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→‎Deity: Rewrote some commentary
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Often it is said, rather dogmatically, that "God has no Son" in Judaism. But this is not true. Psalm 2 refers to the Lord's 'anointed one' (Messiah), twice called "Son," who will receive the nations as inheritance. The Midrash on the psalms sees in this figure the "one who is to come," the "Messiah-King" before whom all will bow down, and also the "son of man coming with the clouds" of the book of Daniel (7:13).   
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Jews have often claimed emphatically that "God has no Son," but their own Scriptures and rabbis reject this claim. Psalm 2 refers to the Lord's 'anointed one' ([[Messiah]]), twice called "Son," who will receive the nations as inheritance. The Midrash on the psalms sees in this figure the "one who is to come," the "Messiah-King" before whom all will bow down, and also the "son of man coming with the clouds" of the book of Daniel (7:13).   
    
Rashi also associates the "Son" with the Messiah: “Our Rabbis have taught that this concerns the Messiah-King, and in harmony with this interpretation it can be applied to David himself.” So does Ibn Ezra, who reckons that the psalm refers to the "anointing of David as king... or else it concerns the Messiah"  (cf. Santala, p. 119).  The talmud concurs, even associating with this psalm the two Messianic traditions of the triumphant Messiah son of David and the suffering Messiah son of Joseph:
 
Rashi also associates the "Son" with the Messiah: “Our Rabbis have taught that this concerns the Messiah-King, and in harmony with this interpretation it can be applied to David himself.” So does Ibn Ezra, who reckons that the psalm refers to the "anointing of David as king... or else it concerns the Messiah"  (cf. Santala, p. 119).  The talmud concurs, even associating with this psalm the two Messianic traditions of the triumphant Messiah son of David and the suffering Messiah son of Joseph:
    
{{quotebox|"The Rabbis have said that this means the Messiah, the Son of David, who is to come quickly in our time. The Holy One will say to him: ‘Ask of me, and I will give it to you,’ as it is said... ‘this day I have begotten you; ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance.’ And because he saw the Messiah, the Son of Joseph, who was killed… I will ask you for nothing more than life…" (Sukka 52a) (cf. Santala, p. 120) }}
 
{{quotebox|"The Rabbis have said that this means the Messiah, the Son of David, who is to come quickly in our time. The Holy One will say to him: ‘Ask of me, and I will give it to you,’ as it is said... ‘this day I have begotten you; ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance.’ And because he saw the Messiah, the Son of Joseph, who was killed… I will ask you for nothing more than life…" (Sukka 52a) (cf. Santala, p. 120) }}
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The Zohar even appends to the description of the Son ("bar") a quasi-trinitarian statement mentioning the Holy One, His Son, and His Spirit:  
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The Zohar even appends to the description of the Son a quasi-trinitarian statement mentioning the Holy One, His Son, and His Spirit:  
 
“You are the good shepherd; of you it is said, ‘Kiss the Son.’You are great here below, the teacher of Israel, the Lord of the serving angels, the son of the Most High, the son of the Holy One, may his name be praised and his Holy Spirit.” (Zohar, part III, p. 307, Amsterdam edition) (cf. Santala, p. 121)   
 
“You are the good shepherd; of you it is said, ‘Kiss the Son.’You are great here below, the teacher of Israel, the Lord of the serving angels, the son of the Most High, the son of the Holy One, may his name be praised and his Holy Spirit.” (Zohar, part III, p. 307, Amsterdam edition) (cf. Santala, p. 121)   
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NT Fulfillment:  
 
NT Fulfillment:  
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{{Bible quote|When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” |book=Matthew|chap=2|verses=16-17}}
 
{{Bible quote|When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” |book=Matthew|chap=2|verses=16-17}}
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Later we will see how rabbis have applied it to the person of the Messiah. Yet is this Messiah merely human? Micah seems to say that his origins are eternal. Rabbi David Qimhi comments on Mic 5:2:
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Rabbis have observed here that these "everlasting" origins mean Messiah is not merely human but God. Rabbi David Qimhi comments on Mic 5:2:
    
"It will be said in the Messianic age that his 'origins are from old, from ancient time;' 'from Bethlehem' means that he will be of the house of David, because there is a long period of time between David and the Messiah-King; and he is El (God), which is how he is 'from old, from ancient times.' (Qimhi on Mic 5:2)   
 
"It will be said in the Messianic age that his 'origins are from old, from ancient time;' 'from Bethlehem' means that he will be of the house of David, because there is a long period of time between David and the Messiah-King; and he is El (God), which is how he is 'from old, from ancient times.' (Qimhi on Mic 5:2)   
 
In Genesis 1:2 we read: "The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." The midrash Rabbah says in this context that "this was the spirit of the Messiah" who was already present at creation. (Bereshith Rabbah 1:2, Santala, p. 35)
 
In Genesis 1:2 we read: "The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." The midrash Rabbah says in this context that "this was the spirit of the Messiah" who was already present at creation. (Bereshith Rabbah 1:2, Santala, p. 35)
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According to the Talmud, the Messiah's name is one of the seven things which were ordained before creation. (Pesahim 54a, Nedarim 39b) (cf. Santala, p. 52)
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According to the Talmud, the Messiah's name is one of the seven things which were ordained before creation. (Pesahim 54a, Nedarim 39b) (cf. Santala, p. 52).  The apocryphal book of Enoch also presents the Messiah and Son of Man as pre-existent before the creation of the world:  
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The apocryphal book of Enoch also presents the Messiah and Son of Man as pre-existent before the creation of the world:  
   
{{quotebox|And at that hour that Son of Man was named In the presence of the Lord of Spirits, and his name before the Head of Days. Yea, before the sun and the signs were created, before the stars of the heaven were made, His name was named before the Lord of Spirits.  He shall be a staff to the righteous whereon to stay themselves and not fall, and he shall be the light of the Gentiles, and the hope of those who are troubled of heart.  All who dwell on earth shall fall down and worship before him, and will praise and bless and celebrate with song the Lord of Spirits. And for this reason hath he been chosen and hidden before Him, before the creation of the world and for evermore.  (1 Enoch 48:2-6)}}
 
{{quotebox|And at that hour that Son of Man was named In the presence of the Lord of Spirits, and his name before the Head of Days. Yea, before the sun and the signs were created, before the stars of the heaven were made, His name was named before the Lord of Spirits.  He shall be a staff to the righteous whereon to stay themselves and not fall, and he shall be the light of the Gentiles, and the hope of those who are troubled of heart.  All who dwell on earth shall fall down and worship before him, and will praise and bless and celebrate with song the Lord of Spirits. And for this reason hath he been chosen and hidden before Him, before the creation of the world and for evermore.  (1 Enoch 48:2-6)}}
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Thus we see that Jesus' eternal sonship is not an invention of the New Testament but finds its roots in the Hebrew scriptures, in apocryphal literature and is even confirmed in rabbinical literature.  
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Thus we see that Jesus' eternal sonship is not an invention of the New Testament but finds its roots in the Hebrew scriptures, in apocryphal literature, and is even confirmed in rabbinical literature.  
    
NT Fulfillment:  
 
NT Fulfillment:  
 
   
 
   
 
{{Bible quote|He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth...  All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.|book=Colossians|chap=1|verses=15-17}}
 
{{Bible quote|He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth...  All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.|book=Colossians|chap=1|verses=15-17}}
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Hebrew is a contextual language - that is relatively few words but each word having a variety of meanings. This requires knowledge of the literature, and literatures - that is, knowledge of the context to determine the precise meaning. Biblical Hebrew has a help in this, though, and that is "signs" (t'amey Hamikr'a) that accompany the text, usually above the letters, sometimes to the side, which are divided into two main categories - conjunctive and disjuctive. The conjunctive tie two words together, the disjuctive indicate that the words are separate in thought. These two categories of signs also serve as punctuation - full stop (period), semi-stop (coma),and even thought groupings. they were written down by the Masoretes of the 5th cent A.D., that is the people that carried on the earlier tradition of how things were understood. Masoret=tradition. Thus, In Isaiah 9:6, the Hebrew words themselves can bear the meaning "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor of the Mighty God..." or His name shall be called " Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God...". But the T'amey Hamikr'a decide the case. Between "Counsellor" and Mighty God" there is a disjunctive. Therefore His name shall be called Counsellor, the Mighty God..." is correct - according to the understanding that the Masoretes received.
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[[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] is a contextual language - it has relatively few words, and each word can take a variety of meaningsdepending on context. However, the rabbis in the intertestimental period preserved helpful "signs" (t'amey Hamikr'a) which the Masoretes (from the Hebrew "masoret", "tradition")of the 5th cent A.D. later wrote into the manuscripts. Conjunctive "signs" tie two words together; disjunctive indicate that they are separate thoughts. These two categories of signs also serve as punctuation - full stop (period), semi-stop (coma),and even thought groupings. According to these punctuation marks, Isaiah 9:6 reads:  "His name shall be called Counsellor, the Mighty God..."
    
The midrash on Lamentations also attributes the name of God to the Messiah:  
 
The midrash on Lamentations also attributes the name of God to the Messiah:  
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