The Rabbis and Certain Events of the Eschaton i.Introduction .. fl.Tribulation. iii. Wars and Battles a) Introduction b} Gogand Magog iv. The conclusion is that the Second Testament reflects extensive use of the hermeneutical methods of early Judaism, and that subsequent Christian scholars should therefore support these methods. It is further concluded that the main eschatological issues advanced by the popularizers cannot be easily defended solely using the exegetical methods they employ.
BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE ESCHATOLOGICAL
Conclusion
To arrive at an adequate understanding of any group, the practices of the other two must be taken into account. This agrees with the view of the well-known Jewish scholar, Geza Vermes, who notes, "in inter-testamental Judaism there existed a fundamental unity of exegetical tradition. 34; the duty of the historian to emphasize that neither can be correctly understood independently of the other s.5).
RABBINIC EXEGESIS IN EARLY PALESTINIAN JUDAISM
A good example of the rabbinic approach is found in the Babylonian Talmud which, although it is ca. A similar belief prevailed among the Rabbis regarding the rebuilding of the Temple in the eschaton. 34; Eighteen Benedictions", the Amidah, contained in the Seder Avodat Yisrael, and related to the coming of the Messiah.
THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS AND THE QUMRAN SECT
There is therefore sufficient proof that the Scrolls were written some time before the appearance of the Baptist, James and Jesus. In the case of the Qumranians, this person was the Teacher of Justice who was seen as the sales vehicle for the interpretation of the Scriptures and the revelation of God's plans contained therein. A main feature of the Qumranians is their use of an exegetical principle, the modem label for which is "peshet".
Eschatological revelation using pesher, a characteristic of the sects, is also found in Second Testament texts. Common was the belief that the future or eschatological meaning of the ancient text was the more appropriate one. It is in Qumranic literature such as the War Scroll; The Government of the Congregation;.
The establishment of a messianic kingdom, in the eyes of the Covenanters, would culminate in God's restoration of Israel (they are the true Israel of God) to their former preeminence as God's chosen people and the destruction of their enemies. That the Covenants expected an anointed Messiah, a savior at the time of the eschaton, is clear, for example, from 4Q where pesherto the·. 34; in the thinking of the Qumran sect, the Teacher of Justice may return as the priestly Messiah."
The hallmark of the Qumranians in their efforts to understand ancient texts is their use of peshe as a hermeneutical tool.
EARLY JEWISH HERMENEUTICS AND THE SECOND TESTAMENT
Introduction
It is in the eschatological (and messianic) application of the ancient text that the true meaning of the text for Paul is expressed. Rom.15:4, testifies to the authenticity of First-Testament texts and events, in the view of the Second-Testament editors, and is not detached from their original peshat. The temptation of Jesus in the desert is of eschatological importance, because he is the Messiah and the usher of the Messianic period.
Qal wahomer - like the text, and the event - the trial through temptation - applied in the case of the Israelites (God's chosen "son"), so "how much more" will this not be important and relevant in connection with the temptation of the Messiah of Israel (God's son ). Further examples of Hillel's influence are found in Matthew's use of the fifth middoth, KelaJupherat, "the general and the particular". This imminence was the anticipation of the inauguration of the Messianic age and the belief in the various eschatological events accompanying such an age.
This is to be expected, since the writers of the Second Testament sought to show that the Christian faith is the fulfillment of the prophetic texts of the First Testament about the Messiah. Among the writers of the Second Testament, Matthew is probably the most important user of the pesherinterpretive method. Scroll 1Q8:8 (verses 12 and 16) applies this prophecy to the members of the Qumran community, for they are the true people of God, “v.
In a manner reminiscent of the Qumran Teacher of Righteousness, Paul revealed the "mysteries," the raz, of the First Testament in light of his Christocentric approach.
THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS
Philo's approach to the interpretation of the covenant ritual of circumcision, emerging from an analysis of Genesis 17, was strongly allegorical. John believed that the thousand years was to be "the latter part of the millennium—the part that. There are many other leading church fathers who likewise adopted an allegorical approach to interpreting the scriptures, especially prophetic and First Testament texts.
There is therefore some support for the claim that Justin used "the rules of Hillel as some of his basic guides in interpreting the Scriptures." Fathers, it is not remarkable that Hellenistic interpretive tendencies became part of the Church's hermeneutical arsenal at an early stage. Both perpetuated the dominance of the allegorical approach to interpretation, although some exegetes kept the literal approach alive.
The corpus of dogma was the result of interpretative methodologies used by exegetes of the time. In this case, the resulting and accepted interpretation of Scripture, dogma, perpetuated the fundamental errors on which it was based. As a result of this relationship, Papias' understanding of the millennium must be of weighty persuasion.
Cyril was one of the few fathers who adopted a literal and futuristic approach to the interpretation of prophetic texts, much like the early rabbis, but unlike most of his more influential contemporaries.
THE MIDDLE AGES 1. Introduction
THE REFORMERS
An examination of biblical hermeneutics was an inevitable consequence of a focus on Scripture itself. As a result, they allegorized much of the First Testament, including God's covenants with the Jews and promises to him, which, according to the rabbis, would be literally fulfilled in this. In line with the views of the Church Fathers, the Reformers considered the Jews superfluous in God's economy, with the Church as God's new people.
In relation to such a position, Luther continued to spiritualize the First Testament in favor of the Church. In essence, the differentiation amounted to a neglect of the historical context and a focus on the "prophetic". It can be said that Luther adapted his interpretation of the Scriptures to fit his Christological program.
No millennial rule by the saints is envisioned at the time of the defeat of the Antichrist in the eschatons, since they already rule. Calvin's denigration of the contextual validity of First Testament covenants, promises and prophecies outside of Christ and the Church follows the days of certain early Church Fathers. It appears that the Reformers reserved the application of the grammatical-historical hermeneutic only to non-prophetic texts of the Second Testament.
Such scholars would hopefully be able to pollinate conventional exegetes of the time.
ON TO THE 21ST CENTURY
Continuation of the old Jewish exegetical methods is seen, for example, in the rabbinic belief in a literal eschatological temple as foretold by the prophet Ezekiel. The hermeneutical approach of the early Jews remains the approach of Orthodox Jews to this day. In the case of the early Jewish sages and their exegetical successors, these additional methods included the haggadah.
Focusing on the pre-tribulational aspect of the rapture, LaHaye's argument from a purely literal reading of the Second Testament texts is again rather flimsy. Further reinforcement of the pattern manifest in the various forms of judgments poured out upon Pharaoh, which forms are eschatologically recapitulated in Revelation 6-19. Once the principle has been established from the examples of Lot and Noah, it may well be directed to the supernatural escape of the Church from the wrath of the coming eschatological Tnbulation.
Finally, it is clear that similar arguments can be advanced in support of the popularizers' feelings about the inevitability of oppression in the eschaton. The climatic application of the Feast is the soteriological restoration of the nation to their Messiah, in the fulness of the land promised to Abraham. The eschatological messianic application of the Festival is further supported by the pattern developed from the use of the number "seven".
As a result, much of the eschatological scenario promoted by the Popularizers does not find significant support through the application of a grammatical-historical hermeneutic approach alone.
CONCLUSION
Longenecker concludes that "the exegesis of the New Testament is heavily dependent on Jewish procedural precedents, p. 187). Evidence for this comes from the patent use of "many exegetical conventions that were common in various branches of Judaism in their day". The apparent inconsistency of this view is that it was only by using the early Jewish hermeneutical practices used by Jesus and the writers of the Second Testament.
This is precisely the point, for in their preoccupation with a scientific approach to biblical exegesis—perhaps a form of non-scholasticism—Christian scholars have ignored not only the hermeneutical techniques of the emerging Church, but also the Church's Jewish heritage. Berlin is not surprised by this rejection, since "traditional Jewish exegesis did not pretend to be academically objective and religiously neutral," and thus such an exegetical approach was quite inappropriate in "the eyes of modern scientific scholars (p. 175). Berlin summarizes by assuming, that "all these factors—ignorance of traditional Jewish exegesis, their relevance to it, and psychological discomfort with it—worked together to diminish or eliminate the presence of traditional Jewish exegesis from the academic study of the Bible, p. 176).
Berlin, who claims that the history of biblical interpretation does not appear to be of great interest to Christian scholars (Berlin, 1997, p.175) in so far. Reif, namely "whether everything that is modern is necessarily more learned than the learning that precedes it p.155), demands some serious reflection in the light of the dominant Christian attitude towards traditional Jewish exegetical methods. Rendtorff suggests that the use of traditional Jewish exegetical methods by Christian scholars at this time would have more effect if "demonstrably useful results" could be established (1993, p.21).
However, through the use of traditional Jewish exegetical tools such as peshat, pesher, haggadah, and various middoth of Hillel, the Popularisers' berJefin issues, such as a pre-tribulational Rapture, the Messianic era, end-time wars, and tribulation, have received some credibility.
