A recent article detailing an ancient, stone tablet that dates possibly 100 years before Christ has gain much interest. The article details how this three-foot tall tablet written in Hebrew talks about a "suffering messiah" and that he would "live after three days".
As a Christian, I find this very interesting. The reality is that Christ doesn't need validation from archeology, however, it is fascinating to find historical evidence to support the idea that some of the ancient Jews understood that the coming Messiah would suffer, die, and rise again on the third day. If you read the writings of Moses, Isaiah, David, and other prophets, you'll see that the coming Messiah's agenda wasn't to liberate Israel from it's occupiers, but rather to liberate them from their sins. And how might this Anointed One go about doing this? He would be the final and perfect sacrifice. He would die taking the wrath meant for sinners and rise again on the third day conquering death and Hell. (You can read an article by John Piper on Redemptive History and the Messiah here.)
But once again, so-called "experts" (see Justin Crandall's excellent blog on the subject of experts) are trying to retell and spin the story to make Christ seem illegitimate. Check out this quote from Israel Knohl - an expert in Talmudic and biblical language at Jerusalem's Hebrew University:
Knohl is quoted in another article:
The idea of a "dying and rising messiah appears in some Jewish texts, but until now, everyone thought that was the impact of Christianity on Judaism," he says. "But for the first time, we have proof that it was the other way around. The concept was there before Jesus." If so, he goes on, "this should shake our basic view of Christianity. ... What happens in the New Testament [could have been] adopted by Jesus and his followers based on an earlier messiah story." (From Time.com)
"Resurrection after three days becomes a motif developed before Jesus, which runs contrary to nearly all scholarship. What happens in the New Testament was adopted by Jesus and his followers based on an earlier messiah story." (From IHT.com)This so-called expert, in a matter of a few sentences, makes a couple of very strong statements. He says this "should shake Christianity" and that this finding "runs contrary to nearly all scholarship". Those are bold and emphatic statements. He doesn't need to back them up. He's an expert. He finally has the spoking gun that just might put Christ out of his misery. After all, isn't Jesus really just a country boy who spun great yarns and made people feel good? And then those dang disciples and that rascally Paul got a hold of him and retold his story so many times that he ended up God. Now we can finally put Jesus to rest in his tomb along with Mary and Joseph and move on with our lives.
Okay. I digress. The reality is that not only does the bible support the idea of a suffering, dying, and rising from the dead Messiah, but most scholars prior to the 19th century would agree as well. (You can start your "scholarly" research here at monergism.com)
Interestingly enough, Jesus has already addressed this issue. He told the pharisees:
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. (John 5:39-40)
The scriptures he was referring to at the time were the very writings of the Old Testament that told of Himself. And yet they did not have the eyes to see or the ears to hear. And it wasn't like they were poor souls who really wanted truth, but couldn't find it. Jesus boldly said "you refuse to come to me".
The reality is that unless God opens these "experts" eyes, they will concoct and conclude misleading and damning statements about Christ because they are "refusing" to come to Christ. It's very tragic.
I sure do hope Israel Knohl reads John 5 and the Lord opens his eyes to see the amazing Messiah that came to die and rise again for sinners like him.
John 5:46-47
For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
I love the title to this post- The question can be answered with: absolutely impossible! It always amazes me how scholars and experts take an interest in commenting upon what the New Testament teaches and in the process reveal that they have no idea what it teaches. Anyways, the New Testament highlights David's prophecy of "You shall not allow your Holy One to see corruption"- in the Jewish mind, corruption always ensuing after the third day. Obviously, resurrection was a concept that went back before Jesus time... Still, why can't secular scholars accept the fact that God can use ancient cultural ideas when implementing His plan of salvation?- Not to say that God got the idea of His Son rising after the third day from ancient sources- but I see no contradiction in His omniscience if "third day" motifs were around in myths and ideas prior to the 1st century. That other cultures prior to the penning of the Bible contained concepts of Hell and a Creator ect.- does this negate the Scriptures as being the Word of God? To my mind, it is more of a proof of God than a disproof. I know in my undergraduate studies, professors would triumphantly drop the "bomb" of Zorastrism and try to decimate the faith of any possible Christians in the class. But all of these professors and experts are coming at the Bible with human understanding- that it was written by men alone, and thus they got their ideas from history and canabalized from different myths, ect. I fear for them, since God is much, much bigger than that.
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