Messiah In The Old Testament

The idea of the Messiah has appeared in the earliest traditions of both the Jews and Christians. This theme of the Messiah has always been a main point in Christianity. Thus, in the course of history, the term “Messiah” has been used by both Jewish and Catholic people, but not always in the same sense. Both believe in the Messiah to come, but Jews have a different belief than Catholics. The Old Testament helps to understand what Christianity is. The New Testament clearly shows us who Christ is. The term “Messiah” is found in the Old and New Testaments. It referred to the kings who were seen, known as the messiahs, and brought the hope of salvation to their nation.
To Christians, the term “Messiah” refers to Jesus who is truly the Messiah

or the Anointed One, came down from heaven and brought eternal salvation to the whole world (Jn 20:31; Is 52:13 RSVCE). Christians believe that “Jesus has already come and that He has fulfilled the Messianic expectations that were a part of the belief of the Jewish people in His day.” However, Catholics and the Jews differ in how they understand the term “Messiah.” In order to show how Catholics and Jews have different understandings of the term Messiah, I would like to demonstrate first, how the Jewish people of the Old Testament times understand the term “messiah,” and secondly, how the Catholic understanding of the term “Messiah” applies to Christ.
I. The Jewish Understanding of the Term “Messiah”

a.

Definition of the Term “Messiah” in Hebrew
The scholar Scott Hahn notes in his book that, according to the Jewish understanding of the messiah, he would come with power or dominion in order to help them against their enemies and achieve the victory. That is a reason why they were waiting for a messiah who would be like a new Moses. This is because Moses was the one who brought them out of Egypt and guided them on the way to the Promised Land (Genesis 15:7).
b. The Many Ways that the Old Testament Uses this Term
According to the New Catholic Encyclopedia the definition of the term “messiah” is derived from the Hebrew word māšîah, meaning “anointed” or “anointed one.” The term “messiah” has been used and referred to many times in the Old Testament. It was especially used for the kings who were often chosen and anointed by God. David is an example of a messiah whom God chose and anointed to be a king (1Sm 16:12b-13). Being a chosen one, David had power from God to serve God through His people, for example, he won the battle over the Philistine (1Sm 17: 45-54). David believed that in the holy name of the Lord, the Almighty God who was with him so certainly, the victory would belong to him. David knew that the victory he had was not from his own strength but from the power of God (1Sm 17:45). David brought hope to Israel in the sense that he became the salvation of Israel. Therefore, David was seen as a

messiah.
Later on, King Cyrus was considered a messiah in the sense that he was anointed by God and became a king (Is 45:1). Joseph A. Fitzmyer explained that Cyrus was “the founder the Achaemenid dynasty and king of Persia.” Whenever God chooses someone to become His hands, He often gives them a mission (Is 45: 3-4). Following Jewish history, King Nebuchadnezzar of the Chaldeans deported the Jews in 597 after they conquered Jerusalem. Hence, at that time many of the Jewish people were exiled in Babylon. The message that came from God through the prophet Isaiah to King Cyrus is that God might use him as an instrument in order to take His people home to Jerusalem to begin a new life (Is 44:28). Then, James explained in his book that God called Cyrus by name and asked him to allow the Jews to return to their homeland to worship God.”
The Prophets Samuel and Isaiah anointed David and Cyrus to become kings. Each one of them received the grace of God in order to fulfill God’s will. The messiah plays a meaningful role in God’s plan. They were chosen by God in the Old Testament, and their rule eventually ended. However, their images represented the High Messiah who would come after as God promised to David: “A king would come from [your] line whose kingdom would last forever.” Roch A. Kereszty affirmed that “The Son of God would be called truly the Messiah in whom God’s promise to the house of David has been fulfilled” and also called a greater Messiah.
II. The Catholic Understanding of the Term Messiah as Applied to Christ
a. Definition of the Term Christ in Greek
In the New Catholic Encyclopedia the definition of the term “Christ” is derived from the Greek word chrīstos and the Hebrew word māšîah, both meaning anointed. In addition to that, in the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospel the term Christ, which comes to us from the Greek, is defined as follows:
The Greek word chrīstos usually is translated as “Christ” in most English versions though occasionally as “Messiah”, and it occurs over five hundred times in the Greek New Testament. It is a designation used of Jesus to indicate his status as the name “Jesus” with “Jesus Christ,” “Christ Jesus” or “Lord Jesus Christ.”

In most English versions of the Bible, the term “Christ” comes from the Greek word chrīstos which is translated as “Christ” and sometimes as “Messiah.” It has the same meaning “anointed” as the term “Messiah” which has been used by both Jews and Catholics, but not always in the same sense. In the view of the Jewish people, “Messiah” was understood as “military Messiah.” Contrary, to this, for Catholics, the term “Messiah” is only applied to Christ who is the true Messiah and was anointed with oil of the Holy Spirit (Lk 3:21-22). As mentioned above, kings were also called messiahs and they were chosen and anointed by God through the prophets. They were human beings for they were born by their parents. Although Jesus was born of a mother like many other mothers, the difference here is that “by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and he became man.” Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary whom God choose among all women to become His mother and He was born by the power of the Holy Spirit. These are the reasons why the messiahs in the Old Testament are so different with the Messiah in the New Testament. This is one of the reasons Catholics and Jews differ in their understanding of the term Messiah. To understand more about this term, one must look at how it is used by Christians.
b. Manna of the Messiah
During forty years of wandering in the desert, God gave the Israelites manna as a daily food in order to feed them and sustain them during those years. Manna was the bread from heaven that God gave the Israelites to help them on the journey from Egypt to Canaan. In the book of Exodus, the Israelites received the manna every morning during their time in the wilderness (Ex 16: 13-14). When the Israelites saw it they asked, “What is it?” (Ex 16:15a) In Hebrew, manna comes from man (what) and hu (it) which means “what is it?” because the Israelites did not know what it was (Ex 16:15). When they asked this question, Moses replied, “It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat” (Ex 16:15). Indeed, God always looked down upon His people and took care of them with His love, kindness, and mercy (Ps 33:13). He knew that they could die if they did not have food so He desired to give them manna as their daily food (Ex 16:3). This is found in the book of Exodus where God speaks to Moses: “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or not” (Ex 16:4). This means that the manna was provided in order to save Israel’s life.