Messianic prophecies: did Jesus fulfill them or not?

Great Debates
1

I know that Christians believe that Jesus of Nazareth did all the stuff that the Hebrew Bible said must be done to be recognized as the “Annointed One” (or Messiah/Christ if you prefer).

Jews don’t believe that Jesus is the “Annointed One” because they say he didn’t do all the stuff that the Hebrew Bible said the “Annointed One” would do. So…
1/ What (specifically) are the things the Annointed One must do (or be)? Could someone, like, list them out.

2/ How do Christians justify assigning divine powers to the person they believe is the Annointed One? I mean, wasn’t the Annointed One supposed to be some kind of political leader who (like King David) was going to kick some butt and free his country from foreign domination? Where did all this business about being a “Saviour” come from?

2

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Maimonides, in his work Mishneh Torah lists out what constitues a possible messiah and a definite messiah. Unfortuantely, I don’t have a copy at work, and the site that has it online (in Hebrew only) seems to be down at the moment. I’ll try to list it out for you when I get home.

Zev Steinhardt

3

A good answer for your first question can be found in this thread.

4

In the thread that cmkeller linked to, Daniel stated that many Jews at the time felt that the Messiah had to be a mighty king, which seems to be backed up by chapter 9 of Zecharaih:

9:1
The burden of the word of the LORD in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the LORD.
9:2
And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wise.
9:3
And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets.
9:4
Behold, the LORD will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire.
9:5
Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
9:6
And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
9:7
And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth: but he that remaineth, even he, shall be for our God, and he shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.
9:8
And I will encamp about mine house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes.
9:9
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
9:10
And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.
9:11
As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.
9:12
Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;
9:13
When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man.
9:14
And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the LORD God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.
9:15
The LORD of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar.

I’m still trying to sort out my personal feelings about the messiah. In truth, I would be extremely surprised if everything listed above actually happens.

5

From what I’ve heard, many X-ians figure the unfulfilled Messianic Prophesies to be taken care of in Jesus II - The Return.

6

See our hero exit stage up in our play, ending scene II “the Return” and the audience patiently awaits the next scene, “the Fullfilment, 3 times a Charm”. After the first 100 years of intermission, the playwrites frantically start rewriting the thrid act to try to explain why our hero hasn’t gone with the original script. And now, 2000 years later, not only hasn’t the audience left, it bought into the numerous rewrites and patiently awaits a third act that isn’t ever going to happen.

7

ITR is right. basically the reason why many of the Jews didn’t beleive in Jesus is because they expected the Messiah to be a mighy king who would overthrough the Roman Empire and return Isreal to it’s former glory of King David days. Spirtual “salvation” was as easy as a a buck 50 because there was hundrends of gurus and messiahs running round back then (just like now) and the jews mainly wanted to see a Physcial Kindgdom of God rather than the spirtual one Jesus referred to.

8

I know nobody likes to see old threads revived, and I’m sorry about this, but I found a link to the text that has Rambam’s discussion of messiah. The formatting is a little off, but…

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/rambam-messiah.txt