by Ptr. Art Calaguas
Shalom.
On the subject of 3 days for resurrection, let’s look at the “Hazon Gabriel,” a 3-foot tall tablet (96cm x 37cm) with 87 lines of Hebrew in 2 columns discovered in 1999 east of the Dead Sea, dating from the 2nd half of the 1st century BCE (see image below). It may speak of a Messiah who will rise from the dead after 3 days.
Since its first Hebrew transcription published in March 2007, several scholars have attempted to decipher the faded, often illegible Hebrew text. It is like a Dead Sea Scroll in stone, written in faded ink, not etched. Its authenticity is not questioned. The debate is about what the tablet really says, what it means and what it represents in its historical context.
Scholars believe that the text (referred to as a Vision of Gabriel or Gabriel’s Revelation) seems to be formed as a long prophetic, apocalyptic oracle featuring a dialogue between an unnamed Hebrew prophet and the messenger/angel Gabriel. It has parallels with Psalm 2 and other Biblical scriptures and Talmudic writings.
Lines 18-21 of the tablet contain words, which translated read: “…in three days you will know a new covenant and evil will be defeated by righteousness…”
Line 80 of the tablet begins with the words לשלושה ימין meaning “in three days,” but then fades (see image below). Some scholars see the next word as illegible, but Israel Knohl, a professor of Bible studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, says the word is Hebrew for “live,” followed by even more difficult-to-read words. He claims the statement says “In three days, live! I Gabriel, com{mand} yo{u}.” But others render it as, “On the third day, the sign, I Gabriel…” [For more details, one can read the discussion “Eschatology and Messianism in the Gabriel Inscription” by Torleif Elgvin (NLA University College, Oslo | torleif.elgvin@nla.no, JJMJS No. 1 (2014): 5–25) and also download the free ebook “Gabriel’s Revelation” by Ada Yardeni and Israel Knohl from https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/free-ebooks/gabriels-revelation/.]
Going back to Biblical scriptures, Matthew 10:1-8 (Sending out the Twelve; cf. Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:1-6) and Luke 10:1-16 (Sending out the Seventy-two Messengers) speak about the Lord Jesus authorizing and sending out his disciples in pairs (aside from the Twelve in Luke 10) to minister in places ahead of his visits. Now Matthew 10:8 uniquely and specifically states the Lord’s instructions to the Twelve which directly relates to resurrection:
ἀσθενοῦντας θεραπεύετε, νεκροὺς ἐγείρετε, λεπροὺς καθαρίζετε, δαιμόνια ἐκβάλλετε· δωρεὰν ἐλάβετε, δωρεὰν δότε.
“Heal (the) ailing, raise (the) dead, cleanse (the) lepers, cast out demons; freely you received, freely give.”
The part of the Lord’s commands we are interested in is this: “raise (the) dead….” The plural imperative verb form used in the Greek is from ἐγείρω (“egeiró,” a verb meaning to waken, to raise up) which was mentioned earlier. Apparently, the Lord was giving his disciples authority and power to raise the dead! But we do not have a specific record if ever the disciples did effect some resurrections even before our Lord’s death and resurrection.
In another part of the Gospels, Matthew 11:1-6 (Jesus replies to John the Baptist’s disciples; cf. Luke 7:18-23), mentions physical resurrection. The Lord’s core assertion (which quotes/echoes Isaiah 29:18-19; 35:4-6; and 61:1) is found in Matthew 11:5:
τυφλοὶ ἀναβλέπουσιν καὶ χωλοὶ περιπατοῦσιν, λεπροὶ καθαρίζονται καὶ κωφοὶ ἀκούουσιν, καὶ νεκροὶ ἐγείρονται καὶ πτωχοὶ εὐαγγελίζονται·
“(the) blind see, and (the) lame walk, lepers (are being) cleansed, and (the) deaf hear, and (the) dead (are being) raised, and (the) poor (are being) evangelized.”
This time, a plural present form of the verb ἐγείρω (“egeiró”) is used. All the Greek verbs have the aspect of being continuous (present, on-going). Hence, the Lord Jesus is in effect telling John the Baptist that he doesn’t have to look for anybody else as these messianic miracles are on-going, and continuously happening during their time.
We now take a look at other ancient Second Temple (inter-testamental) period Jewish writings found in the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS), “the greatest manuscript discovery of modern times,” and see what they mention about messianic expectations and physical resurrection.
As I wrote last 29 November 2020: “The majority of the scrolls were written between 250 BC and 68 AD (right before the Roman destruction of Qumran) mainly in Hebrew, with a few in Aramaic and some in Greek. The documents or fragments of documents found included portions of all of the OT books, except Esther, and also included the Apocrypha (e.g. Tobit, Wisdom of Solomon), apocalyptic works, Pseudepigrapha (e.g. Book of Enoch, Sayings of Moses), and a number of manuscripts peculiar to the Jewish sect (Essenes?) that produced them.”
Fragments from a non-Biblical manuscript of the DSS contain a prophecy about the Messiah and messianic signs & wonders including raising the dead. “Redemption and Resurrection” (4Q521 Frags. 2 + 4 Col.2) is its reference. Below is a translation from the original Hebrew quoted from the book of Wise, Abegg Jr. and Cook, The Dead Sea Scrolls (HarperCollins, 2005), 531:
1…For the heavens and the earth shall listen to His Messiah
2and all which is in them shall not turn away from the commandments of the holy ones.
3Strengthen yourselves, O you who seek the LORD, in His service.
4Will you not find the LORD in this, all those who hope in their heart?
5For the LORD attends to the pious and calls the righteous by name.
6Over the humble His spirit hovers, and He renews the faithful in His strength.
7For He will honor the pious upon the throne of His eternal kingdom
8setting prisoners free, opening the eyes of the blind, raising up those
who are bowed down.
9And forever I shall hold fast to those who hope and in His faithfulness shall…
10and the fruit of good deeds shall not be delayed for anyone
11and the LORD shall do glorious things which have not been done, just as He said.
12For He shall heal the critically wounded, He shall revive the dead, He shall send good news to the afflicted,
13He shall satisfy the poor, He shall guide the uprooted, He shall make the hungry rich,…
Comparing the highlighted portions from Matthew 11:5 and the much older DSS shows remarkable parallels and deep resonance. Thus, God has given us all these parallels and echoes in both canonical and extra-Biblical writings. When our Lord said Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ζωή (I AM the resurrection and the life), he asserts that he is the Messiah who raises the dead and proves it! He raises Lazarus, etc., and himself, as well. And the resurrection is not just some act or power that he does, he says it is who he is. He is literally THE resurrection and THE life for us believers. The Lord Jesus reveals himself as the God who truly redeems and raises us and gives us eternal life!
We will continue next week with another I AM declaration.
God bless us all.