Found a couple of subjects worth mentioning, in my research on the Angel of the LORD and theophanies in the Old Testament.
First of all, this article is worth a read; it explains how the traditional Messianic interpretation of Jeremiah 23:5-6 demonstrates that the Messiah is the LORD Himself, and that it lines up with Jewish Messianic theology. Also noteworthy is the fact that even today, Jewish scholars recognize that the Messiah will be Metatron--that is, the Angel of the LORD--who is considered to be Jehovah, is called Jehovah, and is worshiped as Jehovah:
"There is a perfect Man, who is an Angel. This Angel is Metatron, the Keeper of Israel; He is a man in the image of the Holy One, blessed be He, who is an Emanation from Him; yea, He is Jehovah; of Him cannot be said, He is created, formed or made; but He is the Emanation from God. This agrees exactly with what is written, Jeremiah 23:5-6, Of jmx dwd, David's Branch, that though He shall be a perfect man, yet He is ‘The Lord our Righteousness.’" (The Propositions of the Zohar, cap. xxxviii, Amsterdam ed.)
Again it is worth noting that, in Jewish theology, and both in Greek and Hebrew, the word for "angel" denotes a role, rather than a class of being; it means simply, "messenger," and can refer to human, spirit, or God.
Another article I came across links the Divine Λογος in John 1, not with the Greek Philo's concept of Word/Wisdom which is often linked to Proverbs 8, and which figured strongly in 2nd century literature... but with the Aramaic Targum concept of "Memra," the Divine Expression.
Targums are the Aramaic translations of the Hebrew Scriptures, which were used in Jesus' time. In them, Memra referred to the "Word of the Lord," which was both an active utterance from God to man, and a sentient being that presented Himself among men. Memra was considered God and worshiped as the one true God. In the Targums, Memra was most often inserted in place of "YHWH" where the Lord interacted with a person, or was present among men. For example in Genesis 28:20-21, Jacob calls the LORD who appeared to him "Memra":
And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, "If the Word of Yhvh will be my support, and will keep me in the way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Word of Yhvh be my God. (Targum Onkelos)
In these Targums, the Memra is much closer than the Greek λογος to John's concept of the Word who was with God, and who was God.
Comments? Questions? Feedback appreciated, perhaps I'll do some more research on this idea and develop it into a full post.
Hola Penguin:
ReplyDeleteHace algún tiempo leí sobre este asunto y te coloco a continuación un resumen de lo que encontré:
El nombre Metatron nunca ha sido explicado. Algunos sostienen que viene de la palabra hebrea para “guardián de la entrada”. Para otros es griego (comenzando nuestra era las comunidades judías más vigorosas eran fuertemente helenizadas) para “aquél detrás del trono” y aunque es el significado más popular también es el menos aceptado por los estudiosos, pues la concordancia entre las palabras griegas y hebreas parece bastante acomodaticia. Finalmente están las palabras latinas metator (mensajero) y mitator (un explorador en las legiones) pero no hay pista de cómo evolucionaron a una palabra inexistente en hebreo. Se le llama “YHVH menor”, Yahvé Menor.
Se dice que una de sus funciones es servir como un conector de Dios con la humanidad (no como mediador, como Jesús, según 1 Timoteo 2:5, 6). Además es el gran escriba del cielo, encargado de coordinar las crónicas del Libro de la Vida y por esa razón puede sentarse en presencia de Dios, algo que refuerza su estatus de “persona de gran mando en el Cielo”.
Creo, según lo planteas, que existe una confusión con este personaje, Metatrón, y el arcángel Miguel.
¿Existen Miguel y Metatrón como dos seres diferentes?
Deben serlo, puesto que de Miguel se conoce su origen plenamente divino, mientras que se afirma que Metatrón es de origen humano, convertido a ángel.
En la Biblia existen apariciones angélicas, en las que el ángel habla como mensajero, (significado de la palabra griega ággelos), y lo hace en el nombre de Dios.