Monday, July 18, 2022

Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou (EO) on Zechariah 12:10

  

This prophecy of the piercing is specific and important. It was also recognized as messianic before the time of Christ and is still interpreted that way by Jews. This prophecy generates discussion among Jews about the meaning and interpretation of what seem to be conflicting passages. One Jewish scholar remarkably admitted that he cannot explain these prophecies and concluded that they are eschatological, not to be fulfilled by any historical person. Interestingly, this scholar wrote of the future Messiah Son of Joseph “that he died for his people through no fault of his, but because they failed him, is clearly indicated in the present passage [Zech. 12:9-12] as the [Jewish] commentators agree-though they vainly suppose the martyr to be a historical personage” (Torrey, “Messiah Son of Ephraim,” 273). According to the Babylonian Talmud the Messiah Ben Joseph would be pierced, killed, and mourned like an only child and firstborn son.[1] The idea of a suffering messiah is undeniable in Judaism. Because the Messiah Ben Joseph suffers and dies, many Jews have concluded that he must be a different person from the Davidic Messiah, who will appear at some later date after the death of the Messiah Son of Joseph.[2] (Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou, The Crucifixion of the King of Glory: The Amazing History and Sublime Mystery of the Passion [Chesterton, Ind.: Ancient Faith Publishing, 2021], 264)

 

Notes for the Above:

 

[1] Sukk. 5. Rabbis of later periods also came to this conclusion; see, for example, Rashi’s commentary on Tractate Sukkah 52:71. Rashi, whose full name is Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (1040-1105) wrote commentaries on the Bible and on the Talmud. He is one of the most influential interpreters of Jewish tradition, and his commentaries are still widely read. Rabbi Moshe Alshich (1508-1593) also wrote that the Messiah will willingly suffer for the sins of Israel and that he will die by piercing. This is also expressed in the Yalkut Shimoni of the Talmud, a famous work by Simeon, a medieval Jewish scholar in Germany, who created a compilation of Jewish interpretations called “the Yalkut,” which means “anthology.”

 

[2] As time progressed, additional expectations were added to the Messiah Son of Joseph figure, including the idea that he would die in battle, but this was definitely not part of the early Jewish interpretation. This elaboration was created after the time of Christ. Today, among Jews who still believe that the Messiah will be an actual person, both messianic figures are typically connected to eschatological Jewish expectations.