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Re: orion Emmanuel

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>Date: Tue, 06 May 1997 16:35:11
>To: ioniccentre@hol.gr (Isidoros)
>From: William David Poling <bilbo@hkstar.com>
>Subject: Re: orion Emmanuel
>
>Friends,
>     My apologies for my ineptitude at using the Net which resulted in some
people getting gibberish and others getting nothing.  Originally, I was
responding to a request for Jewish material on Emmanuel/Immanuel (Isaiah 7.14).
>     The LXX of Isaiah 7.15 is not necessarily messianic, but does describe
a moral prodigy:  "before he knows or chooses evil, he will choose the
good."  The last two verbs are both infinitives in the MT.  The first is an
infinitive in the LXX, but the second is future indicative.  Neither Aquila,
Symmachus, Theodotian, or Syriac follow the LXX in this translation.  
>     At the following verse (7.16), the LXX is even more creative:  "before
he knows either good or evil, he will refuse evil in order to choose good."
This involves the addition of "good or evil" as well as "in order to."
Needless to say, there are no other translations with such renderings.  Both
verses alter the text along similar lines so that the child, Emmanuel, will
choose good even before the age of accountability.
>     Neither the Mishnah nor either Babylonian or Jerusalem Talmud mentions
Emmanuel.  One might suspect this was due to its use as a Christian
proof-text.  The Midrash Rabbah on Exodus (section 220 on 18.5) says that
Emmanuel is another name for Maher-shalalhash-baz (Isaiah 8.3) and that both
are names for Hezekiah.  The Midrash on Numbers (section 568 on 14.2) also
uses the text to describe Hezekiah.  Further, it states that he was one of
four people who learn to know God without the aid of a teacher.  The other
three are:  Abraham, Job and the Messiah.  It is noteworthy that the MT text
would not support such an interpretation, whereas the LXX would.  This might
indicate a similar tradition of interpretation expressed in the LXX and in
this midrash.  This does not support a Messianic interpretation of the text,
only a semi-miraculous one.   Further, the midrashim are early Medieval,
which means they are not very useful in determining Jewish beliefs at the
dawn of the Era, unless an interpretation is tied to a datable rabbi. 
>
>I hope that this comes through clearly.     David Poling   
>
>
>
>
>
>
>At 06:28 PM 5/7/97 -0200, you wrote:
>>>Content-Type: application/octet-stream; name="LXX.WPD"
>>>Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="LXX.WPD"
>>>
>>>Attachment converted: APXEIO ŠPOE :LXX.WPD (????/----) (00005318)
>>
>>
>>Dear William,
>>
>>though your post arrived at my HD, no Attachment appeared on my screen,
>>or in any of my files - the search did not show up anything. Peculiar.
>>
>>Would you kindly send me again this file, Attached - if your using Mac - or,
>>better yet, within the body of post, as my Mac sometimes does not have
>>the required software to read PC mailed Attachments. Thank you very much,
>>enjoy,
>>
>>Isidoros
>>The Ionic Centre
>>ioniccentre@hol.gr
>>
>>
>>
>>
>