"True Prophet": The Oldest Christology ?

[Tod Stites]

*If we could strip away the various layers of Christology which have been laid one upon another
over the historical Jesus, one of the oldest we would find would be the "true prophet" Christology.
For in all four Gospels a section of the people refer to Jesus with the title "true prophet"(1), and
it seems that the Jewish-Christian sects of the Nazarenes and Ebionites both regarded Jesus as
the "true prophet" but not the Messiah, so that some would deem it likely that from the beginning
a group of Jesus' disciples saw him as a prophet and not the Christ, and that out of this group
grew the later sects of the Nazarenes and the Ebionites (2).
*Clearly then, we see the likelihood that the higher Christologies evolved among Gentile Christians
because of the need for Christ to be "above" the law, though not in the sense of lawlessness. Christ
in the gentile mission field needed to be the "wisdom of God"(1Cor 1:24),because God's wisdom was
the first of God's creations (Prov 8:22-23). It existed before the earth was made and thus before
the Law was given to Moses on Sinai, and was therefore superior to the Law, just as man was
superior to woman because man existed first (1Tim 2:11-13)=(3).
*To all this we should add the absence of the word "Christ" from the sayings source Q, those words
of Jesus which may well form the earliest layer of tradition about the things Jesus said. This
absence diminishes the likelihood Jesus ever proclaimed himself the Christ, but is also consistent
with the aforesaid belief of Jewish-Christians that Jesus was a true prophet and not the Christ,
since Q is regarded as a Jewish-Christian document which seeks to "rejudaize" Jesus, and as
having originated in Jewish Palestine amongst those who had been followers of Jesus (4).
*That the Synoptic evangelists, the authors of Matthew, Mark and Luke, do not use the title
"prophet" to express their own faith in Jesus, has inspired even greater confidence that some
of Jesus' contemporaries did see him that way (5), while the disappearance of true-prophet
Christology has been equated with the eclipse of the Jewish-Christian sects, though the
Jewish-Christian pseudo-Clementine literature, which contains traditions from the second
century (6), remembers Jesus not as the Christ but as the "true prophet"(7).



1.Cullmann "The Christology Of The New Testament" p.36-7. Dunn "Christianity In The
Making" vol.1,p.479n7,it is "generally recognized" that Mark 9:7 is fulfilling the command
of Deut 18:15 regarding the prophet like Moses:"you will hear/heed him".Charlesworth in
(ed.) Charlesworth "Jesus And The Dead Sea Scrolls" p.50n96,"most scholars rightly
conclude that Jesus thought of himself as a prophet".
2.Flusser "Judaism And The Origin Of Christianity" p.234-5.Grundmann in "Theological
Dictionary Of The New Testament" vol.9,p.570,suggests 1John 2:22 refers to Ebionites,
who acknowledge Jesus as prophet but not as Son/Christ. Friederich in "Theological
Dictionary Of The New Testament" vol.6,p.858-9, in the (Ebionite) pseudo-Clementine
literature Jesus is the true prophet who appeared in Ages, changing name and form
until finding rest in the proper times. In the pseudo-Clementines, Jesus is not the
eschatological deliverer as in the New Testament, but the preacher of truth in more
gnostic fashion. In this vein it is interesting to note that the Testimony attributed to
Josephus, a self-proclaimed Pharisee, calls Jesus "teacher of..truth"("Judean
Antiquities" 18.3.3), as do the Pharisees in Mark (12:14), where Jesus is a "prophet"
(6:4,15)=(8:28).
3.Braun in "Theological Dictionary Of The New Testament" vol.6,p.261/n35.Justin
("Dialogue With Trypho" 61.1.3ff) cites Prov 8:21-36 as testimony to the preexistence
of the Son; cf. Wilckens in "Theological Dictionary Of The New Testament" vol. 7,p.525.
4.Kloppenborg "Q: The Earliest Gospel" intro.:p.9.Brown "Introduction To The New
Testament" p.204.Todt "The Son Of Man In The Synoptic Tradition" p.325.Van Voorst
"Jesus Outside The New Testament" p.164.Horsley and Draper "Whoever Hears You
Hears Me" p.46.Tuckett "Q And The History Of Early Christianity" p.102,418.
5.Cullmann "Christology Of The New Testament" p.35,members of the public as well as
Jesus himself do refer to Jesus as prophet in several Synoptic passages. Friederich in
"Theological Dictionary Of The New Testament" vol.6,p.848,thinks that originally the
tradition of Jesus as prophet was much richer, and that it is likely that such references
were exchanged for more exalted titles. Kittel in "Theological Dictionary Of The New
Testament" vol.4,p.114,however considers it "doubly surprising" that in the account of
Jesus there is no reference to "word(s)" of God being given to him. It "is a fact that at
no point do we read of a specific declaration of God's will being imparted to him as
the word of God. The reason for this must be a very profound one". In the same vein
we should note that the term "prophet" is not used expressly by Jesus in Q, as noted
by Mack in (ed.) Charlesworth "The Messiah" p.211.But we may also compare the thinking
of the contemporary Hellenized Jew Philo Judaeus, that nothing is concealed from the
true prophet ("Special Laws" 4.192), consistent with the portrayal of Jesus in Q (Matt
11:27=Luke 10:22), with the acknowledgement of partial knowledge made by Paul (1Cor
13:9-10), and attributed to Jesus (Mark 13:32).Davies and Allison "Gospel According To
Saint Matthew" vol.2,p.248-9, point out that the term "prophet", in the first century,
was ambiguous, with many varieties of "prophet", and various nuances of meaning.
Dunn in (ed.) Charlesworth "The Messiah" p.377,"so far as the evangelists are concerned,
the category of prophet was not particularly helpful and certainly not of sufficient
weight to embody the significance of Jesus. Of little use after Easter, Dunn thinks the
title is likely to go back to the pre-Easter period.
6.Schiffman and Vander Kam "Encyclopedia Of The Dead Sea Scrolls" vol.2,p.717-8.
Brown "Anchor Bible" vol.29:intro.:p.68:the pseudo-Clementines date from the third
century but contain material dating probably to the second century. Brown
"Introduction To The New Testament" p.741,dates the earliest source for the pseudo-
Clementines c.150-220 C.E.
7.Cullmann "Christology Of The New Testament" p.38.Bertram in "Theological Dictionary
Of The New Testament" vol.5,p.611:"The Septuagint assumes that the task of the true
prophet is to educate the people by means of the divine wisdom revealed to him". In
light of this, it is interesting to note the presence of both true prophet Christology
(Mark 6:4,15)=(8:28), and divine wisdom Christology (Matt 11:27)=(Luke 10:22), in the
early sources, as well as the reference to Jesus having been a "wise man" in the
Testimony attributed to Josephus. Thus also the prophets are grouped with the teachers
of wisdom in Q (Matt 23:34)=(Luke 11:49), and wisdom is connected with prophecy in
the pre-Christian wisdom literature (Wis 7:27), and in Philo ("Who Is The Heir Of Divine
Things ?"), and in the rabbinic literature;cf.Meyer in "Theological Dictionary Of The New
Testament" vol.6,p.821.

[iskander]

What makes a prophet?
Kaufman offers this explanation of the role of prophecy in a community ruled by God. Kaufman writes:
The Religion of Israel
Yehazkel Kaufmann translated and abridged by Moshe Greenberg
Sefer Ve Sefel Publishing, Jerusalem, 2003
ISBN 9657287022
Page340


" The literature of the Torah takes its departure from the life of the people, but it contains a large idealistic and utopian element. Though it championed the weak and poor, it was not the law of the land; it was merely an edifying literature to
which were joined some legal elements. The basic social laws of the Torah were essentially no more than moral sanctions and exhortations, as is clear from the fact that no penalties are prescribed for their violation. The Torah provided no real legal recourse for the oppressed.

Moreover, the fact that the social background of the Torah was the early tribal and patriarchal polity tended to render it obsolete as the centuries passed. it says next to nothing of the monarchy; it wholly ignores the royal officialdom; its concept of land ownership is based exclusively on tribes and clans. No wonder, then, that the actual practice was quite at variance with its idea...


There were many varieties of exploitation and expropriation, persecution and oppression. This provided the basis of the division between "righteous" and "wicked" in ancient Israel; in the Torah, prophets, wisdom and psalm literature the distinction is a socio-moral, not a religious one.


In the twilight of the northern kingdom, the social cleavage and the evils that it entailed grew more acute. Masses of people became impoverished, and the rift between ideal and reality became critical. Out of this rift, classical prophecy was born."


Classical prophecy was a political reaction.

[Tod Stites]

What makes a prophet?
Kaufman offers this explanation of the role of prophecy in a community ruled by God. Kaufman writes:
The Religion of Israel
Yehazkel Kaufmann translated and abridged by Moshe Greenberg
Sefer Ve Sefel Publishing, Jerusalem, 2003
ISBN 9657287022
Page340


" The literature of the Torah takes its departure from the life of the people, but it contains a large idealistic and utopian element. Though it championed the weak and poor, it was not the law of the land; it was merely an edifying literature to
which were joined some legal elements. The basic social laws of the Torah were essentially no more than moral sanctions and exhortations, as is clear from the fact that no penalties are prescribed for their violation.

Tod Stites: Thus Philo Judaeus observes that Moses suggested and recommended rather than commanded, "desiring
rather to allure men to virtue than drive them to it"("Vita Mosis" 2.9.49-51).

Moreover, the fact that the social background of the Torah was the early tribal and patriarchal polity tended to render it obsolete as the centuries passed. it says next to nothing of the monarchy; it wholly ignores the royal officialdom; its concept of land ownership is based exclusively on tribes and clans. No wonder, then, that the actual practice was quite at variance with its idea...


There were many varieties of exploitation and expropriation, persecution and oppression. This provided the basis of the division between "righteous" and "wicked" in ancient Israel; in the Torah, prophets, wisdom and psalm literature the distinction is a socio-moral, not a religious one.


In the twilight of the northern kingdom, the social cleavage and the evils that it entailed grew more acute. Masses of people became impoverished, and the rift between ideal and reality became critical. Out of this rift, classical prophecy was born."

Tod Stites:Thus in the early rabbinic period the sages of the Mishna were offering a way "to make use of imagination
and fantasy to confront, deny, and overcome chaos and disorder"(Jacob Neusner "Judaic Law From Jesus
To The Mishna" p.85).And:
The failure of the historical deliverance promised in deutero-Isaiah prompted the Jews to seek refuge in
visionary speculation about the end of days (Morna Hooker "Jesus And The Servant" p.60).
Classical prophecy was a political reaction.

Tod Stites: Sorry, I'll get it right next time..

[DCHindley]

Tod,

Even when you "quote" someone's post using the button over the original post, you might want to bone up on adding additional

Code: Select all

[quote]

or

Code: Select all

[/quote]

tags to distinguish your comments from the original post itself.

There is something about it I believe in spin's sticky note in his "Guide to the new BB tags you can use to improve your posting" in the "announcements" section.

DCH

[iskander]

What makes a prophet?
Kaufman offers this explanation of the role of prophecy in a community ruled by God. Kaufman writes:
The Religion of Israel
Yehazkel Kaufmann translated and abridged by Moshe Greenberg
Sefer Ve Sefel Publishing, Jerusalem, 2003
ISBN 9657287022
Page340


" The literature of the Torah takes its departure from the life of the people, but it contains a large idealistic and utopian element. Though it championed the weak and poor, it was not the law of the land; it was merely an edifying literature to
which were joined some legal elements. The basic social laws of the Torah were essentially no more than moral sanctions and exhortations, as is clear from the fact that no penalties are prescribed for their violation.

Tod Stites: Thus Philo Judaeus observes that Moses suggested and recommended rather than commanded, "desiring
rather to allure men to virtue than drive them to it"("Vita Mosis" 2.9.49-51).

Moreover, the fact that the social background of the Torah was the early tribal and patriarchal polity tended to render it obsolete as the centuries passed. it says next to nothing of the monarchy; it wholly ignores the royal officialdom; its concept of land ownership is based exclusively on tribes and clans. No wonder, then, that the actual practice was quite at variance with its idea...


There were many varieties of exploitation and expropriation, persecution and oppression. This provided the basis of the division between "righteous" and "wicked" in ancient Israel; in the Torah, prophets, wisdom and psalm literature the distinction is a socio-moral, not a religious one.


In the twilight of the northern kingdom, the social cleavage and the evils that it entailed grew more acute. Masses of people became impoverished, and the rift between ideal and reality became critical. Out of this rift, classical prophecy was born."

Tod Stites:Thus in the early rabbinic period the sages of the Mishna were offering a way "to make use of imagination
and fantasy to confront, deny, and overcome chaos and disorder"(Jacob Neusner "Judaic Law From Jesus
To The Mishna" p.85).And:
The failure of the historical deliverance promised in deutero-Isaiah prompted the Jews to seek refuge in
visionary speculation about the end of days (Morna Hooker "Jesus And The Servant" p.60).
Classical prophecy was a political reaction.

Tod Stites: Sorry, I'll get it right next time..

posted twice by mistake, Sorry

Deleted by Iskander

[iskander]

What makes a prophet?
Kaufman offers this explanation of the role of prophecy in a community ruled by God. Kaufman writes:
The Religion of Israel
Yehazkel Kaufmann translated and abridged by Moshe Greenberg
Sefer Ve Sefel Publishing, Jerusalem, 2003
ISBN 9657287022
Page340


" The literature of the Torah takes its departure from the life of the people, but it contains a large idealistic and utopian element. Though it championed the weak and poor, it was not the law of the land; it was merely an edifying literature to
which were joined some legal elements. The basic social laws of the Torah were essentially no more than moral sanctions and exhortations, as is clear from the fact that no penalties are prescribed for their violation.

Tod Stites: Thus Philo Judaeus observes that Moses suggested and recommended rather than commanded, "desiring
rather to allure men to virtue than drive them to it"("Vita Mosis" 2.9.49-51).

Moreover, the fact that the social background of the Torah was the early tribal and patriarchal polity tended to render it obsolete as the centuries passed. it says next to nothing of the monarchy; it wholly ignores the royal officialdom; its concept of land ownership is based exclusively on tribes and clans. No wonder, then, that the actual practice was quite at variance with its idea...


There were many varieties of exploitation and expropriation, persecution and oppression. This provided the basis of the division between "righteous" and "wicked" in ancient Israel; in the Torah, prophets, wisdom and psalm literature the distinction is a socio-moral, not a religious one.


In the twilight of the northern kingdom, the social cleavage and the evils that it entailed grew more acute. Masses of people became impoverished, and the rift between ideal and reality became critical. Out of this rift, classical prophecy was born."

Tod Stites:Thus in the early rabbinic period the sages of the Mishna were offering a way "to make use of imagination
and fantasy to confront, deny, and overcome chaos and disorder"(Jacob Neusner "Judaic Law From Jesus
To The Mishna" p.85).And:
The failure of the historical deliverance promised in deutero-Isaiah prompted the Jews to seek refuge in
visionary speculation about the end of days (Morna Hooker "Jesus And The Servant" p.60).
Classical prophecy was a political reaction.

Tod Stites: Sorry, I'll get it right next time..

Thank you Tod and David.

Jesus as a prophet.

Despairing societies are prone to believe that profound changes for the better are within their reach if only if . The French Revolution, the Bolshevik Revolution and the Reformation were some of those people caught in the teeth of hope.

Jesus (to make it personal) was one of the leaders of a society inventing hope to overcome the inertial mass of the past and he succeeded in transforming society. The kingdom of god meant nothing more than the liberating intervention of god in the history of Israel. Divine intervention in the affairs of humanity , in support of the righteous, is a common expectation in the history of most religions, Islam, Judaism,Christianity, Hinduism to mention a few.

Jesus expected Hashem to intervene and liberate Israel, hence his personal suffering when the end was near and his bitter complaint at the cross: "And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?'

Hope is a force for change, but the result never replicates the utopia of the blueprint. The locals forgot him because they had been part of the dream. But the kingdom of god was easily transformed into a reward for the dead by the outsiders who had never been disappointed.