God's Chosen People

 

There are five elements related to God’s relationship with his people from Sinai to eternity. Not in order of priority, the first is a covenant; the second is a kingdom; the third, the εκκλησια; the fourth is a Law, the fifth is the name Israel. The five are unique, yet overlap with each other.

The first covenant was made exclusively with Jacob’s descendants at Sinai. A new covenant superseded that covenant. The Jews from Pentecost had access to the new covenant, yet were subject to the first until the destruction of the temple. Gentiles were not included in the first covenant.

The kingdom began at Sinai and lasted until 70 CE when Jerusalem was destroyed. For a long time, the kingdom was a theocracy. When Samuel was old, the people rejected God as their ruler wanting to be like nations around them. Saul was the first king, followed by David. The monarchy of David’s family was paused when Jerusalem was destroyed circa 516 BCE. Jesus fulfilled the prophecy that a king of David’s family would sit on the throne of the kingdom. Gentiles were not citizens of the earthly kingdom, but the eternal kingdom of God includes all nations.

The εκκλησια was one of the terms used for the people rescued from Egypt at Sinai. Jesus said he would build his εκκλησια. The new εκκλησια began on the Day of Pentecost. Εκκλησια refers to God’s calling out those rescued from Egypt; it also refers to God rescuing people from sin. From the time God accepted Gentiles for salvation, they belonged to the εκκλησια. The εκκλησια of Jesus and the εκκλησια of Israel ran in parallel until the destruction of Jerusalem, the εκκλησια of Sinai ceased at that time.

The Law was given on Sinai, grace came through Jesus. James spoke of “the law of liberty.” Jesus said to love God and love your neighbour is the substance of the law and prophets. Paul stated, “…we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.” He also wrote, “…the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” Gentiles were not under the Law. With the acceptance of Gentiles into God’s salvation they were to comply with the instructions given to them by James and others in Jerusalem.

Act 15:19-21  "Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.  For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath."

Israel was the name of the new nation of the people who were together at Sinai. That nation existed from Sinai to the destruction of Jerusalem. God rejected and destroyed Israel using the Roman army, but did not forget his promise to Abraham and the patriarchs. Israel was renewed, and restored; no longer restricted to a race, land or law, but as the heavenly Israel.

The prophecy of Jeremiah indicated a change from the material aspects of God’s relationship with his people.

"…this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbour and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

In the period from Sinai to AD 70, people naturally born were under the covenant, in the kingdom and εκκλησια, subject to the law, and citizens of Israel. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, people are born spiritually into God’s family through faith.

Truly, I tell you with certainty, unless a person is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Don't be astonished that I told you, 'All of you must be born from above.' 

When Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said…” you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not swear falsely, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, you shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy… and then saying, “but I say to you;” he was introducing the new order; a change from the materialism of the covenant and law given at Sinai, to worship of God in spirit and truth. John wrote the Law came through Moses, grace and truth through Jesus. The new covenant took over from the first. The earthly kingdom became the heavenly kingdom. The εκκλησια of Sinai became the εκκλησια of Jesus. The Law written on stone gave way to God’s law written on our hearts. The earthly Israel became the eternal Israel – the family of God.

We need to stop thinking of the Bible as one book. It is a collection of sixty-six separate letters and books. Each writing is unique and specific. Each book must be understood within its context and time. The account of God’s creation, the subsequent fall of man and reconciliation make up the theme of his revealed word. The writings from Matthew to Revelation were all written before the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. They were written during the period of the first covenant.

The Greek word συναγωγή is used 193 times in the LXX, not once is it translated as a building, nor is the English word synagogue used. In the NT the same word συναγωγή all but one time is anglicized. Two times the word indicates an assembly. Every other use of the word suggests a structure. The failure to translate συναγωγή is not accidental. The Catholic and early Protestant Churches and theologians purposely obscured truth to protect traditional doctrines. In the NT the Greek word ἐκκλησία is used 114 times, in the NAS95 it is translated as a church 109 times, twice as a congregation when quoting the OT, and three times as assembly referring to a civic gathering in Ephesus. The Literal Standard Version is a great improvement over the majority of translations when it comes to translating ἐκκλησία but stays with the erroneous use of synagogue. Young’s Literal Translation and the Literal Translation of the Holy Bible also use synagogue. Whatever Aramaic words Jesus used in his conversation with Peter Matthew translated them into Greek including the word ἐκκλησία. Matthew like most at that time would have been very familiar with the LXX, his choice of words would have come from his familiarity with that translation. The same words συναγωγή and ἐκκλησία are used extensively in the Law and Prophets and should be translated the same in the NT as in the OT.

Children born of Israelite parents were automatically citizens of the kingdom, under the covenant and law. Up to the destruction of the temple by the Babylonians, the temple was the focus of worship. It is suggested that the synagogue started during the captivity to teach the Torah to exiles. In the early second temple era, it evolved into a center for worship, study, and humanitarian needs. The synagogue was not the temple, nor the State, it was a human institution. God’s presence remained in the temple. The synagogue supported Jewish people; it wasn’t the εκκλησια or the kingdom, nor was it Israel. People born from above are citizens of the spiritual kingdom, they are the εκκλησια of Jesus, and they are under the new covenant and the law written on their hearts. The synagogue and church are human institutions and can support God’s children on earth. The church is not the εκκλησια or the kingdom. 

synagogue (n.) https://www.etymonline.com/

late 12c., sinagog, "the regular public worship and religious instruction of the Jews," also a place or building for Hebrew worship, from Old French sinagoge "synagogue, mosque, pagan temple" (11c., Modern French synagogue), from Late Latin synagoga "congregation of Jews," from Greek synagōgē "place of assembly; meeting, assembly," in Septuagint and New Testament, "a synagogue." This is etymologically "a bringing together," from synagein "to gather, bring together, assemble," from syn- "together" (see syn-) + agein "put in motion, move" (from PIE root *ag- "to drive, draw out or forth, move").

Synagogue

Gen 1:9  Then God said, "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered (συναγωγην) into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. 

Exo 12:3  "Speak to all the congregation (συναγωγην) of Israel, saying, 'On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers' households, a lamb for each household. 

Exo 35:1  Then Moses assembled all the congregation (συναγωγην) of the sons of Israel, and said to them, "These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do: 

Lev 8:3  and assemble (συναγωγην) all the (εκκλησιασον)  at the doorway of the tent of meeting." 

Num 1:18  and they assembled (συναγωγην) all the congregation (συναγωγην) together on the first of the second month.

Num 10:7  "When convening (συναγαγητε) the assembly (συναγωγην), however, you shall blow without sounding an alarm. 

Num 20:1  Then the sons of Israel, the whole congregation (συναγωγη), came to the wilderness of Zin in the first month; and the people stayed at Kadesh. Now Miriam died there and was buried there.

Deu 5:22  These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly (συναγωγην) at the mountain from the midst of the fire, of the cloud and the thick gloom, with a great voice, and He added no more. He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.

1Ki 12:20, It came about when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent and called him to the (συναγωγην) and made him king over all Israel. None but the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.

Isa 56:8  The Lord GOD, who gathers (συναγων) the dispersed of Israel, declares, "Yet others I will gather (συναγων) to them, to those gathered (συναγωγην).

Mat 4:23  Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues (συναγωγαις) and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. 

Act 13:43  Now when the meeting of the synagogue (συναγωγης) had broken up,

Jas 2:2  For if a man comes into your assembly (συναγωγην) with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes,

Church https://www.etymonline.com/

Old English cirice, circe "place of assemblage set aside for Christian worship; the body of Christian believers, Christians collectively; ecclesiastical authority or power," from Proto-Germanic *kirika (source also of Old Saxon kirika, Old Norse kirkja, Old Frisian zerke, Middle Dutch kerke, Dutch kerk, Old High German kirihha, German Kirche).

This is probably [see extensive note in OED] borrowed via an unrecorded Gothic word from Greek kyriake (oikia), kyriakon doma "the Lord's (house)," from kyrios "ruler, lord," from PIE root *keue- "to swell" ("swollen," hence "strong, powerful"). 

Greek kyriakon (adj.) "of the Lord" was used of houses of Christian worship since c. 300, especially in the East, though it was less common in this sense than ekklesia or basilike. An example of the direct Greek-to-Germanic transmission of many Christian words, via the Goths; probably it was used by West Germanic people in their pre-Christian period.

The word also was picked up by the Slavic tongues, probably via Germanic (Old Church Slavonic crikey, Russian Markov). Finnish kirkko, Estonian kirrik are from Scandinavian. Romance and Celtic languages use variants of Latin ecclesia (such as French église, 11c.).

Phonetic spelling from c. 1200, established by 16c. For vowel evolution, see bury. After the Reformation, church was used for any particular Christian denomination agreeing on doctrine and forms of worship.

Covenant

New International Dictionary of Theology & Exegesis Volume 1.  pp 747-750

Berit - treaty, agreement, alliance, covenant (# 1382).

  ANE The nom. b^erit is so far attested clearly only in Heb. Moreover, it cannot be attached with confidence to any known Heb. verbal root; the suggested link with brh, I eat (Kohler, 3-7), because of the significance of the communion meal in some covenant ceremonies, is not convincing, and the proposed derivation from a brh II requires the postulation of such a root, based on an Akk. parallel (see below).

   There have been three main attempts to explain brh by reference to Akk. The first relates b^erit to the nom. biritu, clasp, fetter, and thus thinks of covenant essentially as a bond (Weinfeld). A second refers to a use in a text from Mari of the Akk. preposition birit, between, and thus sees the covenant as an arrangement between two parties (Noth). The third option, which postulates a vb. brh II, has been influential because of the work of E. Kutsch. Finding a connection with the Akk, baru, see, he argues for an extended meaning in Heb., "select for a task," hence "obligation," on the basis of the form b^eru in I Sam 17:18 (apparently "choose," but the text is disputed; see McCarter, 287). A fourth explanation (not connected with Akk.) is Gerleman's proposal of the meaning "something specially set apart,', deriving b^erit from the root brr. The catalogue of proposals concerning the meaning of b^erit illustrates the close connection between etymological derivation and theological interpretation that has characterized the attempt to understand covenant in the Bible. All the proposals mentioned however, are flawed. (For specific criticisms see Nicholson, 99-103; Barr, 31-35.) In the end, the meaning of "covenant" must be sought by means of a study of its usage.

  The ANE provides another kind of background to the discussion of biblical covenant, however, namely, in its numerous treaties and law codes. In particular, the form of the Hittite vassal-treaty (second millennium) shows strong similarities with that of Deut. Its six elements are: (i) titulary (introducing parties); (ii) historical prologue (rehearsing their past relations); (iii) stipulations; (iv) document clause (requiring the preservation of the document in a temple and its regular reading); (v) god list (i.e., witnesses to the treaty); and (vi) blessings and curses (invoked for keeping-or violating the treaty) (following McCarthy, Treaty,51; cf. slightly differently, Craigie, 22-24). The chief distinguishing mark of the Hittite treaties, as opposed to the Assyrian treaties of the first millennium, is the presence of an historical prologue, which the latter normally lack. Some scholars (Kitchen, Kline, Craigie) accept that Deut follows the Hittite pattern, while others (Weinfeld, McCarthy, Frankena) think that the differences between 2M (Hittite) and 1M (Assyrian) treaties are not so marked that Deut can be dated by its affinities with the former. However, the OT form is ultimately unique.

  The analogy of the treaties helps make the general points that Yahweh is Israel's suzerain and that the covenantal relationship demands for its preservation a certain commitment from the people. In those places where the covenant idea is conveyed in a form resembling that of the treaty, it has a bilateral character, which ill agrees with Kutsch's view of covenant as "obligation" (whether assumed or imposed). The historical prologue is relevant here, because it puts the treaty/covenant into the context of a continuous relationship. (The best or example is Deut 1-3, where the exhortations are put into the context of the relationship between God and Israel since they departed from Mount Sinai.) That the Hittites' use of such a form shows that they had a certain sense of history is often acknowledged (Albrektson, 37-40; Butterfield, 60-71; cf. McCarthy, Treaty, 136f.). The point is not irrelevant to the choice of this particular form (the Hittite vassal-treaty) as the closest model for OT covenantal texts, since it is a first suggestion that covenant in the OT is conceived essentially as relationship.

  OT  1 Covenants between human parties. Covenants between human parties include a covenant of friendship, with an implication of obligation and perhaps even sanction (1 Sam 18:3; 20:8); treaties or agreements of parity between rulers or powerful individuals (Gen 21:27;26:28:31:44;1 Kgs 5:12[26]; 15:19;2 Kgs 11:4); treaties or agreements in which the more powerful party sets the terms (Exod23:32;Dett1:2; Judg2:2; Josh 9:15; I Sam ll:1; Ezek l7:13-18; Jer 34:8) or where the weaker party seeks terms (1 Kgs 20:34:Hos l2:l[2)); and marriage (Mal2:14; cf. Ezek 16:8).

  The concept therefore has a certain flexibility. Covenants can be contracted between individuals, or larger groups, or states. Moreover, they are not uniform in the clarity with which they spell out the commitments of the respective parties. Some clearly involve a mutual commitment (marriage, friendship treaties, and certain of the parity arrangements, e.g., Gen 31:44; cf. v. 52). Others are close to commands, where one party lays obligations upon another and makes no explicit corresponding commitment (e.g., Ezek 17:13-18). Kutsch claimed that many of this type actually implied no such commitment (THAT l:343-44); however, this cannot easily be maintained. Nebuchadnezzar's covenant with Zedekiah implied an undertaking on the part of the former to keep the Jewish kingdom intact as long as its puppet king remained a loyal vassal (Ezek 17 :14). Similarly, the priest Jehoiada's command to the palace troops also implied a promise (2 Kgs Ll:4b, l2). Kutsch's claim, therefore, that covenants with genuinely mutual obligations are secondary has a fragile basis (THAT 1:344).

  2. Covenants between God and his people.

(a) The Noahic covenant. The OT contains a developing story of God's covenants with his chosen people (-> bhr, choose, # 1O47). The first occurrence of the idea is at Gen 6:18, where God promises to establish (heqim) his covenant with Noah (->) This he does after the Flood (9:8-17), and the covenant consists of a promise (vv. 9-11) and a sign (v. 13).

  When Gen 8:22-9:7 is taken as a prelude to the covenantal promise of 9:8-17, the latter has clear verbal connections with the story of creation, especially as in Gen 1 (cf. 9:1 and 1:28; 9:2-3 and 1:29;9:10 and 1:20-25).

  The question arises, therefore, whether the relationship between God and humanity at creation should be read as covenantal, even though the specific terminology of covenant is absent. A plausible exegetical case for creation as covenantal has been made by W. J. Dumbrell, partly on the grounds of the phrase "establish my covenant" in Gen 6:18. The use of the vb. heqim (< qwm [ #'17 56]) in that place, instead of the more usual vb. for initiating a covenant (krt [-> # 4162]; cf. Gen 15:18; 21:27, 32 Exod 23:32, etc.), suggests the reestablishment of something already in place, namely "a divine relationship established by the fact of creation itself" (Dumbrell, 32). (For other uses of heqim, see Gen 17:7,21; Exod 6:4; Deut 8:18; etc.) The use of heqim rather than krt, therefore, has nothing to do with alleged differences of source (and consequently style), but arises from the fact that the covenant referred to in Gen 6:18 is not initiated there (Dumbrell,20-33). Dumbrell then goes on to expound the creation-covenant in terms of kingship, rest, and the covenant demand (Gen 2:16-17; Dumbrell, 33-39). In the same connection, Hos 2:18[20] should be noticed, where God makes a covenant between Israel and the earth; there the covenantal idea is applied to the establishment of a harmonious relationship between God and humankind in the context of their environment.

  A further issue arising from the covenant with Noah is whether it is exclusively promissory. Clearly, the element of promise dominates it, yet here too, when Gen 8:22-9:7 is taken with 9:8-17, the note of command is also present in the prohibition both of murder (vv. 5-6) and of the consumption of blood (v. 4), which is to play an important role in the OT's ritual laws (Lev l7:11) and which is even sustained in the NT (Acts 15:20). In reality, therefore, both promise and command belong within the covenantal thought of Gen 1:1.

  (b) The Abrahamic covenant, God makes covenants with Abraham (->) twice, at Gen 15:18 and 17:2. Both are related by their substance to the promise first made to Abraham in 12:1-3, involving posterity, land, continuing relationship with God, and the goal of blessing for the nations. The emphasis here, too, on promise has led McComiskey (139-77) to identify the Abrahamic covenant as essentially promissory and as fundamental to all biblical

covenant, other covenants being "administrations" of it. However, as with the Noahic covenant, the element of expected response is present (Gen 17:1,9-14). This covenant too has its sign, circumcision (McComiskey).

  (c) The Mosaic covenant. The Mosaic, or Sinai covenant, the heart of which is unfolded in Exod 19-24, is undergirded by God's deliverance of his people from Egyptian slavery (Exod l9:4; 20:2), a connection that links it ultimately to the covenant with Abraham (3:7-14; 6:2-5). Here, however, the emphasis falls on the responsibilities of the people to "keep" the covenant (19:5; cf. Gen 17:9). The "Decalogue" (2O:2-27), supplemented by the laws of the so-called Book of the Covenant (Exod 2l-23), constitutes its main stipulations, and it is ratified by a sacrificial ritual (24:3-8) and a covenantal meal (24:9-11). The erection of the tabernacle (Exod 25-27; 35-40), the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests (Exod 28-29), and the ritual regulations of the book of Leviticus provide the fabric of worship within which the covenant may be sustained.

  The distinctive characteristic of the Mosaic covenant is its setting of God's laws regulating Israel's life in the framework of a theology of the election of Israel by grace. This distinctive feature is illustrated by Exod 19:5-6, at the beginning of the Sinai account, and by the prologue to the Ten Commandments: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery" (20:2).

  The most developed expression of the Mosaic covenant is in Deut (which bears strong resemblances to the form of the Hittite treaties; see above). Deut, in fact, is notable for bringing together the patriarchal (Abrahamic) covenant, primarily a sworn promise focused on the land and blessing in it (4:31), with that of Sinai (always Horeb in Deut), in which command comes to greater prominence (5:1-2). In fact Deut achieves a careful balance between promise and command, between God's initiative and Israel's required response (e.9.,7:9). This balance is illustrated by its varied use of the term b^erit, sometimes in parallel with the idea of oath (4:31), and sometimes with that of command, or law (Torah; 4:13; 5:1-3;31:26).

  Deut also adds to the Horeb covenant another, made in the land of Moab, prior to the entry into the land, a covenant that seems to be a renewal of the former and similar in character (Deut 29-30). Further covenant renewals are recorded at Josh 24 (see v. 25); I Sam 12; 2 Kgs 23:1-3. Deut thus provides a structure for covenantal thought in the OT, which can occur in different kinds of literature, e.g., the prayer in Neh 9:6-10:39; Ps 78.

The "perpetual priesthood" with Aaron's son Phinehas (Num 25:6-18) may be mentioned in connection with the Mosaic covenant. The idea may also underlie I Sam 2:30, 35, in the context of the accusation of Eli and his family of unworthiness for the office, and the passing of the priesthood to another family. The permanence of the promise remains in principle, however (cf. Jer 33:17f., 22).

THE NEW COVENANT – JEREMIAH 31:31-34 An Exegesis Paper   

INTRODUCTION:

            The book of Jeremiah is one of the most significant books in the Bible for both Jews and Christians. It is also considered by some scholars as one of the most difficult book to interpret in the Old Testament and thus it has been misinterpreted by a number of readers throughout the history. Arguably Jeremiah is seen as the longest book in the Old Testament. However, among the prophetical books (Latter prophets), Jeremiah is the longest and its length even exceeds that of all the Minor Prophets combined. Although in the English Bible the book of Isaiah is placed first among the prophets, many Old Testament manuscripts place Jeremiah as the first book of the latter prophets. R. K. Harrison observes that, “a rabbinic tradition preserved in Baba Bathra 14b mentions the three works in the order of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah.”^[1] Thus it shows the importance of Jeremiah in the history of Judaism.   The book of Jeremiah is filled with a large volume of historical details and the biographical narrative of the prophet himself. And thus it should be noted that the exegesis of Jeremiah cannot take place without considering the historical background of the book. The book records a historical power struggle and shift between the Assyrians and the Babylonians. Consequently prophet Jeremiah lived to witness this power struggle and how it affected his own land, Jerusalem. Andrew E. Hill denotes that, “he (Jeremiah) was sent by God at Israel’s darkest hour and proclaimed God’s word at great personal cost for over forty years."^[2] Hence the four decades long ministry of Jeremiah is significant to the history of Israel and the world as well. The authorship of this book is ascribed to Jeremiah by the traditional school according to the superscription in Jer. 1:1-3. According to this short introduction, this book is ascribed to Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah. This position is also maintained by the Talmudic tradition.”^[3] However critical scholars are divided when it comes to the authorship of Jeremiah. Hence, while some scholars argue that the writings of prophet Jeremiah is very minimal in this book, other scholars uphold that the entire book was written by Jeremiah through the help of Baruch.^[4] The latter interpretation is likely the best way to view the authorship of Jeremiah. It was written during seventh or sixth century B.C.            Jeremiah chapters 30 to 33 are seen as the Book of Consolation because of its theology and message of hope and restoration amidst the oracles and prophesies of judgment and destruction. Harry D. Potter remarks that these chapters are called as the Book of Consolation “because they present a picture of hope for the future in a work which the rabbis characterized as being all disaster.”^[5] Thus this passage looks beyond the oracles of judgment and destruction into a bright and lasting future for the people of Israel. Within this passage lies the most significant passages in the entire Old Testament, which is Jer. 31:31-31, the passage of the New Covenant. Walter C. Kaiser views this passage as the most sensitive of all theological texts.^[6] For D. R. Jones, the New Covenant passage is the “defining of the new divine dispensation in terms of new and deeper appropriation of the divine instruction (Torah) which has made this passage central to the Christian Bible and given a name to the New Testament.”^[7] Thus it shows the significant of this passage not just within Judaism but also in Christianity as well. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and exegete Jer. 31:31-34 and bring out its form and structure, and also its literary, historical and theological context. It will also provide a framework for its application in today’s world.   

TRANSLATION OF THE TEXT:

31. Behold, the days are coming, utters (says) the Lord, when I will cut (make), with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, a new covenant. Not like the covenant which I cut (made) with their fathers, in (the) day I lay firm by their hand to bring them out from the land of Egypt. Because they broke the covenant, when I married them, utters (says) the Lord. For this (is) the covenant that I cut (make) with the house of Israel, after those days, utters (says) the Lord, I gave (will give) the law in their inner part, and in their mind/heart, I will write it.  And I became their God and they will be to me a people (they will be my people) And they will not again/once more teach, a man his neighbor, a man his brother, saying know the Lord! Because they all will know me, from their youngest and up to their greatest, utters (says) the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity/guilt and in regard to their sin I will not remember again/once    

FORM AND STRUCTURE:

            The form and structure of the book of Jeremiah as a whole is complicated. Since it is the collection of the prophecies or the oracles of Jeremiah, it is not arranged according to the chronological order, but based on the insight of the compiler. However, it is not entirely non chronological. Charles Feinberg observes that “a book maybe arranged topically rather than chronologically. Indeed its order maybe a combination of both.”^[8] Therefore it should be noted that, although the order of the book is not entirely arranged according to the chronology, it still stands as the inspired Word of God. The entire book of Jeremiah can be constructed in a chiastic structure.^[9] 

Call of Jeremiah (1)

prophecies of Judah and Jerusalem (2-35)

Prior to the fall of Jerusalem (36-38)

The fall (39)

C. After the fall of Jerusalem (40-45)

B. Prophecies of other nations (46-51)

A. Fall of Jerusalem (52)

According this chiastic structure the fall of Jerusalem takes the central place in the entire book. Because of the disobedience of the children of Israel, the temple, which was regarded as the most significant aspect in Judaism, was taken away from them. They lost the very core of their culture, faith, and theology because of their sins against the almighty God. Nevertheless, in spite of this oracle of judgment, disaster, and tragedy, God promises restoration and deliverance to his people in the Book of Consolation. The book of Jeremiah can also be divided into three different books, as seen by Gordon McConville. 

The call narrative (1)

Book of Consolation (30-33)

The oracle against the nations (46-51)^[10]

These are considered different individual books or blocks because of the unique ending of each sections and also the linguistic, literary, and structural difference among them. Interestingly the oracle against the nations (46-51) is placed right after Jeremiah 25 in the LXX. J. A. Thompson divide the book into three different collections which has some similarity with the division of McConville. 

Chapters 1-25: Divine judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem

Chapters 30-33: The Book of Consolation

Chapters 46-51: Oracle against the nations^[11] 

Similar view is also shared by C. Hassell Bullock, in which he categorizes Jeremiah into three different books: Book one – the basic collection (1:1-25:13), Book two – the Book of Consolation (30-31), and book three – the oracle against the nations (46-51).^[12] One of the common factors among all these divisions is the importance given to the Book of

Consolation. However the number of chapters considered as the Book of Consolation differs between scholars, and thus it can range between chapters 30-33. 

            In a narrower context, chapter 31 can be viewed in a chiastic structure 

Promise of the reestablishment of the city (vv. 23-26)

Assurance of God for Israel (vv. 27-30)

The promise of the New Covenant (vv. 31-34)

     B. Assurance of God for Israel (vv. 35-37)

A. Promise of the reestablishment of the city (vv. 38-40)

This chiastic structure places the New Covenant passage in the most significant position. The phrase “behold the days are coming” occurs three times in this chapter, including the New Covenant passage. This phrase is considered to be the proclamation of redemption and thus it is related with salvation of God. Gerald L. Keown remarks that “in this proclamation of salvation, the Lord, speaking in the first person, promises to make a new covenant with Israel and Judah and to forgive their sins.”^[13] Hence the New Covenant passage is the foreshadow of the salvation of God, which was consequently provided through the work of Jesus Christ. 

The New Covenant passage can be divided into two different genre, prose (31-33a), and poetry (33b-34). William L. Holladay observes a chiastic structure in both these divisions. In the first part, which is the prose;

The days I shall make with the house of Israel…a New Covenant

The Old Covenant 

Salvation history (on the day I took them by hand…out of the land of Egypt)

C. The Old Covenant 

B. This is the covenant which I shall make with the house of Israel 

A. The time^[14]

This structure clearly reveals that the New Covenant is all about the salvific history of God.

This passage includes the period of the covenant, the two parties of the covenant (Lord and

Israel), the name of the covenant and the characteristics of the covenant. Another interesting observation that can be seen in this passage is the phrase “says the Lord,” which are introductory formulas, which occurs four times. Clifton J. Allen declares that this “structure suggests that this is revelation…an intimate, authoritative communication from Yahweh.”^[15] This adds more weight and significance to the New Covenant passage. 

LITERARY-HISTORICAL AND BIBLICAL-THEOLOGICAL CONTEXT:

            According to the literary analysis of the book of Jeremiah, it is rightly called as the book of books because of its inclusion of smaller books within the book. Each of these sub books or smaller collections are introduced by the phrase, “the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah concerning…” The type of literature can be divided into two main categories: prose and poetry. S. Mowinckel points out three different sources in Jeremiah: poetical oracles, biographical narratives, and prose sermons.^[16] These three different sources are largely attributed to different authors by scholars. Walter Brueggemann denotes that the poetic utterances are from Jeremiah, the biographical narratives are from Baruch, and the prose sermons reflects the theological overlay of Deuteronomic theologians.^[17] This is one of the reasons for the literary and structural differences within the book of Jeremiah. However, as mentioned before this does not nullify the inspiration of God and also it does not reject Jeremiah as the main authentic author of this book.   

            The Book of Consolation contains both poetry and prose. The opening chapters (30-

31) of the Book of Consolation is predominantly in a poetic form and the last two chapters (32-33) are predominantly in the structure of prose. Hence the New Covenant passage falls into the literary genre of poem. In Jer. 31:22 the Lord declares that He will create a new thing on earth and consequently in verse 31 this new thing is introduced as the New Covenant. And the passage goes on to elaborate on what the New Covenant is all about and how it will restore the broken relationship between God and humanity through Jesus Christ. The book of Jeremiah gives numerous historical details and thus constructing the historical background of Jeremiah is much easier compared to other historical books in the Old Testament. The ministry of Jeremiah spans over four decades, from 627 to 587 B.C.

However a number of scholars argue that his ministry ended before or went beyond 587 B.C. Nevertheless we can say that his ministry lasted approximately forty long and agonizing years. He lived in the period where three great super powers of the world collided with each other, namely Assyria, Babylonia, and Egypt. During his life time he witnessed the reign of Assyrian kings Sinsharishkun, Ashurbanipal, and Ashuraballit II, and also Babylonian Kings Nabopolassar and Nebuchadnezzar. His ministry was centered in Judah and hence he experienced the reign of Judean kings Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, the last king of the entire nation of Israel. His contemporaries were Habakkuk, Daniel, Ezekiel, and Zephaniah. 

During Jeremiah’s time the kingdom of Israel was already taken over by the Assyrians in 722 B.C., and the Israelites were deported to Assyria. It rose to become the super power in the world, even conquering Egypt. However during the reign of Josiah, Asshurbanipal was losing his power in the kingdom of Assyria. In 665 B.C. Egypt rebelled against Assyria and got its independence under Psammetichus I. Asshurbanipal was succeeded by the unstable reign of Sinsharishkun. This was the period when the book of the law was found in Judah in 622 B.C. Peter C. Craigie rightly notes that “Assyria’s problem with larger foes made it possible for Josiah to pursue a plan of national renaissance. Josiah is remembered for his religious or cultic reform, but it must be remembered that the reform had its political side.”^[18] Eventually in 612 B.C. Nineveh fell to the Babylonians and in 605 B.C the Egyptians also lost to the Babylonians at the famous battle of Carchemish. In 605 B.C. the first exile took place and Daniel and others were taken to Babylon. In 598 B.C. Jerusalem was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar and in 597 B.C. Jehoiachin and his people were taken into captivity. The puppet king Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon in 594 B.C. which brough about the final siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 588 B.C. Consequently and sadly according to the prophecies of the Lord, the city and the temple was destroyed in 587 B.C. According to Jer. 43:6 Jeremiah was taken away to Egypt along with Baruch. 

            This historical background shows the darkest period of Judah in its entire history.

Many scholars agree that the New Covenant passage was written after the destruction of the city and the temple. Clifton Allen denotes that this “revelation came during or shortly after the tragedy of 587, when the man who had been walking the way of a cross stood in the midst of the destruction of all that he treasured – save his relationship to God.”^[19] According to Holladay, it was written in the autumn of 587 B.C., after the destruction of the city and the temple.”²⁰ A similar view is held by John Bright as he remarks that “it is, therefore, quite possible to argue that the entire piece (Jer.31) was composed by the prophet toward the end of his career, perhaps just after Jerusalem fell.”^[20] At this time in history the Jews were in a great distress because they just witnessed the destruction of their beloved city and holy temple. Their only hope, the temple, was lost forever and they thought that their life as a people has come to an end. 

            To this broken, ruined, distressed and desperate people, the message of New Covenant was delivered as an encouragement and as a hope for the future. According to the prophecies of Jeremiah the temple and the city was destroyed because of the sins of the Israelites. Until the time they saw the destruction, they never heeded to the words of Jeremiah. At this point in history they began to realize their sin and they began to despise themselves because of their disobedience. However, God was not done with them, the Word of the Lord came once again to Jeremiah, and this time it was not a message of doom and destruction, but it was a message of hope, faith, restoration, and reestablishment. They, time and time again, broke the Old Covenant which was given to them at Mount Sinai and thus God had to enter into a New Covenant with them in order to restore and rebuild the broken relationship.           

            In Jer. 31:33 an interesting observation can be made from the phrase “I will put my law in their minds and write in on their hearts.” The idea of extispicy was not something new to the people of Israel during the period of Jeremiah. Steven Voth rightly asserts that “the idea of writing divine revelation on the human heart was not a strange image for the ancient inhabitants of Judah, Surrounded by pagan culture, they would have been aware of what is known as extispicy.”^[21] It was a pagan practice in which a young animal, especially ram, was killed in order to find out the answer for a question or an inquiry in the internal organs (heart, liver, lungs) of the slaughtered animal. John Walton notes that “both the verbs of this verse (put, write) and the nouns (mind, heart) are the same words as are used in extispicy omens in Akkadian literature.”^[22] But this was not practiced by the Israelites and Jeremiah merely uses this term in order to make the people understand what God is going to do. God was about to place his divine Words in the hearts of the people so that they may know the ways of the Lord. It was used as a tool of contextualization and thus does not carry any pagan meaning to it.  

 THE CONCEPT OF COVENANT – בּרִית (A WORD STUDY):^[23]

            The most significant word that occurs in this passage (Jer. 31:31-34) is בִּרִית which is translated as “covenant.” The etymology of בִּרִית is unclear and a number of suggestions have been made. However the most convincing etymology comes from the Akkadian word biritu which means “clasp” or “fetter” or “bond.”^[24] The original meaning of בִּרִית is largely misunderstood most of the times. It is usually translated as an agreement between two parties. However, בִּרִית, in its etymological sense gives the “notion of ‘imposition,’ ‘liability,’ or ‘obligation.’”^[25] Thus it is “synonymous with law and commandment.”²⁷ And it is usually confirmed by an oath. The oaths keeps the two party not to break the covenant and it validates and strengthens the covenant. This shows the legal aspect and the seriousness of the term בִּרִית. Nevertheless covenant not only have its serious legal aspect but it also has the emotional aspects such as love, friendship, and relationship as well.  

The biblical covenants such as Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic covenants have the same characters as mentioned before. The Lord entered into a covenantal relationship with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai. The people of Israel were required to observe this covenant in order to be successful in their journey. This structure resembles the ancient Near Eastern suzerain-vassal treaties, which deals with covenants and covenantal renewals of the ancient societies. The treaty of Suppiluliumas, written by the greatest king of the Hittites reflects this aspect.^[26] In a similar line, George E. Mendenhall argues that “the underlying literary structure of Ex. 20; Deut. 5; Josh. 24 and the whole book of Deuteronomy resembled the structure of a Hittite treaty...”^[27] Sadly, the people of Israel repeatedly broke this covenant with God and ultimately the wrath of God fell upon them. The repeated warnings of prophet Jeremiah fell on deaf ears and alas the day of judgment came on the Israelites in 586 B.C. However God’s unconditional love for His people did not allow them to be totally destroyed by His wrath.

And the result was the promise of a New Covenant, a new hope, a message of restoration. The New Covenant in Jer. 31:31 shares the same characteristic with the Old Mosaic covenant and also with the ANE treaties and covenants. The term “New Covenant” only appears in Jer. 31:31 in the entire Old Testament. However the concept and ideals of a new covenant can be seen right throughout the Old Testament. Walter Kaiser asserts that the “following expressions can be equated with the New Covenant: the ‘everlasting covenant’ (Jer. 32:40; 50:5; Ezek. 16:60; Isa. 24:5), a ‘new heart’ or a ‘new spirit’ (Ezek. 11:19; Jer. 32:39 LXX), the ‘covenant of peace’ (Isa. 54:10; Ezek. 34:25)_, and ‘a covenant’ or ‘my covenant’ which is placed ‘in that day’ (Isa. 42:6; Hos. 2:18-20; Isa. 59:21).”^[28] Consequently when Jeremiah uttered these words it was not a new concept for the audience. They already knew what it really was and this gave them a sense of hope in their dire situation. 

APPLICATION: ORIGINAL SETTING:

            The original setting of the New Covenant passage is, as mentioned earlier, a message of hope to the Jews, during the sixth century B.C., who witnessed the destruction of the symbol of their heritage, the temple, and their beloved city of David, Jerusalem. The people of Israel forsook the commandments of YHWH and broke the covenant that was made at Mount Sinai. They believed that the external works of the law would keep them safe from all harm. However, because God loved His people, He confronted the people of their sins through the prophets. But the message of the prophets were totally neglected and finally the wrath of God was poured upon the children of Israel. Interestingly, this was not the end of the story, but rather it was a beginning of a new chapter in God’s historical redemptive plan. There was a tension between His wrath for righteousness sake and his love. It stood in opposition to each other. Finally the love of God overcame his righteous wrath and thus God promised to make a New Covenant with the people of Israel in order to offer them a second chance. Jeremiah who is regarded as the weeping prophet, finally comes up with the message of joy and gladness, a message of God’s grace and mercy upon His people.

            This New Covenant has been sometimes misunderstood as a covenant which is completely new and different than the Old Covenant. David Kimi rightly “asserts that ‘not like the covenant’ does not mean ‘not the covenant’, but rather the Sinai covenant fundamentally changed.”^[29] Along this line, Christopher J. H. Wright notes that “there is continuity of core dimensions that were intrinsic to God’s relationship with Israel from the start, along with radical newness in how those dimensions would henceforth be experienced or practiced.”^[30] Therefore the New Covenant was based in the Sinai Covenant and not based on something else. Therefore it can be clearly stated that there is a continuity and also a discontinuity between the Old and New Covenant. 

            One of the important aspect of the New Covenant which took the original audience by surprise is the genuine internalized obedience to God. In the Old Mosaic Covenant God commands the people of Israel to place His law in their hearts (Deut. 6:6). However, in the New Covenant God takes the trouble to ‘put’ and ‘write’ the law of God in their hearts. This initiative was intended to help the Israelites obey the law of God. Louis Stulman rightly argues that “the internalization of the law empowers Israel to love and obey God. It allows Israel to break out of its cycle of failure and fulfill the demands of the covenant.”^[31] Although the people of God were unable to keep the Old Covenant, this New Covenant gave them a hope of maintaining this covenant without breaking it with the initiation of God’s redemptive work. 

            This Covenant also promises a universal knowledge of God based on the internalized obedience to God’s law, which is motivated by the initiation of God. The final aspect of the

New Covenant is the total, unmerited forgiveness of God. This forgiveness foreshadows the redemptive work of God accomplished by Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Charles Dyer and Eugene Merrill points out that “the New Covenant will provide for forgiveness of Israel’s wickedness through the shedding of Jesus’ blood. Forgiveness of sin would be part of the New Covenant only because God provided a Substitute to pay the penalty.”^[32] Although the original audience did not have the complete revelation of Messiah (Jesus Christ) they still looked forward to the redemption of the Messiah. William McKane and Louis Stulman go one step further and points out the significance of forgiveness in the New Covenant. According to McKane “forgiveness of sin is the presupposition or ground of the installation of the New Covenant.”^[33] For Stulman “the syntax of verse 34 suggests that forgiveness is more than a characteristic of the New Covenant; it is the very basis of the astonishing workings of God.”^[34] Therefore it is right to say that the whole aspect of the New Covenant is based on the forgiveness of God, which is the salvific plan of God realized through the work of his Son, Jesus Christ. 

GENERAL PRINCIPLE:

            The general principle of the New Covenant passage is that even though we go through calamities and disasters in our lives due to our sinful nature and sinful deeds, God as the loving Father, as the husband, always offers hope and restoration in our lives when we internalize his commandments and law. Yes God judges, but at the same time His love endures forever. The remnant will always be saved by God and his promises of hope keeps us alive even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. 

APPLICATION TODAY:

             When it comes to the Christian application of the Jewish Scripture, the Old Testament, the New Covenant passage is translated into a Christian language and concept even without analyzing the historical background of the passage. A number of Christians tend to assume that this New Covenant in Jeremiah was given to the Christians and not to the Jews. This has led to the theology of supersessionism or replacement theology, which argues that the Church has replaced Israel in God’s redemptive plan. Brueggemann rightly asserts that “thus we are right to posit a deep discontinuity between old and new, but that deep discontinuity is not between Jews and Christians, but between recalcitrant Jews prior to 587 and transformed Jews after 587 who embrace the covenant newly offered by God.”^[35] There is no ground to prove the existence of replacement theology in the entire Scripture. Thus this New Covenant was originally given to the Jews as a message of hope. Nevertheless, because of the repeated disobedience of Israel, the Gentiles were given an opportunity to enter into the kingdom of God. 

            The exact fulfillment of this New Covenant has puzzled many scholars down through the centuries. It should be noted that this prophesy contains multiple layers of fulfillment in the history. It was partially fulfilled during the period of Ezra, Nehemiah and Malachi. And in the New Testament it was partially fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost. Charles Feinberg denotes that “because Israel rejected the covenant in the first advent, Gentiles availed themselves of its provisions; and Israel will yet ratify it at the climax of her history (Zech, 12:10-13:1).”^[36] It is definitely being fulfilled in the current era, however it will not reach its consummation until the coming of Jesus Christ. Along this line, Dyer and Merrill asserts that, “while the ultimate fulfillment of this covenant awaits the millennial reign of Christ, the church today participates in some of the benefits of that covenant. By her union with Christ, the church shares in many of the spiritual blessings promised to Israel…”³⁹ They go on to say that “ultimately the New Covenant will be fulfilled when Israel is restored to her God in the future kingdom age.”^[37] Hence, although the New Covenant applies to Christians today, it does not do away with God’s salvific plan for the Jews. 

            The New Covenant passage is the longest Old Testament passage which is quoted in the New Testament (Heb. 8:8-12). This passage occurs in the context of Christ, as the high priest. George H. Guthrie states that the New Covenant passage in the New Testament “plays a vital role in in the book’s discourse on Christ’s superior high-priestly offering, laying the groundwork for the climax of the book’s Christological exposition.”^[38] This shows that The New Covenant passage is placed in a significantly strategic place to emphasize the work of Christ on the cross. Hence, for Christians, this passage gives a greater revelation of what Christ has achieved on the cross for our behalf in order to forgive our sins and include us into this New Covenant of God. 

            As Christians this passage commands us to internalize our obedience to God. He has put His laws in our minds and the commandments in our hearts so that we may continue to obey Him and abide in His love forever. When the law of God is on our heart the Holy Spirit will enable us to obey God in and through our lives. R. E. Clements notes that “although the word ‘Spirit’ is not used, the implication is certainly that God’s Spirit will move the hearts of Israel to be obedient to the divine law.”^[39] Consequently not only the hearts of Israel, but also the hearts of Christians today are moved by the Holy Spirit in order to enable us to obey the Word of the Lord. 

            The law of God is the Word of the Lord, and hence when God promises that He will put and write his law in our hearts and mind, it foreshadows the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The Word became flesh and dwelled among us two thousand years ago, and those who believe in this incarnated Word of God, who is Jesus Christ, carry this Word, who is Jesus, in their hearts. Thus when God promised this in New Covenant, it can mean that today Jesus, as the Word of God, lives in our hearts and helps us to obey the commandments of God. And this is our hope today. We may go through the same situation that the children of Israel faced during the time of Jeremiah, however amidst the trouble and problem, God comforts us with His Word of hope and restoration.      

BLIOGRAPHY

Allen, Clifton J. ed., Jeremiah – Daniel, The Broadman Bible Commentary, vol. 6. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1971.

 Beale, G. K. and D. A. Carson, eds., Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007.

Bright, John Jeremiah, The Anchor Bible Commentary. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1984.

Brueggemann, Walter. A Commentary on Jeremiah: Exile and Homecoming. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998. 

Bullock, C. Hassell, An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books. Chicago: Moody Press, 1986.

 Clements, R. E. Jeremiah, Interpretation. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1929.

 Craigie, Peter C. Page H. Kelley, and Joel F. Drinkard, Jr., Jeremiah 1-25, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 26. Texas: Word Books Publishers, 1991.

 Dearman, J. Andrew. Jeremiah and Lamentations, The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002. 

 Dyer, Charles and Eugene Merrill, Nelson’s Old Testament Survey. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001.

 Feinberg, Charles L. Isaiah – Ezekiel, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol.6. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986.

 Harrison, R. K. Jeremiah and Lamentation, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Illinois: Inter-Varsity Press, 1973.

 Hill, Andrew E. and John H. Walton, A Survey of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009.

 Holladay, William L. Jeremiah 2, Hermeneia: A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1989.

 Huey, F. B. Jr., Jeremiah & Lamentations, The New American Commentary. Tennessee: Broadman Press, 1993.

 Kaiser, Walter C. Jr., and Duane Garrett, NIV Archaeological study bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006.  

 Kaiser, Walter C, Jr. "The old promise and the New Covenant: Jeremiah 31:31-34." Journal Of The Evangelical Theological Society15, no. 1 (December 1, 1972): 11-23. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed May 21, 2015).

 Keown, Gerald L., Pamela J. Scalise, and Thomas G. Smothers, Jeremiah 26-52, Word Biblical Commentary, vol.27. Texas: Word Book Publisher, 1995.

McConville, Gordon Exploring the Old Testament: The Prophets, vol.4. London: SPCK, 2002.

 McKane, William. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Jeremiah, International Critical Commentary, vol.2. Edinburg: T&T Clark, 1996.

 Mendenhall, George E. Law and Covenant in Israel and the Ancient Near East. Pittsburg: Biblical Colloquium, 1955.

 Potter, Harry D. "The new covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34." Vetus Testamentum 33, no. 3 (July 1, 1983): 347-357. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed May 21, 2015).

Stulman, Louis. Jeremiah, Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2005.

Sweeney, Marvin A. Tanak: A Theological and Critical Introduction to the Jewish Bible. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2012.

Thompson, J. A. The Book of Jeremiah, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1980.

Walton, John H. ed., Isaiah – Daniel, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009.

Walton, John H. Victor H. Matthews, and Mark W. Chavalas, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. Illinois: Inter Varsity Press, 2000.

Weck, G. Johannes Botter and Helmer Ringgren, eds. Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, vol.2. Translated by John T. Willis. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1975. 

Wright, Christopher J. H. The Message of Jeremiah, The Bible Speaks Today. Illinois: Inter Varsity Press, 2014.

 New Covenant Given to Israel

Exo 19:3-6  Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel:  'You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to Myself.  'Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;  and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel."

Exo 24:7, 8  Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!"  So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, "Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words." 

Exo 31:16-18  So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed. When He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God. 

Exo 34:10-28  Then God said, "Behold, I am going to make a covenant. Before all your people I will perform miracles which have not been produced in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you live will see the working of the LORD, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to perform with you. Be sure to observe what I am commanding you this day: behold, I am going to drive out the Amorite before you, and the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst. But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim—for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God—otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice, and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. 

Lev 26:44-46  'Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I so abhor them as to destroy them, breaking My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. But I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the LORD.' These are the statutes and ordinances and laws which the LORD established between Himself and the sons of Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai. 

Deu 4:12-14  "Then the LORD spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form—only a voice. So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. The LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might perform them in the land where you are going over to possess it. 

Deu 5:1-3  Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: "Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I am speaking today in your hearing, that you may learn them and observe them carefully. The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. The LORD did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, with all those of us alive here today." 

Deu 9:9-11  "When I went up to the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant which the LORD had made with you, then I remained on the mountain forty days and nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water.  The LORD gave me the two tablets of stone written by the finger of God; and on them were all the words which the LORD had spoken with you at the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly. It came about at the end of forty days and nights that the LORD gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant." 

Deu 29:24,25  "All the nations will say, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this land? Why this great outburst of anger?' Then men will say, 'Because they forsook the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt."

Jer 31:31-34  "Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." 

Mat 26:28,29  for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom.

Act 3:24-26  "And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days. It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, 'AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.' "For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways." 

Rom 11:26-29  And so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, "Out of Zion will come the Deliverer; he will banish ungodliness from Jacob." And this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins. As regards the gospel they are enemies of God for your sake; but as regards election they are beloved, for the sake of their ancestors; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 

1Co 11:25,26  In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes."

2Co 3:6-8  who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stone tablets, came in glory so that the people of Israel could not gaze at Moses' face because of the glory of his face, a glory now set aside, how much more will the ministry of the Spirit come in glory? 

2Co 3:14-17  But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 

Heb 7:22  accordingly Jesus has also become the guarantee of a better covenant. 

Heb 8:6-13  But Jesus has now obtained a more excellent ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted through better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need to look for a second one. God finds fault with them when he says: "The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; not like the covenant that I made with their ancestors, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in my covenant, and so I had no concern for them, says the Lord. This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach one another or say to each other, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more." In speaking of "a new covenant," he has made the first one obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old will soon disappear. 

Heb 9:15  For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant. 

Heb 9:18-20  Hence not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. 

Heb 9:19  For when every commandment had been told to all the people by Moses in accordance with the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the scroll itself and all the people, saying, "This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds," 

Heb 10:17,18  he also adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more. Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. 

Heb 10:28,29  Anyone who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy "on the testimony of two or three witnesses." How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by those who have spurned the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant by which they were sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace? 

Heb 12:22-28  But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking; for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven! At that time his voice shook the earth; but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven." This phrase, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of what is shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; 

Heb 13:20,21  Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 

MESSIANIC EXPECTATIONS OF SECOND TEMPLE JUDAISM  -  Syed Waqas

Bab-ul-Ilm Research Foundation, Pakistan   www.birf.weebly.com

 Contents

 Chapter--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Page

 Introduction----------------------------------------------------------------------------3

1.  The Second Temple Period Messianic Views------------------------------------7

2.  Judeo-Christian Conflict on Messiah----------------------------------------------14

3.  Bibliography---------------------------------------------------------------------------18

             INTRODUCTION

The entire religious movement of humanity, broadly speaking, is centered around a heropersona in a peculiarly unique way, who, as it is believed, brings the supernatural into a direct contact—and most definitely into a personal relationship—with humankind. This hero of the landscape of religion is known in multiple roles and conceptual outlooks, such as that of a prophet, a sage, a messiah, a human incarnation of a god etc. Such a hero often undertakes an extended role of performing apocalyptic deliverance and salvation of his followers, and therefore is enshrined as the undertaker of the fulfillment of the aspirations of his followers.^[40]

Interestingly enough, almost all major religions of the world have the motif of apocalyptic savior present in their teachings.^[41] Hinduism, for instance, believes in the emergence of Kalki Avatar; Buddhism awaits the final Bodhisattva, the Maitreya; Zoroastrians believe their superiority over the world will be restored by the apocalyptic deliverer, Saoshyant; Judaism desires for the emergence of their long awaited Davidic Messiah; Islam maintains that Jesus Christ and a rightly guided figure, al-Mahdi, will fill the world with justice in the Apocalyptic age; and above all Christianity upholds the view that Jesus is the promised Christ of ancient prophecy who is going to return for a second turn in order to usher in the apocalyptic age and fulfill the promise of the Kingdom of God.^[42]     

 It is no wonder, historically, that the hope of a God-sent savior was one of the foundational blocks of the Second Temple Judaism (c. 515 BCE to 70 CE). The Jewish religion survived if on anything in their exiles after their staunch adherence to the principle of monotheism, it was this hope of a deliverer, which was 'a major focus of, and driving force behind, Jewish religious belief and behavior.'^[43] The belief that a king in the likeness of King David will emerge and restore Israel in its glory is deep rooted in the national teachings of Judaism in the postexilic age, which attains maturity in the late Second Temple period. The prophets have already spoken of this matter, both in ambiguous and obvious terms, prophesying the emergence of a messianic deliverer that will address the Jewish hopes of Israel's national restoration and all injustice against them will be brought to an end. Isaiah 9:7 and Jeremiah 23:5 are, for instance, direct references to such a hope of an eschatological ruler's emergence for the glory of Israel after the dark phase of terror and tribulation. In fact, Isaiah's prophecy appears to be the most prominent expression of Israel's apocalyptic vision in this context.

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.^[44]

 It is, therefore, a determined sociological-historical fact that the Israelites were led to believe in the coming of a Messianic deliverer as a part of their piety, because, in their pious understanding of future, the Messiah would bring their glory back as God's chosen people and they would rule the nations that had hitherto mastered them; such a thing would be the national salvation of Israel and the inauguration of the Kingdom.^[45] This motif ran across the socio-cultural fabric of the Jewish population in Judea and the Jewish Diaspora in the world around.^[46] Their religious philosophy, literature, political discourse, and even folk culture reflected the hope as well as the boast of the rise of their Davidic ruler from within the ethnic line of Jewish people.    

 In simple terms, the Jews of the Second Temple Judaism period were anticipating the rise of the awaited eschatological Messiah, the Teacher of Righteousness, from within themselves, so that the deliverer could teach Jews the true righteousness and abolish wickedness.^[47] It was unlike the unpopular interpretation of messianic references of the Hebrew Bible by Josephus that this promised Messiah of the Jews was, in fact, the Roman Emperor Vespasian who had come to judge the Jews and thus rose to the Roman throne from Judean territory—fulfilling the Hebrew Bible's prophecy.^[48] 

 The hopes and expectations of the Jewish people across the board were indeed high—for some to the point of becoming zealous missionaries of an imminently approaching apocalypse. The religiously fervent community in the hills of Jordanian village of Qumran, the Essenes, for instance, were such Jewish zealots who had been preparing under the strict code of the Law for the arrival of the Messiah in order to join him and march against the "Sons of Darkness"—the manifestation of which was the Roman Empire.^[49] Other segments of Jewish society had their preparations underway in their own unique ways—orthodox, tribal, academic, political etc—in order for them to envisage their role in the Messiah they had framed in their minds. 

THE SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD MESSIANIC VIEWS

   The Second Temple period of the Jewish history is that particular time-zone when the concept of Messiah assumed a more articulate and cogent form among the Jews.^[50] It gradually rose to surface and floated around to become more tangibly recognizable, especially in the oral teachings of the Rabbis that in the downstream of Jewish thought came to be known as the Talmud by the 5th century CE.^[51] This paved the way for the concept to be known and understood at the most appealing level of ordinary Judean people. Such a popular understanding of the concept of Messiah can be witnessed in the canonical Gospels of the Christian New Testament where it is maintained that the ordinary Judeans were acutely aware of the coming of the

Messiah and were therefore psychologically prepared for his reception (Mark 12:35; 14:61, 15:32, John 1:25, 41). The ministry of John the Baptist, by and large, is also viewed by Christians in this particular context (Matthew 3:1-12).    

 Since the Second Temple Judaism was a period when the influx of Hellenistic culture started redefining and reshaping the social fabric of Judea across the board, the language of the Jews also undertook the Hellenistic influence and bore its mark.^[52] The Greek term Χρήστος,

"Christos," came to be recognized with the Hebrew term מִָׁשִׁי חַ, "Mashiah" (Aramaic, Meshiha). In the Talmud and Midrash, moreover, the word Messiah has also been employed with reference to the personal name of the awaited king.^[53] The primary reason why the concept underwent a philosophical transformation into Greek was that the word Messiah needed to be kept up to the mark especially after the emergence of Greek Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint, because the word was inconsistent with the Greek linguistic and cultural consciousness in its original lexical and theological thresholds.^[54] The Hebrew concept of the "anointed one," therefore, had to be borrowed to correlate with a Greek term that had the connotations of a "savior." As a result, it was recognized with the Greek word Christos in order to make it more appealing to the popular audience. 

 The idea of ceremonial anointing a person to symbolize authority was essentially a Near Eastern concept that the Hebrews came to idealize and put in national practice for their institution of kingship.^[55] The Hebrew Bible, Tanakh¸ explicitly employs this term for both the king (Psalm 2:2) and the High Priest (Leviticus 8:10-12). It was even practiced at lower levels of nobility and priesthood; however, the first and foremost use of this symbolic ritual was associated with the king. In Hebrew, the ritual was called Ru'ah Yahweh, "the Spirit of the Lord," meaning the conferring of the support (I Samuel 16:13–14; 18:12), strength (Psalm 89:21–25), and wisdom (Isaiah 11:1–4) of the Lord upon the holy king of Israel.^[56] The Israelites believed that the kings were divine representatives among them who had been endowed with the will of

God to be ordained so. The Israelite kings were, therefore, anointed under the divine blessing with sacred oil, which mandated them to be followed by the entire Israelite nation as a religious obligation. 

 Speaking of the conceptualization of the Messiah among the Jews, there was not, as one might presume, only one monolithic doctrine of Messiah present among the Jews across the board in the Second Temple Judaism. As a matter of fact, several competing views were held by the various segments of the Jewish society, which all did not 'form a coherent whole' and thus 'cannot be reduced to a single Jewish messianic expectation in the late Second Temple period.'^[57] These views ranged from the expectation of the coming of a militaristic Messiah to a spiritual sage, from a pacifist peace-loving savior to a mighty political leader, and from a king in the likeness of David to two Messiahs with distinct spiritual and political roles.^[58] Some historical movements, such as the Maccabean revolt against the Greek rule (167-160 BCE), the First Jewish Roman War (CE 66-70), the Bar Kokhba revote against Rome (CE 132-136), and other similar events of note in the Jewish history always sold conviction to the Jews at a popular level that their promised Messiah had arrived for liberation. To their disappointment, however, every single one of their millenarian Messiahs failed.^[59] The rebellion of Bar Kokhba was, in fact, particularly important because Simon Bar Kokhba, a Jewish political leader of the second century, also recognized as Messiah by Rabbi Akiba, was an ideal candidate for the Jewish perception of their Messiah, and therefore they 'cheerfully spilled their blood in his service, because he was the type of that Messiah of which they had dreamed.'^[60] 

 Mark 13:5-7 contains references to the future claims to Christhood and violence that such claims would entail. Jesus forewarns his disciples about the coming of such times in order to prepare his followers. Moreover, it is also important to note that John the Baptist, too, has been viewed as the Jewish Messiah by more than one group in history. A group of obscure religious origin, often connected with the Essenes of Qumran, called Mandaeans, for instance, believed that John the Baptist was the real promised Messiah.^[61] An obscure reference to such an air of belief can also be found in John 1:22-25, where the author of John's Gospel quotes Pharisees asking this crucial question to John the Baptist: "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”^[62]   

 It is not difficult to ascertain in the light of the above analysis why Jesus' claim to Christhood was rejected by the majority of his compatriots. The Jews, as already discussed, viewed their savior in a different persona in the first century's military-action paradigm when Jesus started his ministry and it was claimed of him that he was the awaited Jewish Messiah (John 1:29-34). The undergirding theme of the Jewish notion of the Messiah, if anything was common at all among Messianic views, was that he would be the "descendant of David" and would therefore be of human origin rather than divine (cf. Mark 12:35).^[63]

 The first mention of the term Messiah in the Bible occurs in 1 Samuel 2:10, where the Messiah appears with a pronominal suffix referring to Yahweh, Meshiah Yahweh, "the anointed one of the Lord." Furthermore, the use of the term Messiah with a definite article as Ha Meshiah, "the Messiah," is not originally an Old Testament expression, but it only starts occurring in the apocalyptic literature.^[64] On the other hand, the Graecized version of the Hebrew word Messiah, Μεσσίας, appears twice in the New Testament: John 1:41 and 4:25. This particular attitude of the Gospel writers towards the term in question, being completely absent from the Synoptic Gospels and only two references in the Gospel of John, reflects the fact that the term Messiah was theologically treated as a sanctified proper name that was only meant for special occasions and could not be used randomly.^[65] Instead, Christ (Greek, Christos) was more commonly used for all regular purposes in the New Testament's period of writing. 

 The act of anointing as a religio-political ceremony reflected granting of the power and authority in the ancient world, as already noted. The term Messiah was, therefore, understood to apply to many different people in different positions. Cyrus of Persia, for instance, is addressed as Yahweh's Messiah in Isaiah 45:1, the deliverer of the Jews from their Babylonian captivity in his historical role. Similarly, the Patriarchs, Judges, Kings, High Priests, and some other individuals are also addressed as the "anointed one(s)" (Leviticus 4:3, 1 Kings 19:15, 16). The specialized Messiah-motif of the Jewish theology, however, is that there would be one—and only one—person who could be called the anointed one of God, and such a person would be the promised Messiah of the biblical prophecy. It was this prophesied Messiah that the Jews were most interested in the emergence of. The late Second Temple Judaism was the most ripe time for the belief to fructify and bring forth solid historical results. To the disappointment of the Jews, however, their vision faltered every time a claimant of Christhood rose to challenge foreign occupation of their lands, but failed to achieve the objectives. As a matter of fact, no single candidate of the millenarian Jewish Messianism could accurately address the long-cherished ideal of the Messiah celebrated in the hearts and minds of the Jews. Lester Grabbe, an expert in the Second Temple Judaism, comments on this situation in the following words:

(Under the Persian and Ptolemaic rule) expectations of some sort of future Davidic ruler were still probably maintained, at least in some circles, since this was a part of the prophetic literature… A change of attitude came when the Jews were no longer allowed to exercise their religion: they would tolerate a lot of things but not religious suppression. When Antiochus attempted to impose another cult in place of the traditional one, the hitherto peaceful Jewish people revolted. This began a tradition of resistance to foreign rule which then continued as a powerful current through the next three centuries until the decisive defeat under Bar Kokhba a put a definite end to such ideas… Some of the revolts and movements may have been mainly political, with independence the primary goal. But some -- and possibly most -- were what sociologists call millenarian movements. That is, they had an ideological base. Thus, some opposed foreign rule because they believed that only God could be their ruler. Others thought God had raised or was about to raise up a messianic figure to lead them into a new world of peace and prosperity for Israel.^[66]  

            JUDEO-CHRISTIAN CONFLICT ON THE MESSIAH

The Messiah of the Jews and the Messiah of the Christians, though owing their provenance to the same belief system, turned out to be two entirely different characters incongruent with one another in terms of historical expectations and the reality that followed.^[67] The Jews had preached a Messiah with sword for centuries, whereas the Christians came along and understood the role of the Messiah in a different way. Using the same set of Scriptures, Christians made crucial changes in the historical concept of the Messiah and turned the worldly failure of Jesus into his spiritual success as a cosmic sacrifice to save the doomed race of man. Even though the crucifixion of Jesus was an utter disappointment to his followers in the first place and they did not know how to react to that, they soon afterwards reinvested their hopes in the belief of his resurrection from the dead that became the sine qua non of their theory of Christhood.^[68]  

 There were several messianic views and movements that surfaced during the Second Temple period of Jewish history.^[69] The movement of Jesus, in its original form, was one small dot on the historical canvass of Jewish Messianism.^[70] Despite that trivial beginning, it became a vibrant force of the first century in the outcome of the conversion and preaching of Saul of Tarsus, the one came to be known as the Apostle Paul, and other disciples of Jesus movement's inner circle. Gospels agree that Jesus himself kept his movement low profile for the most part of the duration of his ministry only planting its seeds in Jerusalem towards the end. He did not make his claim of being the awaited Messiah official until he reached Jerusalem where he confronted crowds from all over Judea and beyond. His act of challenging the status quo in the Temple was first such bold move that alarmed the Jewish authorities regarding the ambitions of this man, Yeshua bar Yosef (Matthew 21:12-13). He started what looked like his agenda of political reform within the Temple cult of the first century Judaism, which set in motion with the overturning of the tables of those involved in commercial activities inside the sacred space. Matthew's words are unequivocally strong and attention demanding that Jesus 'drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves' (21:12). Critically analyzing the situation, it must be understood that no single man can 'drive out all' the people from the most sacred sanctuary of the Jews on a day when pilgrims had assembled in Jerusalem from all over the known world to attend the Passover. All speculations point that he would certainly have reasonable following while carrying out this act, which would prima facie give the impression of a rebellion. This was indeed a bold move if it did take place at all, which would, beyond any doubt, ring the alarm for those in control. The Pharisaic authorities, therefore, began to view Jesus' activities as an act of treachery against the Jewish faith rather than as a movement of messianic deliverance. This compelled the Roman authorities to intervene. In the wake of the claims and militaristic activities of Jesus, which had become known to the thousands gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover, the Roman government arrested him on the counsel of the Jewish religious leadership. The unrest thus came to an immediate end and Jesus was sentenced to death by the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate and was sent to die on cross—the most abominable death under Rome only given to a few categories of criminals, such as traitors, bandits, and rebels.^[71]

His cross was nailed with a plaque bearing the phrase, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" (John 19:19). 

 With the failure of the Jesus movement, by any sociological standard, the Jews should have come out victorious in their expectation of a strong political Messiah and the followers of Jesus should have abandoned their faith in him. It did not, however, come to pass and Christianity emerged as a competing claim to Christhood within the same harvest that Judaism had since long planted seeds of. The followers of Jesus somehow came to the theological understanding, as the Gospels emphasize, that Jesus rose back to life from the dead and was therefore the conqueror of death and the ultimate savior of humanity.^[72] This understanding was neither mystical nor metaphysical, but based in the physical reality as perceived by the disciples of Jesus. No Jewish sect could come to terms with the messianic motifs of Christianity, for the fundamentals of the Yeshua movement contradicted their understanding and expectations of the messianic figure of the prophesied savior. Their millenarian expectations, therefore, continued— and continue even today—without ever experiencing the fruition of the concept. On the other hand, the national tendency of an active military opposition to the aggressor in the name of the Messiah, however, ended with the defeat of Bar Kokhba in CE 135-136.^[73] 

 From this moment on in the late Second Temple Judaism and the post-Temple Judaism, the challenge to the Jewish messianic ideas had not come from without, but from within. It was not a foreign rule that politically controlled Jewish religion and the embedded political ambitions of its leaders, but a parallel messianic movement having originated from within Judaism that sought the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies in the person of Jesus, whom they declared "the Christ."^[74] 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Chester, Andrew, Messiah and Exaltation: Jewish Messianic and Visionary Traditions and New Testament Christology, Tubingen, Germany: Mohr Siebeck, 2007.

Ellwood, Robert S., and Gregory D. Alles, "Messiah". The Encyclopedia of World Religions, New York, NY: Facts On File, Inc., 2007.

Flusser, David, Judaism of the Second Temple Period: The Jewish Sages and Their Literature, vol. 2, Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Company, 2009.

Grabbe, Lester L., An Introduction to Second Temple Judaism, New York, NY: T & T Clark, 2010.

Kennard, Douglas Welker, Messiah Jesus: Christology in His Day and Ours, New York, NY:

Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., 2008.

Mitchell, David C., Messiah Ben Joseph, Newton Mearns, Scotland: Campbell Publications, 2016.

Neusner, Jacob, "Messiah". Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster Inc., 1999.

Novenson, Matthew V., Christ Among the Messiahs, New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2012.

Parfrey, Adam, and Kenn Thomas, Secret and Suppressed II, Port Townsend, WA: Feral House, 2008.

Ra, Yoseop, The Origin and Formation of the Gospels. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2015.

Schindler, Solomon, Messianic Expectations and Modern Judaism, Boston: S.E. Cassino and Company, 1886.

Schultz, Joseph P., Judaism and Gentile Faiths: Comparative Studies in Religion, London, UK: Associated University Press, 1981.

Simkhovitch, Vladimir Gregorievitch, Toward the Understanding of Jesus, New York, NY:          Macmillan Company, 1921.

Singer, Isidore (ed.), "Messiah". The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day Vol 8. (New York, NY: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1916.

Wiseman, D.J., The Vassal-Treaties of Esarhaddon, London, UK: British School of Archaeology, 1958.

What Is “Torah” in Second Temple Texts?

In the Second Temple Period the idea of “Torah” was not limited to the Five Books of Moses. Prof. Molly M. Zahn 

The Textualization of Torah

The festival of Shavuot, originally a harvest festival, has been known since Second Temple times as a commemoration of the giving of the Torah.[1] What, however, did these ancient sources mean by “Torah”?[2]

Torah as Instruction

The basic meaning of the Hebrew word torah is “teaching” or “instruction.” It is used in this sense in the Hebrew Bible, with reference to specific regulations (e.g., Lev 6:2 זֹאת תּוֹרַת הָעֹלָה “this is the rule [torah] of the burnt offering”) or to teaching in general (e.g., Prov 3:1 בְּנִי תּוֹרָתִי אַל־תִּשְׁכָּח “My son, do not forget my teaching [torah]”).

Alongside this general usage to denote a body of instruction, torah also came to refer specifically to divinely revealed teachings recorded in written form.

Torah as the Deuteronomic Collection

This “textualization of torah” [3] can be seen clearly in the book of Deuteronomy, which uses the term torah self-referentially, for example:

דברים ל:י כִּי תִשְׁמַע בְּקוֹל יְ־הוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לִשְׁמֹר מִצְוֹתָיו וְחֻקֹּתָיו הַכְּתוּבָה בְּסֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה הַזֶּה.

Deut 30:10 If you obey YHWH your God so as to observe his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the torah...

Here, Deuteronomy designates its own law collection as “this book of the torah.”[4] These laws are described as having been revealed to Moses at Horeb, Deuteronomy’s equivalent of Sinai, and taught to the people on the plains of Moab.[5] The related phrase “torah of Moses” in the Former Prophets (e.g., Josh 8:31; 23:6; 2 Kings 14:6; 23:25 cf. 22:8), further attests to the image of Deuteronomy’s law collection as the torah that YHWH revealed to Moses.

Torah as Law of Moses

While these pre-exilic or early post-exilic texts connect “torah of Moses” specifically with Deuteronomic law, by the time of Ezra-Nehemiah, “Torah” had already come to denote the laws of Moses more generally. Ezra 7:6 calls Ezra סֹפֵר מָהִיר בְּתוֹרַת מֹשֶׁה אֲשֶׁר־נָתַן יְ־הוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל “a scribe skilled in the Torah of Moses which YHWH the God of Israel gave” (Ezr 7:6), and Ezra-Nehemiah refers to various laws that we now know from the Pentateuch outside of Deuteronomy (e.g., the regulations for sacrifice referenced in Ezra 3:2–5, and the stipulations for Sukkot referred to in Nehemiah 8:14).[6] Nevertheless, we cannot assume, as is often done, that the term torah in Ezra-Nehemiah refers to the laws of the Pentateuch.[7]

Expanding Torat Moshe

Ezra-Nehemiah refers to certain laws as torah that are not found in versions of the Pentateuch that we are familiar with. For example, Nehemiah 10:35 mentions a wood offering:

נחמיה י:לה וְהַגּוֹרָלוֹת הִפַּלְנוּ עַל־קֻרְבַּן הָעֵצִים הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם וְהָעָם לְהָבִיא לְבֵית אֱלֹהֵינוּ לְבֵית־אֲבֹתֵינוּ לְעִתִּים מְזֻמָּנִים שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה לְבַעֵר עַל־מִזְבַּח יְ־הוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ כַּכָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה.

Neh 10:35 “We have cast lots [among] the priests, the Levites, and the people, to bring the wood offering to the House of our God by clans annually at set times in order to provide fuel for the altar of YHWH our God, as is written in the Torah.

It is possible that the authors of Ezra-Nehemiah knew a version of the Pentateuch that did contain these laws.[8] But it is also possible that the authors are attributing the laws to Torah as a way of indicating (or claiming for them) a certain level of authority.[9] In other words, they have a broader idea of “Torah of Moses” than what was contained in the written Pentateuch. The latter interpretation is likely in light of a number of Second Temple period texts that present themselves as Sinaitic Torah. Two premier examples are the book of Jubilees and the Temple Scroll.

The Book of Jubilees

The book of Jubilees (2nd cent. B.C.E.) was originally composed in Hebrew by authors with certain ideological connections to the slightly later Qumran community, especially as regards the calendar. It consists of a retelling of Israel’s history from creation through Sinai, cast as the words of an angel dictating to Moses from the Heavenly Tablets on Mount Sinai.

In this sense, Jubilees positions itself as torah mi-Sinai. This revelation contained in Jubilees does not displace the Pentateuch: Jubilees refers explicitly at one point to “the book of the first law” (6:22), which in context can only mean the Pentateuch. But torah for Jubilees does not simply denote these written texts. Instead, torah in Jubilees is primordial; the “law and the testimony” (torah and teʿudah[10]) were inscribed on the Heavenly Tablets prior to Creation:

The Angel of the Presence, who was going along in front of the Israelite camp, took the tablets (that told) of the divisions of the years from the time the law and the testimony [torah we-teʿudah] were created… (Jub 1:29, translation by J. C. VanderKam)

The Sinai covenant is, therefore, the renewal of YHWH’s eternal covenant with Israel, which has existed for all time.[11] Indeed, Jubilees stresses that Israel’s primeval ancestors observed various festivals and prescriptions from earliest times.[12] For Jubilees, then, both the Pentateuch and the book of Jubilees itself are Torah, but both are presented as deriving from a primordial heavenly Torah.

The Temple Scroll

The Temple Scroll (מגילת המקדש) is the longest extant text discovered among the Qumran scrolls, but like Jubilees seems to date from the 2nd century B.C.E. and to have been composed by forerunners to the Qumran community rather than by the community itself. In the Scroll, YHWH speaks directly to Moses at Sinai, revealing the instructions for a monumental temple complex, accompanied by a series of laws for life in the land. YHWH speaks in the first person throughout the Scroll, even in places where it is reusing text from Deuteronomy, which has Moses as the speaker (and thus refers to God in the 3rd person).

The Temple Scroll makes clear that its divinely revealed laws are spoken at Sinai by reusing Exodus 34 in its first preserved column. This chapter of Exodus, of course, describes Moses’ second ascent of Sinai after the incident with the Golden Calf. The Scroll also alludes elsewhere to Sinai as the locus of its revelation (11Q19 51:6–8):

    ולוא יטמאו בהמה אשר אני מגיד לכה בהר הזה ולוא יטמאו כי אני יהוה שוכן בתוך בני ישראל

They shall not become impure by those things that I am telling you on this mountain; they shall not become impure. For I, YHWH, dwell amidst the children of Israel.

As if presenting the direct speech of YHWH from Mt. Sinai were not enough to indicate that the Temple Scroll positions itself as Torah, at a couple of points the Scroll explicitly refers to itself as Torah, much as Deuteronomy does. Perhaps most notable is the self-referential use of the term torah in the Scroll’s description of the exile and devastation that will result from future covenant disobedience, after which will come the return (11Q19 59:9–11):

ישובו אלי בכול לבבםה [13] ובכול נפשמה ככול דברי התורה הזואת והושעתים מיד אויביהמה...

They will return to me with all their heart and with all their soul, according to all the words of this Torah, and I will save them from the hand of their enemies…

The phrase in bold is almost identical to that found in Deut 17:19, according to which the king must continually read his copy of the Torah in order to observe אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת “all the words of this torah.”[14] Just as Deuteronomy refers to itself as Torah, so the authors of the Temple Scroll reuse the phrase from Deuteronomy to claim Torah status for their own new text.

The examples of Jubilees and the Temple Scroll show that in the late Second Temple period, although Torah had come to be identified with YHWH’s revelation to Moses at Sinai, the contents of that revelation were not seen as limited to one particular set of texts.

The Yaḥad’s Torah

Many of the scrolls preserved at Qumran contain the texts of a separatist community calling itself the yaḥad, which likely resided at Qumran (among other sites).[15] The yaḥad’s idea of what constituted Torah differs from that of the texts discussed above.

Among the Qumran scrolls are multiple copies of pentateuchal books, and the yaḥad’s compositions explicitly cite pentateuchal texts. It is thus virtually certain that they would have included the texts of the Pentateuch, in one form or another, in their definition of Torah. Jubilees and the Temple Scroll, however, were also both preserved in multiple copies at Qumran. Moreover, Jubilees is cited as a scriptural authority in one important yaḥad text, the Damascus Document (CD 16:3–4):

ופרוש קציהם לעורון ישראל מכל אלה הנה הוא מדוקדק על ספר מחלקות העתים ליובליהם ובשבועותיהם

But the specification of the times of Israel’s blindness to all these [rules] is detailed in ‘The Book of the Divisions of the Times by their Jubilees and in their Weeks.’ (translation from the Dead Sea Scrolls Electronic Library, with modifications)

These factors together suggest that the yaḥad likely accepted these texts’ internal claims to represent part of Mosaic Torah.

In addition, the yaḥad also composed their own prestigious texts, such as the Community Rule (סרך היחד) and the aforementioned Damascus Document (ברית דמשק), each of which was preserved in multiple copies at Qumran.[16] Each of these “Rule” texts contains a mix of exhortation, descriptions of community rituals, and prescriptions regulating the behavior of members.

Unlike Jubilees and the Temple Scroll, however, the yaḥad’s texts do not claim to be revealed directly from Sinai. Nevertheless, they too seem to position themselves as representing or containing Torah.[17] First, they refer repeatedly to a revelation of laws known to the yaḥad alone. Second, they imply – without ever saying so directly – that these texts contain parts of this special revelation.

Torah in the Yaḥad

Both the Community Rule and the Damascus Document describe God’s will for Israel as including hidden revelation of laws accessible to the yaḥad alone. For example, in the Damascus Document we read (CD 3:12–15):

    ובמחזיקים במצות אל אשר נותרו מהם הקים אל את בריתו לישראל עד עולם לגלות להם נסתרות אשר תעו בם כל ישראל שבתות קדשו ומועדי כבודו עידות צדקו ודרכי אמתו וחפצי רצונו...

But among those who held fast to the commandments of God, who were left of them, God instituted his covenant for Israel forever, so as to reveal to them hidden things through which all Israel had erred: his holy Sabbaths and his glorious festivals; his righteous statutes and his true ways and the pleasures of his will…

According to this, fidelity to the commandments results in additional revelation containing God’s “righteous statutes and true ways.” That is, the “commandments of God” revealed to all Israel (surely corresponding at least in part to the laws of the Pentateuch) are not a complete and sufficient revelation of God’s will. Only the yaḥad, because of the covenant loyalty of its founders, has been granted full knowledge of what pleases God.

The Community Rule contains similar statements implying that the yaḥad had access to a special kind of Torah. For instance, each new initiate into the yaḥad is required to swear an oath to return to the “torah of Moses” (1QS 5:8–9):

ויקם על נפשו בשבועת אסר לשוב אל תורת מושה ככול אשר צוה בכול לב ובכול נפש לכול הנגלה ממנה לבני צדוק הכוהנים שומרי הברית ודורשי רצונו ולרוב אנשי בריתם

He is to take upon himself with a binding oath to return to the torah of Moses according to all that he commanded, with all his heart and with all his mind, regarding all that has been revealed from it to the sons of Zadok, the priests who keep the covenant and who seek out his will, and to the majority of the men of their covenant.

The “torah of Moses” here clearly contains material available only to the yaḥad (“regarding all that has been revealed from it to the sons of Zadok” [a reference to a priestly group within the yaḥad])—it is not identical to the laws associated with Sinai in the Five Books of Moses. The exact status of this special material is not clarified.

The formulation “all that has been revealed from it” (i.e., from the Torah of Moses) suggests that the special material made known to the yaḥad has always been part of Torah. This might mean that the yaḥad’s distinctive rules were derived from, or believed to derive from, interpretation of existing forms of Torah, such as the Pentateuch.

This would make the yaḥad’s concept somewhat similar to the rabbinic idea of Oral Torah. Where the yaḥad differs strongly from the later rabbis, however, is in their assertion that this special material was revealed by God in the recent past, to them and them alone. Though it may always have been part of Torah, it was not accessible to humans until the time of the formation of the yaḥad community.

The sources adduced above indicate that both the Damascus Document and the Community Rule imagine a body of revelation, of Torah, that is available to the yaḥad alone. These documents do not explicitly claim to actually contain this revelation in the way Jubilees and the Temple Scroll do. Nevertheless, both strongly insinuate that they represent, at least in part, the hidden revelation that God has made available to the yaḥad. They do this by consistently making a connection between the precepts they contain and the revealed will of God.

Damascus Document Contains Torah

For instance, consider the following examples from the Damascus Document. In the first example, obedience to “these rules,” i.e., the instruction of the Damascus Document itself, is presented as the key to preservation of God’s covenant (CD 7:4–6):

    כל המתהלכים באלה בתמים קדש…ברית אל נאמנות להם לחיותם אלף דור

All who walk in these (rules) in perfect holiness… God’s covenant endures for them to give them life for a thousand generations.[18]

In the second case, the “ordinances” contained in the Damascus Document are identified both with torah and with the instruction of the Teacher (of Righteousness), the legendary founder of the community (CD 20:27–28 [MS B]):

וכל המחזיקים במשפטים האלה ל[צ]את ולבוא על פי התורה וישמעו לקול מורה...

All who hold fast to these ordinances, to come and go according to the Torah, and who heed the voice of the Teacher…

Finally, in the third example, the ordinances recorded in the Damascus Document are identified with the laws of the Torah (4Q266 [4QDa] 11 5–6):

וכול המואס במשפטים האלה על פי כול החוקים הנמצאים בתורת מושה. . .

Anyone who rejects these ordinances according to all the statutes found in the torah of Moses…

Community Rule Contains Torah

The Community Rule also uses self-referential language to imply that its rules are part of God’s revealed will. The clearest examples come once again from 1QS column 5. The opening sentence of the column implies that those who wish to hold fast to God’s commands will act according to this rule (5:1):

וזה הסרכ [19] לאנשי היחד המתנדבים לשוב מכול רע ולהחזיק בכול אשר צוה לרצונו

This is the rule for the men of the yaḥad who volunteer to turn away from all evil and to hold fast to all that he commanded by his good will.

Similarly, later in the column (1QS 5:20–22):

וכיא יבוא בברית לעשות ככול החוקים האלה להיחד לעדת קודש ודרשו את רוחום ביחד בין איש לרעהו לפי שכלו ומעשיו בתורה על פי בני אהרון המתנדבים ביחד להקים את בריתו ולפקוד את כול חוקיו אשר צוה לעשות ועל פי ר{י}ב [20] ישראל המתנדבים לשוב ביחד לבריתו

And when anyone enters the covenant, to act according to these statutes, to join with the congregation of holiness, they shall examine his spiritual qualities[21] together, each member taking part, regarding his understanding and deeds in torah, according to the Sons of Aaron who have volunteered together to uphold his covenant and to observe all of his statutes that he commanded be performed, and according to the majority of Israel who have volunteered to return together to his covenant.”

Here, the close association of “these statutes” with “his statutes” and “his covenant” (i.e., YHWH’s) makes clear that the yaḥad believed that the Community Rule constitutes a witness to God’s revealed Torah.

An Expansive Definition of Torah

This brief tour through some prominent Second Temple period texts illustrates that, at a number of different levels, the idea of “Torah” in this period was not limited to the Five Books of Moses. Other texts or laws, whether the wood offering of Nehemiah or the Temple Scroll’s instructions for a gigantic temple, also had a place as part of Torah.

Nor indeed was Torah narrowly connected to Sinai or Horeb. While the revelation to Moses at Sinai was likely regarded as the preeminent and prototypical instance of matan Torah, the revelation of the Torah, we see Jubilees relativize Sinai by asserting that the laws revealed there were in fact primordial in their origins, inscribed on heavenly tablets; some, it claims, had already been revealed to various significant individuals long before Sinai.

At the other end of the temporal spectrum, the documents written by the Qumran yaḥad carry the revelation of Torah forward into their own times, embodied in the special revelation made available to their own community. Thus Torah remained a flexible, fluid concept: the Five Books of Moses were certainly torah mi-sinai, Sinaitic Torah, but not exclusively so.

Kingdom

Βασιλεία - kingdom, sovereignty, royal power: — kingdom (159), kingdoms (3), reigns

ἄρχων - a first (in rank or power): - chief (ruler), magistrate, prince, ruler.

Gen 10:8-10  Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth.  He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD."  The beginning of his βασιλεία was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

Gen 14:1  And it came about in the days of Amraphel βασιλεως of Shinar, Arioch βασιλεως of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal βασιλεως of Goiim,

Gen 14:18  And Melchizedek βασιλευς of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.

Deu 11:3  and His signs and His works which He did in the midst of Egypt to Pharaoh the βασιλεύς of Egypt and to all his land; 

Deu 17:14, 15  When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, and you possess it and live in it, and you say, 'I will set a ἄρχων over me like all the nations who are around me,' you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as ἄρχων over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman. 

Deu 28:25  The LORD shall cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you will go out one way against them, but you will flee seven ways before them, and you will be an example of terror to all the βασιλειαις of the earth.

1Sa 8:4-6  Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; and they said to him, "Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a βασιλεα for us to judge us like all the nations." But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, "Give us a βασιλεα to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD. 

1Sa 10:1, 16  Then Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on his head, kissed him and said, "Has not the LORD anointed you ἄρχων over His inheritance? … So Saul said to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found." But he did not tell him about the matter of the βασιλειας which Samuel had mentioned. 

1Sa 11:14, 15  Then Samuel said to the people, "Come and let us go to Gilgal and renew the βασιλειαν there." So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul βασιλεα before the LORD in Gilgal. There they also offered sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly. 

1Sa 15:28  So Samuel said to him, "The LORD has torn the βασιλειαν of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbour, who is better than you." 

2Sa 5:12  And David realized that the LORD had established him as βασιλεα over Israel and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel. 

2Sa 7:12, 13  "When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his βασιλειαν.  He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever."

1Ch 22:9, 10  'Behold, a son will be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. 'He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son and I will be his father, and I will establish the throne of his βασιλειας over Israel forever.' 

2Sa 7:16  Your house and your βασιλεια shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.

2Ki 25:8, 9 Now on the seventh day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He burned the house of the LORD, the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every great house he burned with fire. 

2Ch 36:20, 21  Those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the βασιλειας of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete. 

2Ch 36:23  "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the βασιλευς of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up!'" 

Isa 9:6, 7 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his βασιλειαν, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and for evermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this. 

Eze 37:21-24  "Say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them, and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two βασιλειας. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions, but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned and will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their God. My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd, and they will walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them. 

Dan 2:40-45  "Then there will be a fourth βασιλεια as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces. In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided βασιλεια; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay. As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, some of the βασιλεια will be strong and part of it will be brittle. And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery. In the days of those βασιλεων, the God of heaven will set up a βασιλειαν which will never be destroyed, and that βασιλεια will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these βασιλειας, but it will itself endure forever. Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy."  

Dan 7:13, 14 I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a βασιλεια, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away, and His βασιλεια is one which will not be destroyed. 

Oba 1:21  The deliverers will ascend Mount Zion To judge the mountain of Esau, And the βασιλεια will be the Lord's. 

Mat 3:2  "Repent, for the kingdom of βασιλεια is at hand." 

Mat 4:8  Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the βασιλειας of the world and their glory;

Mat 4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of βασιλεια is at hand." 

Mat 4:23  Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the βασιλειας, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. 

Mat 16:18, 19  "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the βασιλειας of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." 

Mat 16:27, 28  "For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his βασιλεια." 

Mat 21:43  Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the βασιλεια.

Mat 24:14  "This gospel of the βασιλειας shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. 

Mat 25:34  "Then the βασιλευς will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the βασιλειαν prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 

Mar 8:38, 9:1  "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." And Jesus was saying to them, "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the βασιλειαν of God after it has come with power."

Luk 1:31- 3  "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will βασιλευσει over the house of Jacob forever, and His βασιλειας will have no end." 

Luk 9:26, 27  "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the βασιλειαν of God."

Luk 17:20  And having been questioned by the Pharisees when the βασιλεια of God comes, He answered them and said, “The βασιλεια of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, Behold, here; or behold, there; for behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.”  And He said to His disciples, “Days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man and you will not behold [it]; and they will say to you, Behold, here; or behold, there; you may not go away, nor follow; for as the lightning is flashing out of one [part] under the sky [and] shines to the other [part] under the sky, so will the Son of Man also be in His day; and first it is necessary for Him to suffer many things, and to be rejected by this generation.”

Luk 21:31, 32  "So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the βασιλεια of God is near. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place." 

Joh 3:3  Jesus replied, "I tell you for certain that you must be born from above before you can see God's βασιλειαν!" Nicodemus asked, "How can a grown man ever be born a second time?" Jesus answered: I tell you for certain that before you can get into God's βασιλειαν, you must be born not only by water but by the Spirit. Humans give life to their children. Yet only God's Spirit can change you into a child of God. 

Joh 18:36  Jesus answered, "My βασιλεια is not of this world. If My βασιλεια were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My βασιλεια is not of this realm." 

Act 1:3  To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the βασιλειας of God. 

Act 1:6- 8  So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the βασιλειαν to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." 

Act 28:23  When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the βασιλειαν of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets,

Rom 14:17  …the βασιλεια of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 

Col 1:13, 14  For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the βασιλειανof His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 

Heb 12:28  Therefore, since we receive a βασιλειαν which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 

Rev 12:10  Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the βασιλεια of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 

Εκκλησια

Lev 8:3-5  and assemble all the εκκλησιασον at the doorway of the tent of meeting. So Moses did just as the LORD commanded him. When the εξεκκλησιασεν was assembled at the doorway of the tent of meeting, Moses said to the congregation, "This is the thing which the LORD has commanded to do." 

Num 20:8  Take the rod, and you and your brother Aaron εκκλησιασον the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink. 

Deu 4:10, 11  Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when the LORD said to me, εκκλησιασον the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.' You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the very heart of the heavens: darkness, cloud and thick gloom.  

Deu 9:10  The LORD gave me the two tablets of stone written by the finger of God; and on them were all the words which the LORD had spoken with you at the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the εκκλησιας. 

Deu 18:15, 16  The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. This is according to all that you asked of the LORD your God in Horeb on the day of the εκκλησιας, saying, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, let me not see this great fire anymore, or I will die.' 

Deu 23:2, 3  No one of illegitimate birth shall enter the assembly of the LORD; none of his descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall enter the εκκλησιαν of the LORD.  No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the LORD; none of their descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall ever enter the εκκλησιαν of the LORD, 

Deu 31:30  Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the εκκλησιας of Israel the words of this song until they were complete: 

Jos 8:35  There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the εκκλησιας of Israel with the women and the little ones and the strangers who were living among them. 

1Ki 8:14  Then the king faced about and blessed all the εκκλησια of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. 

1Ki 8:22, 23  Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the εκκλησιας of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven. He said, "O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart, 

1Ch 13:1, 2  Then David consulted with the captains of the thousands and the hundreds, even with every leader. David said to all the εκκλησια of Israel, "If it seems good to you, and if it is from the LORD our God, let us send everywhere to our kinsmen who remain in all the land of Israel, also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their cities with pasture lands, that they may meet with us; 

1Ch 13:3, 4  and let us bring back the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul. Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people. 

1Ch 28:8  So now, in the sight of all Israel, the εκκλησια of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek after all the commandments of the LORD your God so that you may possess the good land and bequeath it to your sons after you forever. 

1Ch 29:1  Then King David said to the entire εκκλησια, My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is still young and inexperienced and the work is great; for the temple is not for man, but for the LORD God. 

Ezr 10:11  Now therefore, make confession to the LORD God of your fathers and do His will; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives. Then all the εκκλησια replied with a loud voice, "That's right! As you have said, so it is our duty to do." 

Neh 8:17  The entire εκκλησια of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in them. The sons of Israel had indeed not done so from the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And there was great rejoicing.

Psa 149:1  Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise in the εκκλησια of the godly ones.

Mat 16:18, 19  I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build My εκκλησιαν; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

Mat 18:17  If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the ἐκκλησία; and if he refuses to listen even to the ἐκκλησία, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 

Act 2:47  …praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord was adding to the εκκλησιαν day by day those who were being saved. 

Act 5:11  And great fear came over the whole εκκλησιαν, and over all who heard of these things. 

Act 7:38  This is the one who was in the εκκλησια in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers, and he received living oracles to pass on to you. 

Act 8:1  Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the εκκλησιαν in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 

Act 9:31  So the εκκλησιαι throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase. 

Act 11:22  The news about them reached the ears of the εκκλησιας at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. 

Act 13:1  Now there were at Antioch, in the εκκλησιαν that was there, prophets and teachers:

Act 14:23  When they had appointed elders for them in every εκκλησιαν, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. 

Act 15:41  And he was travelling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the εκκλησιας. 

Act 19:39-41  "But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the lawful εκκλησια. For indeed we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today's events since there is no real cause for it, and in this connection, we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering." After saying this he dismissed the assembly. 

Act 20:28  Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the εκκλησιαν of God which He purchased with His own blood. 

Rom 16:5  also greet the εκκλησιαν that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia. 

1Co 1:2  To the εκκλησια of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: 

1Co 10:32  Give no offence either to Jews or to Greeks or to the εκκλησια of God;

1Co 14:23  Therefore if the whole εκκλησια assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad? 

1Co 15:9  For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the εκκλησιαν of God. 

Gal 1:13  For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the εκκλησιαν of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; 

Eph 5:25-27  Husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the εκκλησιαν and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the εκκλησιαν in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 

Eph 5:32  This mystery is great, but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the εκκλησιαν.

Moses gave the law, Jesus gave grace and truth. 

Lev 23:4-8  This memorial was established before the people left Egypt.

These are the appointed times of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD'S Passover. Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work. But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.

Exo 20:1-3  The ten commandments, and ordinances, given on Sinaia:

Then God spoke all these words, “saying, you shall have…

…no other gods before Me

…You shall not make for yourself an idol

…You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain

…Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy

…Honor your father and your mother

…You shall not murder

…You shall not commit adultery

…You shall not steal

…You shall not bear false witness

…You shall not covet

The Ordinances.

About Slaves, About Restitution, About Social Justice, About the Sabbath and Festivals,

Conquest of Canaan, The Covenant Confirmed, Contributions for the Sanctuary, The Ark of the Covenant, The Table for Bread, The Golden Lampstand, The Tabernacle, The Bronze Altar, The Court of the Tabernacle, Oil for the Lamp, The Priests' Garments, Consecration of the Priests, The Altar of Incense, The Census Tax, The Bronze Basin, The Anointing Oil and Incense, My sabbaths.

Deu 29:21  Then the LORD will single him (idolater) out for adversity from all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant which are written in this book of the law. 

Deu 30:9, 10  …the LORD your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your cattle and in the produce of your ground, for the LORD will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers; if you obey the LORD your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul. 

2Ki 17:34-37  …the law, or the commandments which the LORD commanded the sons of Jacob, whom He named Israel; with whom the LORD made a covenant and commanded them, saying, "You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down yourselves to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them. But the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow yourselves down, and to Him you shall sacrifice. The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall observe to do forever; and you shall not fear other gods. 

2Ki 21:8  And I will not make the feet of Israel wander anymore from the land which I gave their fathers, if only they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that My servant Moses commanded them.

Ezr 7:10  …Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.

Isa 5:24  Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble And dry grass collapses into the flame, So their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust; For they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Mal 4:4  "Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. 

Mat 5:17, 18  Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 

Mat 7:12  In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. 

Mat 11:13, 14  For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John.  And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. 

Mat 12:58  Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent? But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,' you would not have condemned the innocent.  For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.

Mat 22:36-40  "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." 

Mat 23:23  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. 

Luk 2:22  When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 

Luk 16:16, 17  The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one stroke of a letter in the law to be dropped. 

Luk 24:44  Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.

Joh 1:17  The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 

Joh 1:45  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth."

Joh 12:34  The crowd answered him, "We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?" 

Act 15:5, 8-11  But some believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and said, "It is necessary for them to be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses." … And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us. Now therefore why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will." 

Act 21:20, 24  When they heard it, they praised God. Then they said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and they are all zealous for the law. … Join these men, go through the rite of purification with them, and pay for the shaving of their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself observe and guard the law. 

Act 28:23  After they had set a day to meet with him, they came to him at his lodgings in great numbers. From morning until evening he explained the matter to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets. 

Rom 2:12, 13  All who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in God's sight, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 

Rom 3:19, 20  Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For "no human being will be justified in his sight" by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. 

Rom 3:28  For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law. 

Rom 8:1, 2  There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 

Rom 9:4, 5  They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. 

Rom 10:4  For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. 

Rom 13:8  Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 

1Co 14:34  women should be silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, as the law also says. 

Gal 2:16  yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.

Gal 3:11, 13, 14  Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law; for "The one who is righteous will live by faith." … Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"—in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Gal 6:2  Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 

Heb 7:19  (for the law made nothing perfect); there is, on the other hand, the introduction of a better hope, through which we approach God. 

Heb 10:1  Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered year after year, make perfect those who approach. 

Heb 10:28, 29  Anyone who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy "on the testimony of two or three witnesses." How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by those who have spurned the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant by which they were sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace?

Jas 1:25-27  But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing. If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. 

Renewal and restoration

The Hebrew word shub; has numerous translations. The most common - return (261 times), restore (58 times), again (53 times).

Leviticus 26 God warned Israel of the punishment that would fall on them due to their idolatry. If Israel repented, then:

Lev 26:40-46               

'If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their forefathers, in their unfaithfulness which they committed against Me, and also in their acting with hostility against Me—I also was acting with hostility against them, to bring them into the land of their enemies—or if their uncircumcised heart becomes humbled so that they then make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and I will remember also My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham as well, and I will remember the land. 'For the land will be abandoned by them, and will make up for its sabbaths while it is made desolate without them. They, meanwhile, will be making amends for their iniquity, because they rejected My ordinances and their soul abhorred My statutes. 'Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I so abhor them as to destroy them, breaking My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. Lev 26:45  'But I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the LORD.'" These are the statutes and ordinances and laws which the LORD established between Himself and the sons of Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai. 

Deu 4:28-31 

There you will serve gods, the work of man's hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice.  For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them. 

Deut 27:9-26,

Curses from Mount Ebal, Deut 28:1-14 blessing for obedience. Deut 28:15-68 curses for disobedience.  Deut 30:1-10 Repentance and forgiveness. "So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the LORD your God has banished you, and you return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, then the LORD your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you.  If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back.  The LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.  The LORD your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. And you shall again obey the LORD, and observe all His commandments which I command you today. Then the LORD your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your cattle and in the produce of your ground, for the LORD will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers; if you obey the LORD your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul. 

Isa 1:24-28 

Therefore the Lord GOD of hosts, The Mighty One of Israel, declares, Ah, I will be relieved of My adversaries And avenge Myself on My foes. I will also turn My hand against you, And will smelt away your dross as with lye And will remove all your alloy. Then I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning; After that you will be called the city of righteousness, A faithful city. Zion will be redeemed with justice And her repentant ones with righteousness. But transgressors and sinners will be crushed together, And those who forsake the LORD will come to an end. 

Isa 10:20-23 

Now in that day the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. For though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea, Only a remnant within them will return; A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness. 

Isa 35:8-10 

A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it. No lion will be there, Nor will any vicious beast go up on it; These will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there, And the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away. 

Isa 44:21-28 

Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant; I formed you, you are my servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me. I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you. Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel. Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the LORD, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who by myself spread out the earth; who frustrates the omens of liars, and makes fools of diviners; who turns back the wise, and makes their knowledge foolish; who confirms the word of his servant, and fulfills the prediction of his messengers; who says of Jerusalem, "It shall be inhabited," and of the cities of Judah, "They shall be rebuilt, and I will raise up their ruins"; who says to the deep, "Be dry—I will dry up your rivers"; who says of Cyrus, "He is my shepherd, and he shall carry out all my purpose"; and who says of Jerusalem, "It shall be rebuilt," and of the temple, "Your foundation shall be laid." 

Isa 49:6, 7 

He says, "It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth." Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One, To the despised One, To the One abhorred by the nation, To the Servant of rulers, "Kings will see and arise, Princes will also bow down, Because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You."

Isa 51:11-15 

So the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, And everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away. "I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies And of the son of man who is made like grass, That you have forgotten the LORD your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens And laid the foundations of the earth, That you fear continually all day long because of the fury of the oppressor, As he makes ready to destroy? But where is the fury of the oppressor? The exile will soon be set free, and will not die in the dungeon, nor will his bread be lacking. For I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea and its waves roar (the LORD of hosts is His name). 

Isa 52:8, 9 

Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, They shout joyfully together; For they will see with their own eyes When the LORD restores Zion. Break forth, shout joyfully together, You waste places of Jerusalem; For the LORD has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. 

Isa 53

I Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account. Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the LORD shall prosper. Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. 

Isa 59:20, 21 

And he will come to Zion as Redeemer, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression, says the LORD. And as for me, this is my covenant with them, says the LORD: my spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouths of your children, or out of the mouths of your children's children, says the LORD, from now on and forever. 

Jer 30:3 

For the days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the LORD, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their ancestors and they shall take possession of it. 

Jer 30:10-11 

But as for you, have no fear, my servant Jacob, says the LORD, and do not be dismayed, O Israel; for I am going to save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and no one shall make him afraid. For I am with you, says the LORD, to save you; I will make an end of all the nations among which I scattered you, but of you I will not make an end. I will chastise you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished. 

Jer 31:23 

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "Once again they will speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities when I restore their fortunes, 'The LORD bless you, O abode of righteousness, O holy hill!'  

Jer 31:31-34 

The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the LORD," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. 

Jer 31:38 

The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when the city shall be rebuilt for the LORD from the tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 

Jer 32:36-42 

Now therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, "It is being given into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence": See, I am going to gather them from all the lands to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation; I will bring them back to this place, and I will settle them in safety. They shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for all time, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them, never to draw back from doing good to them; and I will put the fear of me in their hearts, so that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing good to them, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul. For thus says the LORD: Just as I have brought all this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good fortune that I now promise them. 

Jer 32:36 

Now therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning this city of which you say, 'It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine and by pestilence.' Behold, I will gather them out of all the lands to which I have driven them in My anger, in My wrath and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place and make them dwell in safety. They shall be My people, and I will be their God; and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. 

Jer 33:5-9 

The Chaldeans are coming in to fight and to fill them with the dead bodies of those whom I shall strike down in my anger and my wrath, for I have hidden my face from this city because of all their wickedness. I am going to bring it recovery and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them; they shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it. 

Jer 33:14 

'Behold, days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell in safety; and this is the name by which she will be called: the LORD is our righteousness.' For thus says the LORD, 'David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel;

Jer 33:25 

Thus says the LORD, 'If My covenant for day and night stand not, and the fixed patterns of heaven and earth I have not established, then I would reject the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, not taking from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.

Eze 39:25-29 

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name. They will forget their disgrace and all their treachery which they perpetrated against Me, when they live securely on their own land with no one to make them afraid.  When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies, then I shall be sanctified through them in the sight of the many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God because I made them go into exile among the nations, and then gathered them again to their own land; and I will leave none of them there any longer. I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel," declares the Lord GOD. 

Hos 3:4, 5 

For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols. Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days. 

Hos 11:1-5 

When Israel was a youth I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son. The more they called them, The more they went from them; They kept sacrificing to the Baals And burning incense to idols. Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them in My arms; But they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love, And I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws; And I bent down and fed them. They will not return to the land of Egypt; But Assyria—he will be their king Because they refused to return to Me. 

Joe 2:28-32, 3:1

It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As the LORD has said, Even among the survivors whom the LORD calls. … For behold, in those days and at that time, When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 

Amo 9:14, 15 

Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, And they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, And make gardens and eat their fruit.  I will also plant them on their land, And they will not again be rooted out from their land Which I have given them," Says the LORD your God. 

Zec 1:17 

Again, proclaim, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem. 

Zec 8:3 

Thus says the LORD, 'I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.' 

Mal 3:16-18 

Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who esteem His name. "They will be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him." So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him. 

Mal 4:1-6 

For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the LORD of hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing," says the LORD of hosts.  "Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse." 

Mat 17:10-13 

And His disciples asked Him, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  And He answered and said, "Elijah is coming and will restore all things; but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands."  Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist. 

Act 3:18-21 

In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets. 

Act 3:24-26 

And all the prophets, as many as have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, also predicted these days. You are the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to your ancestors, saying to Abraham, 'And in your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways. 

Act 15:14-18 

Simeon has related how God first looked favorably on the Gentiles, to take from among them a people for his name. This agrees with the words of the prophets, as it is written, 'After this I will return, and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen; from its ruins I will rebuild it, and I will set it up, so that all other peoples may seek the Lord—even all the Gentiles over whom my name has been called. Thus says the Lord, who has been making these things known from long ago.'

Rom 3:21-26 

But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction,  since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. 

Rom 9:27-29 

And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, "Though the number of the children of Israel were like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved; for the Lord will execute his sentence on the earth quickly and decisively." And as Isaiah predicted, "If the Lord of hosts had not left survivors to us, we would have fared like Sodom and been made like Gomorrah." 

Rom 10:4 

For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. 

Rom 10:12, 13 

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Rom 11:2, 5

God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? … So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 

Rom 11:23, 24 

And even those of Israel, if they do not persist in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.  For if you have been cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree. 

Rom 11:26-31 

And so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, "Out of Zion will come the Deliverer; he will banish ungodliness from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins." As regards the gospel they are enemies of God for your sake; but as regards election they are beloved, for the sake of their ancestors; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. 

Rom 15:8-10 

For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles, and sing praises to your name"; and again he says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people"; 

2Co 3:7-11 

Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stone tablets, came in glory so that the people of Israel could not gaze at Moses' face because of the glory of his face, a glory now set aside, how much more will the ministry of the Spirit come in glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, much more does the ministry of justification abound in glory! Indeed, what once had glory has lost its glory because of the greater glory; for if what was set aside came through glory, much more has the permanent come in glory! 

2Co 3:14-16

But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 

Gal 2:15, 16 

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law. 

Eph 2:11-16 

So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called "the uncircumcision" by those who are called "the circumcision"—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands—remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. 

Mat 2:2 

Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage. 

Mat 10:5-7 

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' 

Mat 19:27, 28 

Then Peter said in reply, "Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Luk 1:67-77 

Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. 

Luk 2:25, 6

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. 

Joh 4:22-24 

You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. 

Joh 18:36 

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." 

Act 1:6-8 

So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Act 2:16-21 

…this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 'In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' 

Act 2:38-40 

Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him." And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 

Act 13:22-24 

When he had removed him, he made David their king. In his testimony about him he said, 'I have found David, son of Jesse, to be a man after my heart, who will carry out all my wishes.'  Of this man's posterity God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised;  before his coming John had already proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 

Gal 6:15, 16 

For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! As for those who will follow this rule—peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. 

Supersessionism

Supersessionism review   https://en.wikipedia.org

Supersessionism, also called replacement theology, is a Christian theological doctrine which describes the theological conviction that the Christian Church has superseded the nation of Israel assuming their role as God's covenanted people, thus asserting that the New Covenant through Jesus Christ has superseded or replaced the Mosaic covenant exclusive to Jews. Supersessionist theology also holds that the universal Christian Church has replaced ancient Israel as God's true Israel and that Christians (including gentiles) have replaced the biological bloodline of ancient Israelites as the people of God.

Often claimed by later Christians to have originated with Paul the Apostle in the New Testament, supersessionism has formed a core tenet of Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Protestant churches for the majority of their history. Many early Church Fathers—including Justin Martyr and Augustine of Hippo—were supersessionist.

Most historic Christian churches, including the Roman Catholic Church, Methodist churches and Reformed churches, hold that the Old Covenant has three components: ceremonial, moral, and civil (cf. covenant theology). They teach that while the ceremonial and civil (judicial) laws have been fulfilled, the moral law of the Ten Commandments continues to bind Christian believers. Since the 19th century, certain Christian communities, such as the Plymouth Brethren, have espoused dispensationalist theology as contrasted to supersessionism and covenant theology. Additionally, as part of Christian–Jewish reconciliation, the Roman Catholic Church has placed an increased emphasis on the shared history between Christianity and the modern Jewish faith.

Rabbinic Judaism disregards supersessionism as offensive to Jewish history. Islam teaches that it is the final and most authentic expression of Abrahamic monotheism, superseding both Judaism and Christianity. The Islamic doctrine of tahrif teaches that earlier monotheistic scriptures or earlier interpretations of them have been corrupted by later interpretations of them, while the Quran presents a pure version of their divine message. 

Jews as the chosen people  https://en.wikipedia.org

In Judaism, the concept of the Jews as the chosen people (Hebrew: הָעָם הַנִבְחַר ha-ʿam ha-nivḥar, IPA: haʕam hanivħar) is the belief that the Jews, via descent from the ancient Israelites, are the chosen people, i.e. selected to be in a covenant with God. The idea of the Israelites being chosen by God is found most directly in the Book of Deuteronomy as the verb baḥar (בָּחַר) and is alluded to elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible using other terms such as "holy people". Much is written about these topics in rabbinic literature. The three largest Jewish denominations—Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism and Reform Judaism—maintain the belief that the Jews have been chosen by God for a purpose. Sometimes this choice is seen as charging the Jewish people with a specific mission—to be a light unto the nations, and to exemplify the covenant with God as described in the Torah.

While the concept of "chosenness" may be understood by some to connote ethnic supremacy, the status as a "chosen people" within Judaism does not preclude a belief that God has a relationship with other peoples—rather, Judaism holds that God had entered into a covenant with all humankind, and that Jews and non-Jews alike have a relationship with God. Biblical references as well as rabbinic literature support this view: Moses refers to the "God of the spirits of all flesh", the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) also identifies prophets outside the community of Israel and the prophet Jonah is explicitly told to go prophesize to the non-Jewish people of Nineveh. Based on these statements and stories, some rabbis theorized that, in the words of Natan'el al-Fayyumi, a Yemenite Jewish theologian of the 12th century, "God permitted to every people something he forbade to others ... [and] God sends a prophet to every people according to their own language." (Levine, 1907/1966) The Mishnah states that "Humanity was produced from one man, Adam, to show God's greatness. When a man mints a coin in a press, each coin is identical. But when the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, creates people in the form of Adam not one is similar to any other" (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5). The Tosefta, an important supplement to the Mishnah, also states: "Righteous people of all nations have a share in the world to come"(Sanhedrin 105a). 

Supersessionism  Jesper Svartvik

Roundly denounced today, supersessionist theology argues that Christians have replaced Jews as the people of God, and often refers to a contested translation of Jeremiah 31:31—32 in Hebrews 8:8-9.

The Hebrew word shub; has numerous translations. The most common - return (261 times), restore (58 times), again (53 times).

Leviticus 26 God warned Israel of the punishment that would fall on them due to their idolatry. If Israel repented then:

Lev 26:40-46     

'If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their forefathers, in their unfaithfulness which they committed against Me, and also in their acting with hostility against Me—I also was acting with hostility against them, to bring them into the land of their enemies—or if their uncircumcised heart becomes humbled so that they then make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and I will remember also My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham as well, and I will remember the land. 'For the land will be abandoned by them, and will make up for its sabbaths while it is made desolate without them. They, meanwhile, will be making amends for their iniquity, because they rejected My ordinances and their soul abhorred My statutes. 'Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I so abhor them as to destroy them, breaking My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. Lev 26:45  'But I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the LORD.'" These are the statutes and ordinances and laws which the LORD established between Himself and the sons of Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai. 

Deu 4:28-31   Deut 27:9-26   Isa 1:24-28   Isa 10:20-23   Isa 35:8-10   Isa 44:21-28   Isa 49:6, 7   Isa 51:11-15   Isa 51:11-15   Isa 52:8, 9   Isa 53   Isa 59:20, 21   Jer 30:3   Jer 30:10-11   Jer 31:23   Jer 31:31-34   Jer 31:38     Jer 32:36-42   Jer 32:36   Jer 33:5-9   Hos 11:1-5   Joe 2:28-32, 3:1   Amo 9:14, 15   Zec 1:17   Zec 8:3   Mal 3:16-18   Mal 4:1-6   … 

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[1] R. K. Harrison, Jeremiah and Lamentation, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1973), 13.

[2] Andrew E. Hill and John H. Walton, A Survey of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009), 534.

[3] Marvin A. Sweeney, Tanak: A Theological and Critical Introduction to the Jewish Bible

(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2012), 293.

[4] Charles L. Feinberg, Isaiah – Ezekiel, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol.6 (Grand Rapids:

Zondervan Publishing House, 1986), 362.

[5] Harry D. Potter, "The new covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34." Vetus Testamentum 33, no. 3 (July 1, 1983): 347-357. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed May 21, 2015).

[6] Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., "The old promise and the New Covenant: Jeremiah 31:31-34." Journal of the

Evangelical Theological Society 15, no. 1: 11-23. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed May 21, 2015), 1.

[7] F. B. Huey, Jr., Jeremiah & Lamentations, The New American Commentary (Tennessee: Broadman Press, 1993), 281

[8] Charles L. Feinberg, Isaiah – Ezekiel, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol.6, 367.

[9] Adopted from the class lecture handout (Jeremiah) 

[10] Gordon McConville, Exploring the Old Testament: The Prophets, vol.4 (London: SPCK, 2002), 51.

[11] J. A. Thompson, The Book of Jeremiah, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1980), 29.

[12] C. Hassell Bullock, An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986), 196-199

[13] Gerald L. Keown, Pamela J. Scalise, and Thomas G. Smothers, Jeremiah 26-52, Word Biblical Commentary, vol.27 (Texas: Word Book Publisher, 1995), 127.

[14] William L. Holladay, Jeremiah 2, Hermeneia: A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1989), 164.

[15] Clifton J. Allen, ed., Jeremiah – Daniel, The Broadman Bible Commentary, vol. 6 (Nashville:

Broadman Press, 1971), 152.

[16] J. Andrew Dearman, Jeremiah and Lamentations, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 22. 

[17] Walter Brueggemann, A Commentary on Jeremiah: Exile and Homecoming (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998), 7.

[18] Peter C. Craigie, Page H. Kelley, and Joel F. Drinkard, Jr., Jeremiah 1-25, Word Biblical Commentary, vol.26 (Texas: Word Books Publishers, 1991), xlvi.

[19] Clifton J. Allen, ed., Jeremiah – Daniel, The Broadman Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 152.               ²⁰ William L. Holladay, Jeremiah 2, Hermeneia: A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible, 197.

[20] John Bright, Jeremiah, The Anchor Bible Commentary (New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1984), 286.

[21] John H. Walton, ed., Isaiah – Daniel, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009), 304.  

[22] John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews, and Mark W. Chavalas, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament (Illinois: Inter Varsity Press, 2000), 664.

[23] In this section two sentences have been taken from one of my previous paper in Hebrew Exegesis class (2014).

[24] G. Johannes Botter Wekc and Helmer Ringgren, eds. Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, vol.2, trans. John T. Willis (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1975), 255.

[25] Ibid., 255.         ²⁷ Ibid., 255.

[26] Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., and Duane Garrett, NIV Archaeological study bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006).    

[27] George E. Mendenhall, Law and Covenant in Israel and the Ancient Near East (Pittsburg: Biblical Colloquium, 1955), 26-46, 49-76. 

[28] Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., "The old promise and the New Covenant: Jeremiah 31:31-34." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 15, 4.

 

[29] William McKane, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Jeremiah, International Critical Commentary, vol.2 (Edinburg: T&T Clark, 1996), 818.

[30] Christopher J. H. Wright, The Message of Jeremiah, The Bible Speaks Today (Illinois: Inter Varsity Press, 2014), 327.

[31] Louis Stulman, Jeremiah, Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2005), 273.

[32] Charles Dyer and Eugene Merrill, Nelson’s Old Testament Survey (Nashville: Thomas Nelson

Publishers, 2001), 620.

[33] William McKane, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Jeremiah, International Critical Commentary, vol.2, 822.

[34] Louis Stulman, Jeremiah, Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries, 274.

[35] Walter Brueggemann, A Commentary on Jeremiah: Exile and Homecoming, 292.

[36] Charles L. Feinberg, Isaiah – Ezekiel, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol.6, 575..                  ³⁹ Charles Dyer and Eugene Merrill, Nelson’s Old Testament Survey, 620.

[37] Ibid., 620.

[38] G. K. Beale, and D. A. Carson, eds., Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), 970.

[39] R. E. Clements, Jeremiah, Interpretation (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1929), 190.

[40] It is often referred to as Millennialism and Apocalypticism, meaning the eschatological intervention of God into the world towards the End-Times.    

[41] Ellwood, Robert S., and Gregory D. Alles, "Messiah". The Encyclopedia of World Religions (New York, NY: Facts On File, Inc., 2007), 291.

[42] Ellwood, Encyclopedia, 291.

[43] Neusner, Jacob, "Messiah". Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster Inc., 1999), 722. 

[44] Isaiah 9:7, NIV

[45] Simkhovitch, Vladimir Gregorievitch, Toward the Understanding of Jesus (New York, NY: Macmillan Company, 1921), 73.

[46] It is interesting to note as a cross reference that the Jews of Arabia in 7th century held the same belief of the coming of their Messiah at the dawn of Islam. They believed in the close-at-hand emergence of their Messiah and the restitution of their rule in the world. This particular Jewish stance, to some degree, when communicated to the Arabian tribes, paved the way for Islam to penetrate the hearts of the Arabian pagans. Since they had heard it from the Jews that a prophetic Messiah would soon emerge, they rushed to flock around the Prophet of Islam. See Ali, Muhammad Mohar, Sirat al-Nabi and the Orientalists. Vol. 1B (Madinah, Saudi Arabia: King Fahad Complex, 1997),  906. 

[47] Kennard, Douglas Welker, Messiah Jesus: Christology in His Day and Ours (New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., 2008), 110.

[48] a. Chester, Andrew, Messiah and Exaltation: Jewish Messianic and Visionary Traditions and New Testament Christology (Tubingen, Germany: Mohr Siebeck, 2007), 421.  b. Welker, Messiah, 416.

[49] Grabbe, Lester L., An Introduction to Second Temple Judaism (New York, NY: T & T Clark, 2010), 59-62, 80. 

[50] Novenson, Matthew V., Christ Among the Messiahs (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2012), 5152.

[51] Mitchell, David C., Messiah Ben Joseph (Newton Mearns, Scotland: Campbell Publications, 2016), 131.

[52] For instance, the translation of the Tanakh into Greek historically known as the "Septuagint." It was the Septuagint, which, for the most part, determined the future theology of both Judaism and

Christianity.

[53] Singer, Isidore (ed.), "Messiah". The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day Vol 8. (New York, NY: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1916), 505. 

[54] Ellwood, Encyclopedia of World Religions, 291.

[55] Wiseman, D.J., The Vassal-Treaties of Esarhaddon (London, UK: British School of Archaeology, 1958), 78.

[56] "Anointing". Encyclopedia Judaica (Retrieved on 4/21/2018 - http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/anointing)

[57] Grabbe, Introduction, 80.

[58] Schultz, Joseph P., Judaism and Gentile Faiths: Comparative Studies in Religion (London, UK: Associated University Press, 1981), 213.

[59] Grabbe, Introduction, 84.

[60] Schindler, Solomon, Messianic Expectations and Modern Judaism (Boston: S.E. Cassino and Company, 1886), 77.

[61] Reportedly, the Mandaeans moved from the banks of the Jordan River to Persia after the Jewish revolts and continue to exist there as a religious group even today. See Parfrey, Adam, and Kenn Thomas, Secret and Suppressed II (Port Townsend, WA: Feral House, 2008), 94.

[62] For more detail, see Wink, Walter, John the Baptist in the Gospel Tradition (), 100.

[63] Singer, Jewish Encyclopedia, 511.

[64] Singer, Jewish Encyclopedia, 505. 

[65] It is the word Christos that is used everywhere else in the Gospels to translate the Jewish concept of the 'anointed one' rather than employing the term Messiah.

[66] Grabbe, Introduction, 83-84.

[67] Schindler, Messianic Expectations, 79.

[68] Flusser, David, Judaism of the Second Temple Period: The Jewish Sages and Their Literature, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Company, 2009), 258-259.

[69] Grabbe, Introduction, 80-82.

[70] Flusser, Judaism, 258.

[71] Ra, Yoseop, The Origin and Formation of the Gospels (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2015), p.54.

[72] Flusser, Judaism, 258-259.

[73] Schindler, Messianic, 81.

[74] Simkhovitch, Understanding of Jesus, 73-74.