rgprice wrote: ↑Wed Jun 12, 2019 3:48 am
It seems to be taken that
christos means "the messiah", but is this really correct? Maybe it is. Are there examples of the term
chrsitos being used to refer to the messiah of David prior to Christian writings?
Or does
christos just mean high priest? I don't find its usage in the Septuagint, though maybe I've missed it?
Χριστός/χριστός, as GDon mentioned, means "anointed" (or "anointed one" if used substantively); it is applied in the LXX/OG to priests (Leviticus 4.5, 16; 6.15, for example), to prophets (Psalm 104/105.15, for example), and to kings (1 Samuel 24.7, 11; 26.9, 11, 16; 2 Samuel 19.21/22, for example). As GDon states, it applies to Cyrus in Isaiah 45.1. Its usage in Daniel 9.26 seems pretty important to later Christian usage. Most/all of these OT usages translate the Hebrew word מָשִׁיחַ, transliterated in English as Messiah. The Psalms of Solomon expect a messianic figure:
Psalms of Solomon 17.36: 36 And there shall be no unrighteousness in his days in their midst, for all shall be holy and their king the anointed [τοῦ Χριστοῦ] of the Lord.
Psalms of Solomon 18.5-7: 5 May God cleanse Israel against the day of mercy and blessing, against the day of choice when He brings back His anointed [Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ]. 6 Blessed shall they be that shall be in those days, in that they shall see the goodness of the Lord which He shall perform for the generation that is to come 7 under the rod of chastening of the Lord's anointed [Χριστοῦ κυρίου] in the fear of his God, in the spirit of wisdom and righteousness and strength.
This future king is explicitly said to be of David's line in 17.4, 6, 21.
It seems to me that "Christ" refers to Jesus as the heavenly high priest as described in the letter to the Hebrews, not as a messiah of David as described in the DSS. Does the DSS use the term Christ to describe the messiah of David? To my knowledge no.
The DSS are mostly written in Hebrew; Christ is an English transliteration of a Greek word (there is nothing Hebrew about it, except that the LXX/OG used it to translate the Hebrew word Messiah). We would thus not expect Christ in the DSS, but the Hebrew term מָשִׁיחַ (= Messiah) appears therein a fair bit.
Does anyone know of exact examples of the usage of the term christos outside of Christians writings?
Refer to the Psalms of Solomon and to the LXX/OG above.
And also can anyone list examples of the usage of the term messiah from the DSS?
Here are just two references:
4Q252, column 5, lines 1-7: 1 [....] The scepter shall [no]t depart from the tribe of Judah. While Israel has the dominion, 2 there [will not] be cut off someone who sits on the throne of David. For «the staff» is the covenant of royalty, 3 [and the thou]sands of Israel are «the standards». [Blank.] Until the Messiah [משיח] of righteousness comes, the branch of 4 David. For to him and to his descendants has been given the covenant of the kingship of his people for everlasting generations, which 5 he observed [...] the Law with the men of the Community, for 6 [...] it is the assembly of the men of [...] 7 [...] He gives [....]
4Q521, fragment 2, column 2, lines 1-2: 1 [For the heav]ens and the earth will listen to his anointed one [למשיחו], 2 [and all th]at is in them will not turn away from the precepts of the holy ones.
You can find more in this online PDF:
http://www.hebrew-streams.org/works/qum ... ssiahs.pdf. I do not vouch for any of the opinions therein, but the file does give a decent list of messianic texts (including those which include the actual term Messiah) from Qumran.
ETA: I looked through my notes on this topic, and I found the following list, which overlaps with one of the two instances already presented above:
1QS, column 9, lines 8-11: Their goods must not be mixed with the goods of the men of deceit who have not cleansed their path to separate from injustice and walk in a perfect behaviour. They should not depart from any counsel of the law in order to walk in complete stubbornness of their heart, but instead shall be ruled by the first directives which the men of the Community began to be taught until the prophet comes, and the Messiahs of Aaron and Israel.
1Q28a, column 2, lines 11-22: At [a ses]sion of the men of renown, [those summoned to] the gathering of the community council, when [God] begets the Messiah with them: [the] chief [priest] of all the congregation of Israel shall enter, and all [his] br[others, the sons] of Aaron, the priests [summoned] to the assembly, the men of renown, and they shall sit be[fore him, each one] according to his dignity. After, [the Mess]iah of Israel shall [enter] and before him shall sit the heads of the th[ousands of Israel, each] one according to his dignity, according to [his] po[sition] in their camps and according to their marches. And all the heads of the cl[ans of the congre]gation with the wise [men ...] shall sit before them, each one according to his dignity. And [when] they gather [at the tab]le of community [or to drink the n]ew wine, and the table of 1the community is prepared [and the] new wine [is mixed] for drinking, [no-one should stretch out] his hand to the first-fruit of the bread and of [the new wine] before the priest, for [he is the one who bl]esses the first-fruit of bread and of the new win[e and stretches out] his hand towards the bread before them. Afterwar[ds,] the Messiah of Israel [shall str]etch out his hands towards the bread. [And afterwards, they shall ble]ss all the congregation of the community, each [one according to] his dignity. And in accordance with this precept one shall act at each me[al, when] at least ten me[n are gat]hered.
4Q252, column 2, lines 1-7: The sceptre shall [no]t depart from the tribe of Judah. While Israel has the dominion, there [will not] be cut off someone who sits on the throne of David. For «the staff» is the covenant of royalty, [and the thou]sands of Israel are «the standards». .... Until the Messiah of righteousness comes, the branch of David. For to him and to his descendants has been given the covenant of the kingship of his people for everlasting generations, which he observed [...] the Law with the men of the Community, for [...] it is the assembly of the men of [...] [...] He gives
CD-A, column 12-13, lines 23, 1-2: And this is the rule of the assembly of the cam[ps]. Those who walk in them, in the time of wickedness until there arises the ‹Messiah› of Aaron and Israel, shall be ten in number as a minimum to (form) thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.
CD-B, column 19, lines 5-11: But (over) all those who despise the precepts and the ordinances, may be emptied over them the punishment of the wicked, when God visits the earth, when there comes the word which is written by the hand of the prophet Zechariah [13.7]: «Wake up, sword, against my shepherd, and against the male who is my companion - oracle of God - strike the shepherd, and the flock may scatter, and I shall turn my hand against the little ones». Those who revere him are [Zechariah 11.11] «the poor ones of the flock». These shall escape in the age of the visitation; but those that remain shall be delivered up to the sword when there comes the Messiah of Aaron and Israel.
CD-B, column 20, line 1: ...of the unique teacher until there arises the Messiah out of Aaron and Israel.
4Q266, fragment 10, column 1, lines 10-12: This is the exact interpretation [of those who live in the camps, and the]se are the foundation walls of the assembly. And this is the exact interpretation [of the regulations by which they shall be r]uled until the rise of the Messiah of Aaron and Israel.
These are limited to texts which actually use the term Messiah; they do not include texts which may be talking about a messianic figure without using the term. Also, this is not necessarily exhaustive.