DOES THE HEBREW BIBLE PROPHECISE JESUS?

The 'Pooh Perplex' is a book written in 1963 by Frederick Crews. It takes the form of 12 essays supposedly written by 12 fictitious critics of different backgrounds such as a psychiatrist, a communist, or a philosopher. It is a satire on literary criticism  'Winnie-the-Pooh' is just an anthropomorphic teddy bear character in a series of children's story books. The Pooh Perplex shows how people can over-analyse something that simply isn't there, all because they observe through their own coloured lenses. It is a demonstration of cognitive bias.

Two words apply specifically to the interpretation of Biblical texts - exegesis and eisegesis. Exegesis is drawing out a scriptural text's meaning in accordance with the author's context and discoverable meaning. Eisegesis is when a reader imposes their own interpretation of the text. Thus exegesis tends to be objective; and eisegesis, highly subjective or biased.

The prologue serves to explain why orthodox Jews and Christians (both Jews or Gentiles) tend to read certain texts in the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, differently. Christians tend to read Jesus into the Tanakh, pointing out the various verses that prophecised Christ the Saviour. But does it, actually?

When interpreting scripture, amongst many other things to keep in mind, is the importance of context and the fact that ancient writings are often in metaphorical form. 

Isaiah 7:14:

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."

"Immanuel' means 'God with us'. Christians see the word 'virgin' and knee jerk reaction is to interpret this as describing Jesus who comes 700 years later. Isaiah was writing in the time of King Ahaz in the Southern Judean Empire. Isaiah chapter 7 was about God's assurance to King Ahaz who despaired when the armies of Syria and Northern Kingdom of Isreal were planning to attack Judea. Isaiah was sent to assure Ahaz of God's intervention. The reference to Immanuel is assurance God is with Judea. Isaiah did make a prophecy in this chapter which is about Judea's eventual subjugation by the Babylonians 100 years later.  

Isaiah 9.6-7:

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Isaiah Chapter 9 is about the anger of God on Israel. It's the familiar theme of divine justice, the consequences of disobedience, and the promise of a future redemption and restoration through a divinely appointed leader. Christians see this as a reference to Jesus, Jews see a future Davidic king in the context of Isaiah's time. 

Zechariah 9.9:

"Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

Zechariah 9.1-8 is about God's judgement on the enemies of Israel. Remaining 9.9-17 is a message of hope and salvation with a prophecy of the coming of a righteous king. Christians see Jesus' triumphal entry on the donkey into Jerusalem. Jews tend to see a historical Davidic King in the near future timeframe of Zechariah's time.

Micah 5.2:

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."

Both Christians and Jews believe this is a prophecy of Bethlehem as the birth place for the messiah that is to come. However, again Christians believe this refers to Jesus while Jews believe it is a messiah that is yet to come.

Psalm 41.9:

"Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me."

Christians think this is a prophetic warning of the betrayal of Judas. In the New Testament, Jesus referred to this verse in John 13.18: "I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: 'He who shared my bread has turned against me.'"

However, a careful reading of Psalm 41 we come to verse 4 which says : "I said, “Have mercy on me, Lord; heal me, for I have sinned against you.” ". The speaker of verse 9 is here saying in verse 4 that he has sinned. Clearly, Psalm 41 is not about Jesus, for surely to say Christ is a sinner would be sacrilegious.

Hosea 11.1:
"When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son."

According to Christian tradition, after the birth of Jesus, Herod ordered all babies below the age of 2 be killed. Joseph had a dream where an angel warned him to flee with Mary and baby Jesus to Egypt. After the death of Herod, Joseph took the family from Egypt back to Galilee and then Nazareth.

Matthew tried to bring Jesus into the Torah by writing in Matthew  2.15 "where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”  "

Matthew asserted the 'son' in Hosea 11.1 refers to the 'Son of God', a title of Jesus. Thus was fulfilled the prophecy in the Tanakh. Matthew made an obvious error here. God calls Israel 'my son' or 'my sons' in many instances in the Tanakh which reflects his paternalistic relationship. Clearly, Hosea was not referring to Jesus. Hosea was writing about the Exodus.

Jeremiah 31:15-17

(15) "This is what the Lord says:

"A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."
(16)This is what the Lord says: "Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded," declares the Lord. "They will return from the land of the enemy. 

(17) So there is hope for your descendants," declares the Lord. "Your children will return to their own land." "

In the same chapter 2 on Joseph's escape to Egypt, Matthew further distorts that a prophecy of Jeremiah was fulfilled with the scene of Rachel crying for babies killed by Herod. Matthew 2: (17): "Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled; (18) "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” This is an obvious mistake or manipulation by Matthew. Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet. He wrote about Rachel who was weeping not for the dead, but for the children taken into captivity by the Babylonians. 

Isaiah 53

(1) Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

(2) He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

(3) He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

(4) Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.

(5) But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

(6) We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

(7) He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

(8) By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.

(9) He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

(10) Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

(11) After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

(12) Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

This chapter is the icing on the cake, too seductive for any Christian to not exclaim "Eureka", the Tanakh definitely mentions Jesus. Indeed, many are convinced this is the unequivocal evidence. However, a careful reader would ask, who is this 'He' being spoken of? The answer is in verse 11 - 'my righteous servant'. Coming off chapter 52, one can easily see God was referring to Israel. In the Book of Isaiah, 'my servant' or plural form 'my servants' is used often to refer to Israel or the remnants of Jacobs descendants, example Isaiah 45.4: "For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me." This underlines the special role of Israel in God's redemptive plans for humanity. Jews believe God will make Israel the spiritual leader of the world, a light to all nations, and people will come to know God and follow Him. This is prophesied in Zechariah 8:23: "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'In those days ten people 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."'"       

Daniel 9.24-27

(24) “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.”

(25) “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.”

(26)“After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.”

(27) “He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple, he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”

Chapter 9 is Daniel in captivity in Babylon praying and confessing the sins of Israel and seeking God's redemption for Jerusalem. The angel Gabriel appeared to give him some insights of God's future plans.

Both Christians and Jews see these verses refer to a messianic prophecy. However, Christians see Jesus and his sacrificial death prophesied, but Jews believe it does not refer to Christ but a historical Davidic King.

The 'sevens' are believed to be sets of 7 years. The math does not add up:

Verse 24 says 70 sevens to suffer for their transgression, which is 490 years. The Jews were taken into Babylonian captivity when Jerusalem fell to Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II in 586 BC. But Cyrus The Great released them in 538 BC, that is only 4 sevens in captivity. 

Verse 25 says after the word goes out to restore Jerusalem there is a 7 sevens and 62 sevens. The decree to release the Jews by Cyrus was 538 BC. Thus 69 sevens bring us to 54 BC, the time of Roman rule.

Verse 26 says the Anointed One will be put to death. If Jesus is the 'Anointed One' here, the prophecy is Jesus will be killed after 54 BC, technically correct but 87 years off since Jesus was born around 1 AD or thereabouts. "The ruler who will come to destroy the city" is Pompeii who came in 63 BC.

Verse 27 makes no sense. If the 'He' is Pompeii, the 'covenant' is not clear. After the Maccabean Revolt against the Greek King Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 BC, Israel was ruled by the Hasmonean Dynasty. At the time of Pompeii's arrival, there was a power struggle of brothers Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II after the death of their father King Alexander Jannaeus in 67 AD. Both brothers sought the support of Pompeii who favoured Hyrcanus II. Aeistobulus II took up defensive position in Jurasalem. The Romans went on the offensive against Jerusalem and defeated Aristobulus. That was when Pompeii entered the Holy City and the Temple grounds , which was considered a sacrilege. The 'abomination that causes desolation' mentioned here is confusing. Which is the one prophesied here? The one commonly understood historically as the abomination of desolation is when Epiphanes replaced Jewish practice of daily offerings at the Temple with pagan sacrifices. Pompeii's intrusion into the sacred Temple grounds was also considered an abomination. The Greek Gospels also referred to Jesus' warning of a devastating abomination. Mark 13-14:“When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." Mark 13.19: "...because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again." Quite clearly, Jesus' abomination refers to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD by Roman General Titus. 

The debate continues. Christians generally, and many Christian scholars, would love to see Jesus in the Tanakh. There are also many Christian scholars who say the evidence is just not there. One example is John Dominic Crossan, co-founder of Jesus Seminar, a group of scholars focused on the historical Jesus. Crossan argues that many Hebrew Bible passages traditionally seen as messianic prophecies about Jesus, such as the various verses mentioned above, are unrelated to Jesus and New Testament writers have misinterpreted them.

The absence of a Jesus messianic prophecy in the Hebrew Bible has no bearing on Christianity as that is not a foundational pillar of the faith.
 

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