November 13, 2013

• Messiah,Moshiach,M'shia,and Mistranslations, twistings and other ways to shove Jesus in the text

  Mosiach,m'shia,and mistranslations, twistings and other ways to shove Jesus in the text

  TrueMessiah - Properly Anointed;
  FalseMessiah - Smeared with Ointment

  by

  Messiahtruth

  I. Introduction

  The ninth chapterin the Book of Daniel has been a popular component in the portfolioof Christian apologists and missionaries. The passage that iscommonly extracted from this chapter as an example of a definitive"messianic prophecy" is Daniel 9:24-27 because, accordingto most Christian translations, it contains two direct references tothe Messiah (Dan 9:25-26), which are claimed to be referencesto Jesus. With the help of mistranslations and some mathematicalhocus-pocus, they transform this passage into a prophecy thatallegedly foretells the coming of Jesus and his crucifixion.

  The analysispresented in this essay demonstrates that these claims concerningDaniel 9:25-26 are inconsistent with the teachings of the HebrewBible. Moreover, since these claims also include references to beinganointed, the anointing process, as defined and applied in the HebrewBible, is cast into a template against which the "anointing"of Jesus, as described in the New Testament, is compared in order totest its validity.

  II. Christian and Jewish Translations of Daniel 9:25-26

  Table II-1 showsside-by-side English renditions and the Hebrew text of the passageDaniel 9:25-26. The Hebrew term (mashia'h)and its respective renditions in the two translations are shown inhighlighted form.

  Table II-1– Daniel 9:25-26

  Daniel 9 King James Version Translation
  25
  Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
  And you should know and understand that, from the emergence of the word to restore and build Jerusalem until an anointed ruler, [shall be] seven weeks; and [in] sixty-two weeks it will be restored and be built, street and moat, but in troubled times.
  26
  And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
  And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one will be cut off, and [he] will be no more; and the city and the Sanctuary will be destroyed by people of the coming ruler, and his end will come about like a flood; and by end of the war, there will be desolation.

  Jewish Translation from the Hebrew

  25 And you shall know and understand that from the emergence of the word to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem until the anointed king [shall be] seven weeks, and [in] sixty-two weeks it will return and be built street and moat, but in troubled times.
  26 And after the sixty-two weeks, the anointed one will be cut off, and he will be no more, and the people of the coming monarch will destroy the city and the Sanctuary, and his end will come about by inundation, and until the end of the war, it will be cut off into desolation.

  A significant disagreement exists between the two translations in their respective renditions of the noun . A study of the applications of this term in the Hebrew Bible helps resolve this issue.

  III. Review of Hebrew Terminology

  According to theHebrew Bible, the men who were selected to fill the positions of the high priest [(ha'kohen ha'gadol)] and king[(melech)] had to go through a ritual anointing ceremony. The Hebrew root verb (mashah),[to] anoint, appears in the Hebrew Bible 70 times in various conjugations. This verb is used on 63 occasions to describe an act of anointing, i.e., applying a specially prepared oil or compound to someone or something for the purpose of sanctification or consecration; and on the seven remaining occasions, it is used in thecontext of covering something with paint or oil for various other purposes.

  Someone who wentthrough the process of anointing was referred to as (mashi'ah),an anointed one, in the Hebrew Bible. The noun derives fromthe root verb , [to] anoint, and it appears in variousconjugations and forms in the Hebrew Bible on 39 occasions. Thesalient fact about the noun is that not one of these 39instances refers to the Messiah. The reason is that the usage of thenoun as the present Hebrew term for Messiah is a product of thefirst century B.C.E., which is interesting information that emergedfrom research done on the Dead Sea Scrolls. Around that time, theJewish messianic vision experienced a significant paradigm shift fromthe expectation of an era (i.e., “End of Days”) to an expectationof a Jewish leader who will deliver Israel ("Redeemer"). This fact alone defeats the claim by Christian apologists andmissionaries concerning references to the Messiah in Daniel 9:25-26.

  IV. Application of the Noun in the Hebrew Bible

  An analysis of the39 applications of the noun in the Hebrew Bible, and how these arerendered in most Christian Bibles, provides the Biblical evidencethat refutes the claims concerning its occurrences in Daniel 9:25-26. Table IV-1 shows the 39 applications of the noun in the HebrewBible. Each form of the noun is shown separately along with thefrequency of occurrence, a pronunciation guide (CAPS identify theaccented syllable), the respective Scriptural citations, the correctEnglish translation, and the respective KJV rendition. Referencesindicate chapter and verse numbers in the Hebrew Bible; verse numbersin Christian Bibles, if different from the Hebrew Bible, are shown inbrackets.

  Table IV-1– The term in the Hebrew Bible and its KJV renditions

  Hebrew Term
  3
  mah-SHEE-ah Pronunciation
  2 Sam 1:21 References
  an anointed Correct Translation
  anointed KJV Rendition

  Dan 9:25
  an anointed Correct Translation
  The Messiah KJV Rendition
  Dan 9:26
  an anointed Correct Translation
  Messiah KJV Rendition

  4
  ha'mah-SHEE-ah Pronunciation
  Lev 4:3,5,16,6:15[22] References
  the anointed Correct Translation
  [the priest] that is anointed

  8
  me-SHEE-ah Pronunciation
  1 Sam 24:6,10, 26:16; 2 Sam 1:14,16, 19:22[21], 23:1;Lam 4:20 References
  anointed [of] Correct Translation
  anointed [of]

  3
  bim-SHEE-ah Pronunciation
  1 Sam 26:9,11,23 References
  against the anointed of - Correct Translation
  against [the LORD's] anointed KJV Rendition

  lim-SHEE-ah Pronunciation
  1 Sam 24:7 References
  to the anointed of - Correct Translation
  to [the LORD's] anointed KJV Rendition

  1
  me-shee-HEE Pronunciation
  1 Sam 2:35 References
  my anointed Correct Translation
  mine anointed KJV Rendition

  1
  lim-shee-HEE Pronunciation
  Ps 132:17 References
  for/to my anointed Correct Translation
  for mine anointed KJV Rendition

  6
  me-shee-HEH-cha Pronunciation
  Hab 3:13; Ps 84:10[9], 89:39[38],52[51], 132:10; 2 Chron 6:42 References
  your anointed Correct Translation
  thine anointed KJV Rendition

  7
  me-shee-HO Pronunciation
  1 Sam 2:10, 12:3,5, 16:6; Ps 2:2, 20:7[6], 28:8 References
  his anointed Correct Translation
  his anointed, *[the LORD's] anointed KJV Rendition

  3
  lim-shee-HO Pronunciation
  2 Sam 22:51; Is 45:1; Ps 18:51[50] References
  to his anointed Correct Translation
  to his anointed KJV Rendition

  2
  bim-shee-HAI Pronunciation
  Ps 105:15;1 Chron 16:22 References
  at/upon my anointed Correct Translation
  [touch not] mine anointed KJV Rendition

  The KJV renditionof the term differs from the generic an anointed one in onlytwo cases out of the 39 applications, with both instances occurringin Daniel 9:25-26. The question is: "What motivated the KJVtranslators to cast the term as a reference to the Messiah inDaniel 9:25-26, particularly in view of the historical fact that thisassociation of the two terms came much later than the Book ofDaniel?"

  A related issuearises from the way some other Christian Bibles render the noun inDaniel 9:25-26, as shown in Table IV-2.

  Table IV-2– The term as rendered in other Christian Bibles

  Amplified Bible (AMP) Source
  Daniel 9:25 Verse
  the Anointed One Source Translation (note:capitalized)
  an anointed one Correct Translation
  Daniel 9:26
  New International Version (NIV) Source
  Daniel 9:25 Verse
  the Anointed One Source Translation (note:capitalized)
  an anointed one Correct Translation
  Daniel 9:26
  New Living Translation (NLT) Source
  Daniel 9:25 Verse
  the Anointed One Source Translation (note:capitalized)
  an anointed one Correct Translation
  Daniel 9:26 Verse
  World English Bible (WEB) Source
  Daniel 9:25 Verse
  the Anointed One Source Translation (note:capitalized)
  an anointed one Correct Translation
  Daniel 9:26

  The translation of as the Anointed One, although closer to the correct ananointed one, still contains Christological bias, though it ismore subtle. The use of the definite article, the, and thecapitalization of the terms in the expression, Anointed One,is a design that implicitly points to Jesus.

  For the sake offairness, it should be noted, however, that not all Christian Bibleshave mistranslated in Daniel 9:25-26. Among the Christian Biblesthat translate the term correctly are: Basic Bible in English(BBE), Revised Standard Version (RSV), and NewRevised Standard Version (NRSV).

  V. Anointing According to the Hebrew Bible

  The process of anointing

  According to theHebrew Bible, the substance used and the ritual performed are the twosignificant components of the anointing process.

  1. The substance

  In order to beconsidered properly anointed, a king (or high priest) had to besprinkled with a special substance that was stored in a specialcontainer, and which was prepared from pure olive oil, according tothe following formula:

  Exodus 30:22-25– (22) And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying, (23) "And you,take for yourself spices of the finest sort - of pure myrrh fivehundred [shekel weights]; of fragrant cinnamon half of it, twohundred and fifty [shekel weights]; of fragrant cane two hundred andfifty [shekel weights], (24) and of cassia five hundred [shekelweights] according to the sacred shekel, and one hin of olive oil.(25) And you shall make it onto anoil of sacred anointment [(shemenmish'hat-qodesh)] aperfumed compound according to the art of the perfumer; it shall bean oil of sacred anointment[(shemen mish'hat-qodesh)]."

  No other substanceis acceptable for anointing and, being a holy substance, thisanointing oil had to be stored in the (portable) Tabernacle while theIsraelites were in the wilderness, and in the Temple in Jerusalemlater on.

  2. The ritual

  Moses wascommanded to anoint his brother Aaron as the first high priest:

  Exodus 29:7– And then you shall takethe anointing oil, and pour [it] upon his head, andanoint him.

  The Hebrew Biblecontains several accounts of the anointing of royalty in Israel.

  a. King Saul

  Saulwas anointed as King of Israel when the prophet Samuel poured thespecial oil on his head:

  1Samuel 10:1 - AndSamuel took the vialof oil, and poured it on his [Saul's] head,and kissed him. And he [Samuel] said, "Indeed, the L-rd hasanointed you to be a ruler over His inheritance."

  b. King David

  David,the son of Jesse, was anointed as King of Israel when the prophetSamuel poured the special oil on his head:

  1Samuel 16:13 -And Samuel took thehorn of oil, and anointed him[David] in the midst of his brothers. And a spirit of the L-rd passedover David from that day forth, and Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

  c. King Solomon

  Thisis who anointed Solomon to be King of Israel, and how it was done:

  1Kings 1:34,39,45- (34) And Zadok the[high] priest and Nathan the prophet shall anoint him[Solomon] there as king over Israel, and blow the horn and say,"[Long] live King Solomon."
  (39) And Zadokthe [High] Priest took the horn of oil from the Tabernacle [theSanctuary] and anointed Solomon,and they blew the shofar [ram's horn], and all the people said, "Longlive king Solomon."
  (45) And Zadokthe [high] priest and Nathan the prophet anointed him [Solomon] kingin Gihon, and they came up from there rejoicing, and (therefore) thecity was in an uproar; that is the noise you were hearing.

  A template for the anointing of kings

  TheBiblical accounts of the anointing of the first three kings ofIsrael, Saul, David, and Solomon, contain the necessary elements forthe construction of a template for the process of anointing royaltyof Israel, one of which will be the promised Jewish Messiah. According to the Hebrew Bible, these elements are:

  [1] A special preparation from pure olive oil was used as the oil of anointing.

  [2] Being sacred, the anointing oil was stored in the Temple.

  [3] A universally recognized prophet performed the ritual of anointing a king.

  [4] The prophets used the vial of oil, or the horn of oil, to anoint the new king, not merely a vial of oil or a horn of oil.1[1]

  [5] The oil of anointing was poured only on the head.

  [6] Anointing was tantamount to crowning a king (or appointing a high priest).2[2]

  I. Anointing According to the New Testament

  Thistemplate for the anointing process can now be used to test thevalidity of the anointing of Jesus, as deduced from the accounts inthe New Testament.

  The process of anointing

  1. The substance

  Thefour Gospel authors describe the substance used on Jesus as follows:

  Matthew26:7-9(KJV) –(7) There came unto him a woman having an alabasterbox of veryprecious ointment,and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. (8) But when hisdisciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose isthis waste? (9) For thisointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.

  Mark14:3-5(KJV) –(3) And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he satat meat, there came a woman having an alabasterbox of ointmentof spikenard veryprecious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. (4) Andthere were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Whywas this waste of the ointment made? (5) For itmight have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have beengiven to the poor.And they murmured against her.

  Luke7:37(KJV) - And,behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew thatJesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought analabaster box of ointment,

  John12:3-5(KJV) –(3) Then took Mary a pound of ointmentof spikenard, verycostly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with herhair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. (4)Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, whichshould betray him, (5) Whywas not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to thepoor?

  1. The ritual

  Allfour Gospel authors describe the manner in which Jesus was anointed:

  Matthew26:7(KJV) - Therecame unto him a womanhaving an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and pouredit on his head, as hesat at meat.

  Mark14:3(KJV) - Andbeing in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat,there came a womanhaving an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; andshe brake the box, and pouredit on his head.

  Luke7:37-38,46(KJV) –(37) And, behold, awoman in the city, which was a sinner,when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, broughtan alabaster box of ointment, (38) And stood at his feet behind himweeping, and began to wash hisfeet with tears, anddid wipe themwith the hairs of her head, and kissed hisfeet, and anointedthem with the ointment.
  (46)My head with oil thoudidst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.

  John11:2(KJV) - (Itwas that Mary whichanointed the Lord with ointment,and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

  John12:3(KJV) - Thentook Marya pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointedthe feet of Jesus,and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with theodour of the ointment.

  Moreover,Jesus himself allegedly states the purpose of his anointing:

  Matthew26:12(KJV) - Forin that she hath pouredthis ointment on my body,she did it for myburial.

  Mark14:8(KJV) - Shehath done what she could: she is come aforehand toanoint my body to the burying.

  Elements of the ritual of anointing Jesus

  Theaccounts quoted from the Gospels contain the elements of the processthat was described as the anointing of Jesus, and these are listed inthe order of the elements in the template for the anointing processdeveloped above:

  [1] The substance used to anoint Jesus was an ointment of spikenard.3[3]

  [1] It is unknown from where the costly ointment of spikenard came. It clearly was not a sacred substance, since people complained about having wasted it by pouring it on Jesus rather than selling it and giving the money to the poor.

  [2] Jesus was anointed by a woman (Mary of Bethany, described as a sinner).

  [3] The ointment used on Jesus was contained in an alabaster box.4[4]

  [4] There are conflicting accounts in the New Testament about where on his body the anointing substance was applied to Jesus. The accounts in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark say it was applied to his head; while the accounts in the Gospels of Luke and John state it was applied to his feet only.

  [5] Jesus declared that his anointing was a preparation for burial, i.e., for death, and not for kingship.5[5]

  II. The Anointing of Jesus Contrasted with the Requirements in the Hebrew Bible

  TableVII-1 contains an element-by-element comparison of the components ofthe anointing process in the template against the accounts describedin the Gospels. For each element, a yes/noscore indicates whether the respective component from the Gospelaccounts meets the specification set forth in the Hebrew Bible.

  TableVII-1 – HebrewBible specifications versus New Testament accounts of anointing

  Item
  Hebrew Bible Specifications
  According to the
  New Testament
  Comments
  Valid?
  [1]
  The oil of anointing was a special mixture of spices and pure olive oil.
  The substance used to anoint Jesus was an ointment of spikenard.
  Ointment of spikenard, no matter how costly, cannot substitute for the sacred special oil.
  NO
  [2]
  Being sacred, the oil of anointing had to be stored in the Temple.
  The spikenard was not sacred, and its source is unknown.
  Sacred items were kept in the Temple, and were not offered for sale.
  NO
  [3]
  A recognized prophet had to anoint a king.
  A woman named Mary anointed Jesus.
  Did a recognized prophet anoint Jesus?
  NO
  [4]
  A special vial, or special horn, of the special anointing oil had to be used in anointing a king.
  The spikenard ointment used on Jesus came from an alabaster box.
  The Hebrew Bible never speaks of alabaster containers used for holding the oil of anointing.
  NO
  [5]
  The oil of anointing was poured on the head only.
  2 accounts - head only;
  2 accounts - feet only.
  Which version of the account is the true one?
  NO
  [6]
  The anointing was a preparation for kingship (or high priesthood).
  Jesus declared his anointing was to prepare him for burial.
  Jesus never reigned as the monarch over any kingdom.
  NO

  Thiscomparison demonstrates that the anointing of Jesus, as described inthe New Testament, violates all the specifications for a validanointing of royalty in Israel as provided in the Hebrew Bible.

  Conclusion: Jesus was smeared with ointment and not properly anointed and,
  for that reason alone, he was a false Messiah.

  III. Summary

  Twoimportant and interconnected issues were addressed. The firstquestion concerned the Hebrew noun as it appears in Daniel9:25-26:

  ¤ What is the correct translation of the Hebrew noun , which appears twice in the passage Daniel 9:25-26?

  Accordingto most Christian translations, the term points to Jesuseither by being translated as [the] Messiah or the AnointedOne. A word study on all 39 occurrences in the Hebrew Bible ofthe noun in its various forms demonstrated that the correcttranslation is an anointed one, a "generic"reference to two different individuals who were to appear on thescene at some future time, neither of whom had any connection to theJewish Messiah.

  The questionconcerned the validity of the "anointing" of Jesus, whicharose from the translation of theterm in some Christian Bibles as the Anointed One:

  ¤ Did the "anointing" of Jesus, as described in the New Testament, conform to the specifications given in the Hebrew Bible?

  Tohelp determine the validity of the "anointing" processwhich the accounts in the New Testament describe, a template for theanointing process of kings and high priests of Israel was constructedfrom the specifications detailed in the Hebrew Bible. The relevantelements of information were then extracted from the accounts in theNew Testament which describe the "anointing" of Jesus, andthese were compared, on an element-by-element basis against thetemplate. The analysis demonstrated that Jesus was not anointedaccording to the specifications described in the Hebrew Bible.

  Therefore, sinceJesus was never properly anointed according to the specificationscontained in the Hebrew Bible, the Scripture in force during hislifetime, neither of the two applications of the term in Daniel9:25-26 can possibly point to him.
  1[1] King David and his royal descendants were anointed with the sacred oil poured from the horn. According to the Jewish Sages, this indicated the superiority of the Davidic kings over the non-Davidic kings of Israel (e.g., Saul), who were anointed using the vial.
  2[2] Saul, David, and Solomon all sat on the throne as kings soon after being anointed. They successfully fought those nations that were enemies of Israel. They commanded entire governments, complete with soldiers, spies, tax collectors, foreign ambassadors, treasuries, palace servants and courts.
  3[3]The American Heritage Dictionary (Second College Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, Publishers [1991]), describes spikenard as: "1. An aromatic plant, Nardostachys jatamansi, of India, having rose-purple flowers. 2. A costly ointment of antiquity, probably prepared from the spikenard."
  4[4] The authors of the New Testament refer to Jesus as the "son of David", implying that he is from the royal line of King David: Matthew 1:1(KJV) - The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. If, as claimed in the New Testament, Jesus were a bona fide king of the Davidic dynasty, why was the anointing substance taken from an alabaster box and not from that special vessel called the horn?

  5[5] The New Testament is silent on whether Jesus sat on the throne of David during his lifetime, and whether he led a Jewish army in any battles against Israel's enemies and defeated them. Likewise, there is no mention in the New Testament of Jesus being in command of an entire political government.

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