Messianism in the Old Testament

Messianism in the Old Testament

PAN Chou Wee

Messianism, which believes that the prophecy of Jesus Christ as the coming Savior of the world was prophesied in the Old Testament Scripture, is an important element of the Christian faith. More than half a century ago, a renowned biblical scholar Roland E. Murphy wrote : "It is a fact that the term 'messiah,' as a terminus technicus designing the ideal king who was to come, does not occur in the OT. It received this connotation only towards the beginning of the Christian era, whereas in itself it means merely the 'anointed,' referring to kings and priests."¹ Barton has even gone further to declare that “the Messiah was not an important theme in most Old Testament books.”² In their studies, many scholars have arrived at the similar conclusion that “messianism” becomes a major theme only during the Second Temple period, which, however, has different connotations to Christians and Jews.

This article is divided into three parts. The first part is a survey of the term “messiah” and its cognates. It is followed by an analysis of the scriptures which are commonly used to construct “messianism” in the Old Testament. Finally, it concludes with a brief description on the development of “messianism” in the Second Temple period.

¹ Roland E. Murphy, “Notes on Old Testament Messianism and Apologetics,” CQ 19/1 (1957): 5.
² John Barton, “The Messiah in Old Testament Theology,” in King and Messiah in Israel and the Ancient Near East, ed. John Day (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1998), 371.