01/04/2012 YP|reader checked
Jesus’ messianic self-understanding has been put into question from Bultmann’s day to the present. If he did not think of himself as the Messiah, we would be left with the riddle of a Jesus who never actually said who he claimed to be. However, Jesus’ reply to the inquiry of John the Baptist in Mt 11,2-6 par is an important clue to his own understanding of his mission. A careful reconsideration of the criteria for authenticity leads to the conclusion that Jesus claimed to be not simply a prophet announcing the kingdom, but the Messiah who healed and brought good news to the poor, thus doing what in the OT God had promised to do at the end of time. 4Q521 confirms that ancient Judaism expected this kind of miracle to occur at the time of the Messiah.