A Brief Look at Messianic Origins and Titles

Historically, a Messianic Hope is a unified view of perhaps what could be called the Messiah or the Messianic expectation. “The messianic hope of each specific group with intertestamental Judaism probably had its own distinctive features (Scott, p.310).” For instance, the Sadducees perhaps completely rejected the Messianic idea entirely while the Qumran expected more than one Messiah.

Titles and names for the messianic hope were various during the first century. Most of the titles came from the Old Testament, but adapted by intertestamental writers. Messiah means the Anointed which is perhaps more clear in Isaiah 45:1. The Levitic Messiah perhaps originates in Numbers 25:10-13. Son of Man is found in Daniel 7:13-14, 2 Esdras, and others. 1 Enoch 46 contains references to the Son of Man which read as follows: “The Son of Man… is the One who would remove the kings.” The Servant of the Lord is another title that is found in the book of Isaiah. One of the more known appearances of this title is found in Isaiah 52:13-53:12. The foregoing verses are perhaps one of the best prophesies of the crucifixion of Christ. Another title is The Prophet like Moses which originates in Deuteronomy 18: 9-22. Another title is Elijah, and based on Malachi 4:5-6 some expected an Elijah-like figure. Even more titles also existed with relevance to a Messiah… (Scott, p. 307-356).
All of the previously mentioned titles and are closely associated with titles used in early Christianity because Christianity is a branch of Judaism that believes that Jesus Christ is the Jewish Messiah that was being expected to appear. Furthermore, Christianity is a form of Judaism that has been westernized in many places

Which title is most significant to me is perhaps The Servant of the Lord, and it is because of the great miracles that Jesus performed. When you read in Isaiah 29: 18-19, it reads: “the deaf shall hear…the eyes of the blind shall see….” When the disciples of John the Baptist ask Jesus if He was the one or should they wait for another, Jesus replies by quoting this portion of Isaiah 29 which is what He was doing ( performing miracles). Moreover, Jesus raised the dead including himself which no other has been able to do. Jesus Christ’s significance in history is that He was that Messianic Hope that was being awaited.

The titles that I think would have the best chance of communicating the role which Jesus plays in history are The Son of Man and The Servant of the Lord, although all titles really apply to Jesus. I previously mentioned the significance of The Servant of the Lord. But, the Son of Man had a past, present and future significance. Daniel 7:13-14 reads:
"I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed (Holy Bible, ESV).”

In conclusion, The Son of Man is given an everlasting kingdom, and Jesus is returning as Acts 1:10-11 says:

"And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven (Holy Bible, ESV).”

References:

Holy Bible (ESV)

Scott Jr. J. Julius, Thomas D. Jewish Backgrounds of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 1995.