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  • From: furuli AT online.no
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Messiah in Isaiah
  • Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 23:51:11 +0100

Dear Charles and Liz,

I have written a book (Danish and Norwegian) entitled "Science and Bible Translation - a study in "Christianizing" and "Mythologizing" of the Hebrew Text of the Bible" I argue along the same lines as you do, that a translator of the Hebrew text cannot translate the OT text in the light of the NT, i.e. presume that Isaiah and other prophets had a future Messiah or Jesus from Nasareth in mind. This would be to "Christianize" the OT.

However, it is often forgotten that the "opposite" view, that much of the Biblical text is based on myth and redaction, and that a future Messiah and a future "golden age" was not in the minds of the prophets, are just as much based upon faith and speculation as the first mentioned beliefs. This would be to "Mythologize" the OT. I have no problems with Cyrus being called Messiah or that Isaiah addressed the situation in connection with Ahaz, but I have the following question:

If we leave alone the NT, Cyrus and Ahaz, and carefully read the text of Isaiah, will you then deny that the writer of particular portions of the book had a distant future in mind and made predictions regarding this time? In other words, are you saying that the text of Isaiah only relates to a period when the book was written or to a time before this period?

BTW, I argue in my book that scores of QATALs and WAYYIQTOLs in Isaiah by most modern Bible translations are translated wrongly, because of obsolete grammatical views.


Best regards

Rolf

Rolf Furuli
University of Oslo


Liz wrote:

Dear Harold,
The only person ever called Messiah in the entire book
of Isaiah is Cyrus the Great (Isaiah 45:1).
You may read my article in HTR, "Cyrus the Messiah? The Historical
Background to Isaiah 45:1" or in BR if you like.
Liz Fried




Charles wrote:

It is doctrine in Christian circles to believe that the NT is authoritative
and that a passage from I Peter proves beyond doubt that Isaiah wrote with
Jesus of Nazareth in mind. It is standard in my circle as a Jew to take
Isaiah's own words seriously as reference to an eighth century crisis,
during which Isaiah was advising Ahaz about a Syro-Israelite threat. How his
words leap frog over 750 years and come to attain a first century CE context
that holds for all time is not a discussion I wish to have on this list.





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