The Messiah In the Hebrew Bible

The course focuses on the picture of Messiah as it develops in the Hebrew Bible. The starting point of the discussion will be the 39 occurrences of the Hebrew noun māšîah and its meaning in the immediate context of the biblical passages. Also other Hebrew Bible Passages will be discussed, that are often regarded as the background of the term Messiah (Gen 3,15; 9,25-27; 12,1-3; 49,8-12; Num 24,15-19; Deu 18,15-18). In a third step, we will analyze the Old Testament Passages that reveal a developing understanding of the Davidic dynasty. The last step will point to the role of Daniel 9,25-26 in the emergence of messianism. The course will be organized in lectures and presented as PowerPoint presentations; research essay and final exam.