Jewish Encyclopedia: The Kingdom of God
September 3rd, 2009 by Victor
The following excerpt is from the online Jewish Encyclopedia regarding the Jewish and Christian perspective on the “Kingdom of God.” The article begins by giving a short overview of the development of the Jewish understanding of thiws concept followed by some commentary on the transistion of the idea into Christianity. Here is some of the except which I thought was interesting:
It is the approach of this Kingdom of Heaven, in opposition to the Kingdom of Rome, which John the Baptist announced (Matt. iii. 2; comp. Luke i. 71-74, iii. 17). Jesus preached the same Kingdom of God (Matthew has preserved in “Kingdom of Heaven” the rabbinical expression “Malkut Shamayim”), and when he said, “the kingdom of God cometh not by observation [that is, calculation] . . . for, behold, the kingdom of God is among [not within] you” (Luke xvii. 21, Syriac version), he meant, “It does not come through rebellion or by force” (see Jew. Encyc. iv. 51, s.v. Christianity).
When, however, the trend of events led early Christianity to make a decided disavowal of all political expectations antagonistic to Rome, the conception of the Kingdom of God was made an entirely spiritual one, and was identified with the “‘olam ha-ba” (= “the world to come”), the spiritual life, in which “there is no eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the holy spirit” (Rom. xiv. 17, Greek; comp. John xviii. 36). Rab speaks of it in the same way: “In the world to come there is neither eating, nor drinking, nor procreation, nor strife; but the righteous sit encrowned and enjoy the splendor of the Shekinah” (Ber. 17a).
Isn’t it interesting to note that even the Jewish Encyclopedia makes note to reference the Constantinan shift away from the literal, physical, political Kingdom to that of “an entirely spiritual one.” What do you think of that? What else do you see from this article? Read the entire article here.
Victor,
a question arises: Is the Jewish scope, understanding and teaching concerning the Bible / Scriptures and the Messiah correct?
The Jewish perspective expected a political kingdom which was to come when the Roman emipre was ripened and enough to be destroyed (as is stated in the full article) … did that happen or were those Jewish ideas proven to be false?
When John the baptist, as well as Jesus, preached that the reign of God / reign of heaven “as nigh / was at hand” … did they have the end of the Roman empire and a re-establishing of a political kingdom of Israel in mind? Since they both were prophets, can we expect their prophecies concerning the imminent kingdom of God to be true? If so, when looking back now, what can we say concerning the idea of the kingdom of God being a reference to an earthly, political nation/kingdom of Israel?
As far as the comments concerning the later 4th century establishment of so-called Christianity as one of the “official” religions of the Roman empire, they do show that by that time it was obviously known that “the kingdom of God” could not have been referring to a political nation, Israel as a nation, etc. On the other hand, it seems that the Jewish view of what they perceive to have been the Christian view is not quite what the Bible teaches either ….
Cheers,
Wolfgang
Wolfgang,
I don’t think you can dismiss the Jewish scope without also dismissing the Hebrew Bible on which they based their beliefs. You are fighting for a spiritualized kingdom concept which is historically anachronistic to the first century. It was not until later that people started thinking like this. In the time of Jesus he promised that the meek would inherit the earth. Earth is not heaven. Any dictionary will confirm this. The kingdom idea, for Jesus, is that one day the kingdom will come and then God’s intentions will be done on earth (as they are already done in heaven).
“Christians in the first century, such as Paul of Tarsus, believed that the Kingdom of God was coming to earth within their lifetimes. They looked forward to a divine future on earth. After the Kingdom of God did not arrive, Christians gradually refined their hopes, so that they came to look forward to a reward in heaven after death rather than to a reward in an imminent, divine kingdom on earth; while continuing to use the major creeds’ statements of belief in the Resurrection.” Wikipedia article on Heaven.
“The idea that dead people would be raised from the dead was not shared by all Jews in Paul’s day, or before. In fact, you won’t find the idea of a future resurrection in most of the Hebrew Bible, only in some of the final books to be written. Most of the writers of the Hebrew Bible thought that when people died, either they would cease to exist or they would go on living in some kind of netherworld called Sheol…
The other important point to stress about Paul’s description [is that he understands]…as did all Jewish apocalypticists…that the future resurrection of the dead will be an actual physical resurrection. He does not teach that when you die, your soul goes to heaven, where you lead a bodiless existence for all eternity…this vies is presupposed in 1 Thessalonians and is explicitly set forth in another [1 Cor. 15:35-41]…
…some scholars…have claimed that Jesus promoted an agenda of absolute equality between the sexes and was principally concerned with establishing some kind of egalitarian society to replace the hierarchical structures that he found governing gender relations in his day. Jesus had other things on his mind than reforming society for the long haul. Jesus didn’t think there was going to be a long haul. Society and all its structures were soon to come to a screeching halt when the Son of Man arrived from heaven in judgment on the earth [to set up] God’s paradisal kingdom here on earth. Jesus was an apocalyptic prophet, not a social reformer.”
Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene: the followers of Jesus in history and legend, Bart D. Ehrman, 2006, pgs. 118-121, 199.
Sean,
I would say the two have not much to do with each other …
Because quite obviously, the Jewish scope and their understanding of the kingdom and Messiah was not in harmony with what the prophets recorded in the Hebrew Bible had prophesied … and because they still haven’t acknowledged that particular error, I suppose that they are still awaiting the promised Messiah and his kingdom? Or has the Jewish view now changed and they acknowledge that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Messiah?
That promised Messiah already came 2 millenials ago … it was just not in harmony which their understanding and expectation, but surely was in harmony with what the prophecies in the Hebrew Bible proclaimed. So then, why should we follow such Jewish thought and scope when it comes to understand the Hebrew Bible? Should we not instead recognize their error and follow an understanding of the Scriptures which at least has this much correct, that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the only begotten Son of God, that promised Messiah?
In addition, why should we hold on to the Jewish understanding and expectation of the Messiah’s reign (that it would he would be a political, earthly ruler over the earthly nation of Israel) which also was obviously wrong and in fact had some decisive influence in their rejection of the Messiah?
Actually I am not in favor of “spiritualizing” anything ….
As you can see from the NT records, the Jewish understanding and expectation of the OT prophecies concerning the Messianic kingdom as referring to a political earthly Israel kingdom were false, and in part were instrumental in their rejection of Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah. Thus it follows logically, that the OT prophecies concerning the Messiah’s reign are obviously NOT to be understood that way but are referring to Messiah’s reign as being NOT a political Israel kingdom nation. If the Jews’ “earthly minded” understanding of those prophecies was false, why then should the same type of understanding be correct if preached by a Christian? Should not we, who have “the advantage” of looking back and seeing the fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the Messiah, be able to recognize that the OT prophecies of the kingdom are NOT about an earthly nation political kingdom???
As for “that one day the kingdom will come”, Jesus specified in harmony with John the baptist, that this “one day” was AT HAND (imminent, about to be) in his day and time 2 millenials ago.
Sure, Jesus’ kingdom idea was that God’s will be done by His people on earth, as His will was already done in heaven …. but, pray tell, do the Scriptures describe God’s reign in heaven as a political nation / power “kingdom”? I don’t think so …. Is “in heaven” a physical / political sphere?
Did not Jesus also mention that even while he was ministering, the kingdom of God was already present among them? Did Jesus mention that his reign (kingdom) was in nature “of this world” (that is, a political reign over a certain geographical area with humans as subjects), or did he claim something different?
Cheers,
Wolfgang
I believe that the jews understanding of the establishing of the Kingdom of God would require certain things becoming a physical reality like the Israel becoming a sovereign United Kingdom under the rule of a King like the prophecy in Ezekiel 37 states.
I also believe it was their misunderstanding on how God’s blessing was to come to all the nations. I think they thought that after the physical reality in the prophecy had happened that they would be the means for that.the selfishness it was caused their blindness to the plan of God for the blessing to all the nations.
why should they believe the kingdom of God had come when nothing had been fulfilled concerning the United Kingdom of Israel. This required for them to be the soveriegn nation of Israel under the rule of their own king who God gave the guidlines for by the birthright of Judah and the birthright of Joseph which was passed to them by Jacob.
Jesus came to establish the means of the blessing not to setup the Kingdom. the blessing had to be fulfilled before the Kingdom could come and their could be no blessing unless the nations had access to the Temple and a High Priest to mediate between them and God. the destruction was just to prove the reality that God moved his Temple when he had a High Priest that had the ability to mediate from the heavenly place it was moved to.
When Jesus returns to set up the Kingdom he will reestablish the Temple here on Earth so he can mediate from it here till God sets up he own rule here on earth, at that point the will be no need for a temple because God will literally dwell with man.
think of the temple as a door to God that was once on earth but moved to heaven but will be moved back to earth till heaven and earth become one not having a wall between them like it was once in the beginning.
When John the baptist announced that the kingdom of heaven was
at hand, he drew attention to the way things are run in the heavenly realm. This rule of God was different than the manner of men. The things that were of importance to men were often the things that were of little importance to God. Likewise the things of God were often given little attention to by men. This dominion of God was about to be more fully revealed by Jesus, at the time John
made his announcement.
Through his ministry, Jesus began to draw men into the things of God…
“the conception of the Kingdom of God was made an entirely spiritual one, and was identified with the “‘olam ha-ba” (= “the world to come”)”
“the conception of the Kingdom of God was made an entirely spiritual one, and was identified with the “‘olam ha-ba” (= “the world to come”)”
I thought that the Kingdom of God IS identified with the “world to come” Am I mistaken?
“Now it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking…and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come…” Heb 2.5; 6.5
the world to come. A common Jewish expression for the future age in which all of God’s purposes in salvation will be fulfilled. The author is speaking of a future salvation (see note on 9:27–28), though the “last days” have already been inaugurated (1:2). [ESV study notes on Heb 2.5]
We all who have received Christ have received of the kingdom to come. It’s already here and is coming.