young adult ministry and has assisted in developing a lay training institute for the local church.