The Messiah in Isaiah 7:14: The Virgin Birth (original) (raw)
2022, The Master's Seminary Journal
Many evangelical scholars deny that Isaiah’s prophecy of a virgin giving birth to Immanuel directly predicts the birth of Jesus, arguing that the words and syntax of Isaiah 7:14 demand fulfillment in the time of King Ahaz. This article provides three arguments to support a messianic-only interpretation. First, the greater context of chapters 1–12 consistently anticipates immediate judgment upon the nation, with Judah’s hope lying beyond exile when God takes up residence with his people. Second, hermeneutical proposals of double fulfillment are shown to be unconvincing because they lack any basis in the text. Third, analysis of Isaiah 7:14–17 reveals that an 8th-century fulfillment is impossible given the nature of the sign, the meaning of almah, the syntax of the announcement, as well as the child’s name, role, diet, and character. A closer look at the timeline in Isaiah 7:16–17 shows that Immanuel could only be born after the land of Judah was laid waste, a reality that did not occur in the 8th century. This study thus concludes that Matthew and the early church exercised sound exegetical and hermeneutical principles in identifying Jesus as the sole fulfillment of the Isaiah 7:14 prophecy.
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Isaiah 7:14 and its appearance in Matthew 1:23 has functioned as a springboard for substantial hermeneutical inquiry into essential Christological doctrines. Traditionally, Christian scholars interpreted the verse as a predictive messianic prophecy with single fulfillment in Jesus. However, shifts within the discipline of biblical hermeneutics in the early 1900’s thrust the verse to the forefront of fresh inquiry. Isaiah 7:14 has uniquely sustained the avid interest of biblical scholars who have rigorously examined the grammatical construction and historical context of Isaiah 7:14. Matthew’s use of the verse as a harbinger of significant Christological doctrines explicates the gravity of the discussion concerning the miraculous birth of the God/man Messiah. After establishing basic assumptions regarding issues of Isaianic unity and the definition of biblical prophecy, this study will commence with an examination of the historical and literary context of Isaiah 7:14, followed by a grammatical exegesis of the Masoretic text. Attention will then be given to the interpretation of the prophecy during the Second Temple. An analysis of the appearance of Isaiah 7:14 in Matthew 1:23 will demonstrate how the Isaianic prediction was uniquely fulfilled and fully satisfied in the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ.
Identification of Immanuel in the Context of Isaiah 7:14
2020
For many scholars the identification of Immanuel and his mother in Isaiah 7:14 had been a dispute for a long time. For Christian the verse Isaiah 7:14 is one of the most popular items in the foretold the future conception and birth of a child by a virgin, the “fulfillment” of which is described in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke with the accounts of Mary’s conceiving a child of the Holy Spirit and giving birth to Jesus. However many scholar questioned refute Christian’ application of this verse. The prophet Isaiah’s use of the term ה ֗ מָלְעַ (‘almah) and לֽאֵוּנ ֥ מָּעִ (‘imanu'el ) in 7:14 would pose a problem. To whom Isaiah’s Immanuel and his mother intended? What is the correct interpretation of the the Immanuel and his mother of this verse contextually? This research primarily uses the inductive method to arrive at answers. Through theological reflection the following steps will be taken: firstly, the background of great controversy and analysis of the word תוֹא֑ (‘ot), ה ...
Messianism within the book of Isaiah as a whole
2001
National Library BiilioWque nationale du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 3a5 Wdlïngton Street 395. nie WeUingîon OctawP ON KlAOW OaawaON K l A W Canada canada The author has granteci a non-L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive Licence aiiowhg the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sel reproduire, prêter, distriiuer ou copies of this thesis in rnicroform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantiai extracts fiom it Ni Ia thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be pxinted or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation.
Special Delivery: The Hidden Birth of Jesus in the Ascension of Isaiah 11
Ancient Jew Review, 2021
The Ascension of Isaiah is 'having a moment'-increasingly receiving the attention it deserves, from those working across the spectrum of disciplinary interests and approaches to ancient texts. As an early Christian apocalyptic text with various distinctive features-a seven-storied cosmology, a quirky angelomorphic christology, and a hierarchical trinitarianism-the Ascension of Isaiah is now recognised as an important, if under-researched, source for understanding early Christian thought. Its adaptation of a Jewish monotheistic framework to encompass the worship of Jesus 'the Lord Christ' as 'the Lord God' (9:5) constitutes important evidence for our understanding of the origins and development of Christ-devotion and 'christological monotheism'. Jesus is presented as the pre-existent, only-begotten Son of the Heavenly Father, who is divinely commissioned to descend from the right hand of God through the seven heavens, in the guise of a holy angel, and then to descend further to the earth in the form of a man, and finally to descend into Sheol in the form of an angel of lawlessness (10:7-15). These metamorphoses function to conceal 'the Beloved One's true heavenly identity and thereby facilitate his defeat of Satan, Sammael, Beliar and all their angels who oppressively rule the world and the realm below. They will slay him on the cross, 'not knowing who He is', thinking that he is flesh and a man, only for him to slay them in a surprise attack, and ascend to his heavenly throne in undisguised glory, along with the liberated spirits of the faithful departed (9:12-16). The plot is akin to a cosmic spy drama: the heavenly agent descends undercover on His Majesty's secret service with a strategic mission to assassinate the enemy and liberate the world. In Sheol, they can't kill him, because he's already dead. The narrative framework of this 'polymorphic'[1] christology may be represented graphically as follows:
Hikaru Tanaka, 2013
This thesis examines, from a canonical perspective, the thematic relationship between the three royal oracles in Isaiah 1-39 (7:14; 8:23-9:6; 11:1-9) and the four Servant Songs in Isaiah 40-55 (42:1-9; 48:16-49:12; 50:2-51:16; 52:13-53:12), in search of the holistic intention of the book of Isaiah. Many scholars have argued that under new historical situations and authorial intentions, the royal hopes in Isaiah 1-39 are transformed into expectation for the Servant from Isaiah 40 onward. However, these views are problematic in that they rely solely on assumptions as to the historical intentionality of the prophets. Therefore, paying attention to the overall intentions of the book as a whole, the present study argues that both the royal oracles and the Servant texts remain significant in the eschatological realm, complementing each other to generate the unique messianic expectation of the book as a whole.
An Introduction to the Book of Isaiah
Within the most influential book in the course of history is “the vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz.” This is the book of Isaiah — the epitome of prophetic eloquence. Isaiah uses alliteration and parallelism to prophesy of God, the Holy One of Israel, who will save His people. Isaiah is a compelling work challenging critics to reconsider predictive prophecies. This introduction to the book of Isaiah searches for a compelling plea to challenge scholarship to reconsider its approach to Isaiah. The methodological approach of this introduction notes the link of ancient witnesses to Isaian authorship. This approach also examines the structure of Isaiah’s text compared to its theological messages. By affirming Isaiah’s textual background, scholarship can cross-examine the suppositions of historical criticism. The conclusion will result with either a growth of complex ideas or a simplified understanding of facts.
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