"Use the Source, Luke!"[1]

 

 

I.            Introduction

 

This issue of whether Jesus, Christianity's Messiah, was properly anointed to qualify as Messiah was addressed, and resolved, in another essay[2].  It is, however, important to also deal with related claims, particularly when they invoke passages from the Hebrew Bible which allegedly support them.

 

A case-in-point is a passage in the Gospel of Luke, Luke 4:16-21, which contains a an alleged quote from the Book of Isaiah where Isaiah declares that he was chosen (anointed) by G-d to prophesy about the future of Israel (Lk 4:18-19; Is 61:1-2).  According to the account in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus claims this prophecy to be fulfilled in him and, in turn, Christian apologists and missionaries use this as evidence of the fulfillment of a messianic prophetic passage of his being anointed for his ministry as the Messiah[3].

 

In this essay, the relevant texts from the New Testament as well as from the Hebrew Bible will be analyzed and compared to help determine whether the claim is valid.

 

II.            The Texts and the Christian Perspective on Them

 

The following account describes the situation from which the claim emerges (the portions attributed to Isaiah are highlighted):

 

Luke 4:16-21(KJV) – (16) And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. (17) And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, (18) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, (19) To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (20) And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. (21) And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

 

Jesus came to the synagogue on Shabbat, was given an Isaiah scroll, and started to read from it a certain passage and, when he was done, he closed the scroll, returned it to the person who handed it to him, and pronounced the fulfillment of Scripture.

 

The highlighted portion in the above passage, Luke 4:18-19, is identified in annotated Christian Bibles as being a quote of Isaiah 61:1-2, which is provided below in terms of the King James Version (KJV) translation and a Jewish translation from the Hebrew:

 

Isaiah 61:1-2(KJV) – (1) The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; (2) To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

 

Isaiah 61:1-2 – (1) The spirit of the L-rd G-d was upon me, since the L-rd anointed me to bring tidings to the humble, He sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to declare freedom for the captives, and for the prisoners to free from captivity. (2) To declare a year of acceptance for the L-rd and a day of vengeance for our G-d, to console all mourners.

 

The passage Luke 4:16-21 is part of a larger passage that speaks of Jesus' ministry in the Galilee, including his rejection in Nazareth.  Christian commentators generally view Isaiah 61:1-2, allegedly being quoted in Luke 4:18-19, as having been spoken by the Messiah.  Some attribute these words to the "pre-incarnated Messiah" (G-d, according to them), speaking through his prophet Isaiah.  In the text, this figure gives an account of his present commission – his ministry to bring gospel mercy, his so-called "first coming", and points to his future commission - bringing judgment on non-believers and comfort to Zion, his so-called "second coming", and he alludes to the time span between the two advents – the "acceptable year"[4].

 

I.            Analysis of the Texts

 

The fact that Luke 4:18-19 is a representation of Isaiah 61:1-2 is not in question.  What needs to be determined is how accurately this representation reflects the Hebrew text of Isaiah 61:1-2, as well as whether the context of Luke 4 is consistent with the context of Isaiah 61.

 

1. Comparing the Texts

 

Table III.A-1 shows side-by-side English renditions of Luke 4:18-19 in the New Testament, of Isaiah 61:1-2 in the KJV "Old Testament", and of Isaiah 61:1-2 in the Hebrew Bible.  Also displayed, for reference, is the corresponding passage from the Hebrew Bible (the Masoretic Text), as well as the (hand-annotated) parallel passage from The Great Isaiah Scroll that was found at Qumran[5].

 

Table III.A-1 – Comparing the texts

 

 

1.      The Hebrew Texts

 

When the Masoretic Text of Isaiah 61:1-2 is compared with text from the parallel passage in The Great Isaiah Scroll, only one difference is found.  The Masoretic Text contains the extra word  (A-donai), the L-rd, which is highlighted in the Hebrew text shown in Table III.A-1.

 

Dead Sea Scroll (DSS) scholars note that variant manuscripts were discovered among the findings.  Among these were two scrolls of the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah A and Isaiah B) which were found in cave 1.  The Isaiah A Scroll (1QIsa^a - dated to ca. 150-125 B.C.E.) is an almost completely preserved scroll, while the Isaiah B Scroll (1QIsa^b - dating information not available) contains preserved portions of Chapters 10-66, but unlike the former, is an incomplete scroll with some chapters missing, leaving only fragmentary remains.

 

When researchers compared the texts of these two Isaiah scrolls, they discovered that these were not identical.  A prominent DSS scholar writes[6]:

 

Looking at the two texts, we immediately recognize the coexistence of different versions.  Isaiah B represents a proto-Masoretic text, with only minor variations from the traditional Hebrew text as we now know it.  On the other hand, Isaiah A represents the sectarian type, for it uses Qumran linguistic forms and, therefore, was most probably copied by members of the group.

In addition to these unique forms, this text also has many linguistic "modernizations" – forms and words common when it was copied (rather than when it was composed) – as well as simplifications. Some scholars have concluded, therefore, that the Isaiah A Scroll was intended for study and not for worship and that it represents a sort of common text, often termed "vulgar."  The Book of Isaiah was so popular that eighteen fragmentary manuscripts of this book have been identified in the collection from cave 4.

 

In view of these findings, it is not surprising that virtually all translations available today follow the Masoretic Text in the opening verse, Isaiah 61:1, with the phrase "… the L-rd G-d …".  Notable exceptions to this are the two ancient Christian translations, the (Christian) LXX and Jerome's Latin Vulgate, both of which follow the Isaiah A Scroll, "… the L-rd …".  The Targum Yonathan, which pre-dates the Masoretic era[7], has "… the L-rd G-d …".

 

2.      Luke 4:18-19 vs. Isaiah 61:1-2

 

The KJV and Jewish translations of Isaiah 61:1-2 are reasonably similar.  On the other hand, the text of Luke 4:18-19 and its alleged source, Isaiah 61:1-2, are considerably different and require further analysis.  When these two passages are compared, it becomes evident that the author of the Gospel of Luke modified Isaiah's words as he placed them on the lips of Jesus.  To help demonstrate the incongruence of these passages, their two component verses are compared in Table III.A.2-1 and Table III.A.2-2, respectively.

 

The verse Luke 4:18 is divided into the six phrases that are separated by commas, and each phrase is placed in a separate row in Table III.A.2-1.  Within a given row, under each phrase from Luke 4:18 in the New Testament (NT) are placed the corresponding phrases from the KJV "Old Testament" (OT) translation of Isaiah 61:1 and from the Jewish translation of Isaiah 61:1 from the Hebrew Bible (HB), respectively.  NT Portions that require special attention are highlighted.

 

Table III.A.2-1 – Comparing Luke 4:18 with the KJV and Jewish renditions of Isaiah 61:1

 

* - NT=New Testament; OT=Old Testament; HB=Hebrew Bible

 

The information presented in Table III.A.2-1 reveals the following significant differences between Luke 4:18 and the corresponding Isaiah 61:1 translations [remember, according to the account in Luke 4:16-20, Jesus was reading from the "Book" of Isaiah]:

 

¤      In Row #1, the word GOD is missing in Luke 4:18 and is present in the KJV translation of Isaiah 61:1 [the Jewish translation of Isaiah 61:1 has G-d].

 

¤      In Row #2, Luke 4:18 has the word he where the KJV translation of Isaiah 61:1 has the LORD [the Jewish translation has the L-rd].

 

¤      In Row #2, Luke 4:18 has the phrase to preach the gospel to the poor where the KJV translation has to preach good tidings unto the meek [the Jewish translation has to bring tidings to the humble].

 

¤      In Row #5, Luke 4:18 has the phrase and recovering of sight to the blind, yet both the KJV and the Jewish translations show no corresponding phrase.

 

¤      In Row #6, Luke 4:18 tells of setting at liberty those who are bruised, while the KJV translation tells of releasing from prison those who are bound, and the Jewish translation tells of releasing from captivity those who are prisoners.

 

The verse Luke 4:19 (NT) is shown in Table III.A.2-2, with the corresponding portions from the KJV "Old Testament" (OT) translation of Isaiah 61:2 and the Jewish translation of Isaiah 61:2 from the Hebrew Bible (HB) placed below it.  The highlighted NT portion requires special attention.

 

Table III.A.2-2 – Comparing Luke 4:19 with the KJV and Jewish renditions of Isaiah 61:2

 

 

The information presented in Table III.A.2-2 reveals the following significant difference between Luke 4:19 and the corresponding Isaiah 61:2 translations [remember, according to the context of Luke 4:16-20, Jesus was reading from the "Book" of Isaiah]:

 

¤      In Row #2, there is no entry for NT, i.e., the entire verse, Luke 4:19, corresponds to only the first portion of the verse Isaiah 61:2.

 

These significant differences between Luke 4:18-19 and Isaiah 61:1-2 lead to the conclusion that, either Jesus changed the words of Isaiah as he read from the scroll, or that the credibility of the Gospel of Luke is questionable, or both.

 

Another passage in the same chapter in the Gospel of Luke offers more reason to question the credibility of Luke.  Following the statements by Jesus about his ministry and the fulfillment of Scripture through his presence at this particular synagogue in Nazareth, he declared that the congregants were unworthy to see him perform miracles.  According to the author of the Gospel of Luke, these statements enraged the crowd to such a degree that they wanted to kill him:

 

Luke 4:28:31(KJV) – (28) And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, (29) And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.  (30) But he passing through the midst of them went his way,  (31) And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.

 

The highlighted portion describes the geographical terrain near the city limits of Nazareth.  There is, however, a problem with that particular description.  Nazareth is situated on a plain that is surrounded by the rolling hills of the Galilee.  Though the Nazareth of today has expanded to the tops of the hills that surround it, in former times it was situated in the lower part, on the slope of a hill, and was surrounded by gentle rises.  The entire region is noted for its plains and smoothly contoured land elevation, and there are no sharp peaks or steep cliffs nearby.  Therefore, contrary to the description in Luke 4:29, there is neither any "brow of the hill" nor any steep cliff from which "they might cast him down headlong" in the immediate vicinity of the city Nazareth, particularly around the area of the city that is considered by Christian tradition to be the village of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus.

 

It is also worth noting that archaeological remains of a synagogue from the Second Temple period have not been found in the intensely explored area in and around Nazareth.  On the other hand, archaeological remnants of such a synagogue were discovered in the village of Gamla, which is located on the top of a hill overlooking the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, which also has dangerous cliffs close by.  This is the western edge of the region known today as the Golan Heights.  Could it be that the author of the Gospel of Luke changed the geographical description to suit the story in his narrative?

 

2. Comparing Context

 

It was noted earlier that Christians attribute the words in Isaiah 61:1-2, thus also Luke 4:18-19, to the Messiah, or the "pre-incarnated Messiah" (G-d, according to them) speaking through his prophet Isaiah, where he describes the mission of his ministry.  This is not consistent with the Jewish perspective on Isaiah 61:1-2.

 

There are, of course, no specific clues in Isaiah 61:1-2 to positively identify Jesus as the speaker.  According to the immediate context in Hebrew Bible, it is the prophet, not the promised Messiah, who is speaking in Isaiah 61:1-2.  Isaiah speaks of himself and the nature of his mission, as an appointed messenger of G-d.  The term  (mashah), commonly translated as [he] has anointed, is to be understood in the context of [he] has appointed or [he] has chosen, since only kings and high priests of Israel, but not prophets, were anointed via the special process described in the Hebrew Bible[8].

 

As was the case with all true prophets of Israel, who set the standard for the entire community as role models of holiness, scholarship, and closeness to G-d, the Divine Presence (the Sh^echinah) came to rest upon Isaiah and endowed him with the gift of prophecy as he reached this level of spiritual and ethical achievement.  Here Isaiah is a herald of joy, telling his people that G-d will yet free them from their captivity and exile.  The spirit he is talking of is the spirit of prophecy.  Through this gift, he is able to convey to the people of Israel the divine message of promise that is developed throughout this and the following chapter, a vivid picture of Israel and Jerusalem in the Messianic age.

 

By placing Isaiah's words in the mouth of Jesus, the author of the Gospel of Luke actually has Jesus admitting, contrary to mainstream Christian beliefs, that he is, at best, only a prophet and not G-d.  Did Jesus fulfill any of these prophecies stated by Isaiah, such as free any captives from prisons?  The New Testament offers no evidence that Jesus freed even one captive or prisoner.  Against whom did he take vengeance or come to do so?

 

Moreover, the custom of reading from the Prophets on Shabbat, Holy Days, and other special occasions was established in the second century B.C.E., when the Syrian-Greek King Antiochus, whose forces occupied the Holy Land, prohibited the customary reading of the Torah at those times.  Reading the Prophets was not banned since these were considered by the Syrian-Greeks to be secular.  So, as a way to get around this prohibition, the violation of which carried the death penalty, the Rabbis selected readings from the Prophets, each with a minimum of 21 verses and with a theme that tied into the designated Torah portion for the particular occasion.  This practice continued even after the successful Maccabean, and is still in practice today.  In addition to being acknowledged in Luke 4:16-17, this tradition is also noted in the Book of Acts (Ac 13:14-15,27). 

 

Alas!  Not only did the alleged reading by Jesus of one and a half verses out of Isaiah 61 not meet the minimum requirement of 21 verses, there is also no record that Isaiah 61:1-2 was ever included in any reading from the Prophets originally designated by the Rabbis.

 

Perhaps the crowd that heard Jesus read in the synagogue on that Sabbath realized what he was doing, which could have been one reason for their anger.

 

3. The Christian Apologetic Counter Argument and The Jewish Response

 

The existence of textual differences between Luke 4:18-19 and Isaiah 61:1-2 cannot be denied and, therefore, it limits the options available to Christian apologists and missionaries.  In fact, it barely leaves them with the one argument they have used vis-à-vis the irrefutable evidence.

 

U      Christian apologetic and missionary argument:  Christians acknowledge and accept the doctrine of the divinity of Jesus.  As G-d, they feel he had the right and the authority to paraphrase, in any way that suited him, the words written in the scroll of Isaiah.

 

Y      The Jewish response:  This is a grave error and a very weak defense of the Christian position on this passage.  First, the Hebrew Bible and Judaism do not support the belief that Jesus is a son that G-d fathered, who was "G-d in the flesh" on earth, and who, as part of the Christian godhead, was divine.  In fact, these ideas are contrary to Jewish thought and beliefs on all counts.  Second, to suggest that G-d can and would do as he pleases and will not follow the rules and laws He gave to Israel would be akin to parents, as role models, teaching their children to "do as I say but not as I do".  The Hebrew Bible is replete with examples in which Israel is asked to emulate and follow G-d’s ways.  Are they to also follow the example where G-d violates his own rules?  What sense would it then make to have faith, and what would be the point of having the Bible?  Finally, it is ludicrous to suggest that G-d had to appoint (anoint) Himself to carry out a mission.  The Christian apologetic view of Psalms 22:1, according to which Jesus complains to G-d about having been forsaken by him, is another example of such incongruous logic.

 

IV.            Summary

 

According to the New Testament and, thus, the Christian perspective, Jesus quotes Isaiah 61:1-2 in Luke 4:18-19, modulo some changes he made to the source, which he, as "G-d", was entitled to do, as he was reading from it.  When he was done, he told the crowd that these Scriptures were fulfilled in him at that time.

 

Christian apologists and missionaries defend their doctrines by claiming that the advent of Jesus and of the New Testament are elements in a new revelation, one that the Jews who lived prior to the Christian era did not receive.  Can this be true?  Were doctrines of such importance hidden from the Jewish people for some 1,300 years after the Revelation at Mount Sinai?  Were all the Jews who lived before the time of Jesus deceived or tricked? 

 

As DSS research has demonstrated, the text of the Hebrew Bible did not change in any significant manner from the period of the Qumran texts to the time of preparation of the Masoretic Text that is in use today, a span of well over 1,000 years.  A Jew who read Isaiah 61 before the birth of Jesus still read essentially the same text as a Jew who reads it today and, clearly, the message remains unchanged as well.  No, there were no secret revelations planned and, according to the prophets, Israel received all that was to be revealed:

 

Amos 3:7 - For the L-rd G-d does nothing unless He has revealed His secret to His servants, the prophets.

 

Conclusion:  Someone tampered with Isaiah's words (the "Source").  Either  "Dr. Luke" saw it fit to change the text in order to create a better fit with other passages in the Gospel of Luke, or Jesus decided to change them in order to proclaim himself as the one appointed for the mission.  You decide!