The First Prophecy of the Messiah, God’s Promise to Redeem the World.

1. The First Prophecy of the Messiah, God’s Promise to Redeem the World. Unit 3

2. Protoevangelium • The Protoevangelium is the first Gospel • “Protos” meaning “first” • “Evangelium” meaning “Gospel” or “Good News” • It is the first announcement of the Good News after the Original Sin of Adam & Eve. • God promises a redeemer. • “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.” Genesis 3:15

3. Protoevangelium • “After his fall, man was not abandoned by God. On the contrary, God calls him and in a mysterious way heralds the coming victory over evil and his restoration from his fall. This passage in Genesis is called the Protoevangelium (‘first gospel’): the first announcement of the Messiah and Redeemer, of a battle between the serpent and the Woman, and of the final victory of a descendant of hers.” (CCC 410)

4. Protoevangelium • “The Christian tradition sees in this passage an announcement of the ‘New Adam’ who, because he ‘became obedient unto death, even death on a cross’….Furthermore many Fathers and Doctors of the Church have seen the woman announced in the Protoevangelium as Mary, the mother of Christ, the ‘new Eve’, Mary benefited first of all and uniquely from Christ's victory over sin: she was preserved from all stain of original sin and by a special grace of God committed no sin of any kind during her whole earthly life.” (CCC 411)

5. Protoevangelium • The Protoevangelium took generations to be fulfilled. • The Israelites had periods of doubt when warring and violence occurred for them as a nation. • God maintained this promise through continual promises through covenants and revelations.

6. Cain & Abel • Read Genesis 4 • Who are the main characters? • What are their occupations? • Who was jealous? Why? • What happens as a result of the jealousy? • What were the consequences of the sin?

7. Cain & Abel • Are two sons of Adam and Eve. • Cain is a crop farmer and his younger brother Abel is a shepherd. • Cain is portrayed as sinful, committing the first murder by killing his brother,after God has rejected his offerings of produce but accepted the animal sacrifices brought by Abel. • Abel, the first murder victim, is sometimes seen as the first martyr;while Cain, the first murderer, is sometimes seen as an ancestor of evil.

8. Noah & the Flood • Read Genesis 6:5– 9 • Who are the main characters? • How is Noah to prepare? • What is the Sign of the Covenant? • What does God promise Noah?

9. Noah & the Flood • The covenant with Noah after the flood gives expression to the principle of the divine economy toward the "nations", in other words, towards men grouped "in their lands, each with [its] own language, by their families, in their nations“ (CCC 56). • The term "divine economy" has been used in the Judeo-Christian tradition to refer to God's plan for the ordering and maintenance of the universe and for manifesting justice in human affairs.

10. Noah & the Flood • The covenant with Noah remains in force during the times of the Gentiles, until the universal proclamation of the Gospel…. Scripture thus expresses the heights of sanctity that can be reached by those who live according to the covenant of Noah, waiting for Christ to "gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad“ (CCC 58).

11. Noah & the Flood • The Story of Noah and the Flood shows us that God will destroy evil, but will save the good. • God offers a covenant with Noah: • "Never again will I doom the earth because of man, since the desires of man's heart are evil from the start; nor will I ever again strike down all living beings, as I have done. As long as the earth lasts, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, Summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Genesis 8: 21-22 • The rainbow is the sign of this covenant between God and Noah.

12. The Tower of Babel • What is the situation in the city of Babel? • What is God’s solution to their plan? • Why do you think God was upset with the tower?

13. The Tower of Babel • “This state of division into many nations is at once cosmic, social and religious. It is intended to limit the pride of fallen humanity united only in its perverse ambition to forge its own unity as at Babel. But, because of sin, both polytheism and the idolatry of the nation and of its rulers constantly threaten this provisional economy with the perversion of paganism.” (CCC 57)

14. The Tower of Babel • As with the Original Sin, the arrogant people of Babel wanted to make a name for themselves and go beyond their created purpose. • As a result, chaos re-enters the world. • Chaos among people • Idolatry/Polytheism • Corruption of nations • Confusion between people • Again, we see that human people “de-create” ourselves and our world when we go against God’s plan for ourselves.

15. Longing for the Fulfillment of the Promise • We view the Old Testament and the information contained in this Canon as true revelation of God. • “The Old Testament is an indispensable part of Sacred Scripture. Its books are divinely inspired and retain a permanent value, for the Old Covenant has never been revoked.” (CCC 121) • “…these writings ‘are a storehouse of sublime teaching on God and of sound wisdom on human life, as well as a wonderful treasury of prayers; in them, too, the mystery of our salvation is present in a hidden way.’” (CCC 122)

16. Longing for the Fulfillment of the Promise • “Christians venerate the Old Testament as true Word of God. The Church has always vigorously opposed the idea of rejecting the Old Testament under the pretext that the New has rendered it void (Marcionism).” (CCC 123)

17. Longing for the Fulfillment of the Promise • “Christians therefore read the Old Testament in the light of Christ crucified and risen. Such typological reading discloses the inexhaustible content of the Old Testament; but it must not make us forget that the Old Testament retains its own intrinsic value as Revelation reaffirmed by our Lord himself. Besides, the New Testament has to be read in the light of the Old. Early Christian catechesis made constant use of the Old Testament. As an old saying put it, the New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New.” (CCC 129)

18. Longing for the Fulfillment of the Promise • Covenant vs. Contract • A CONTRACT is an agreement made in suspicion. The parties do not trust each other, and they set "limits" to their own responsibility. A COVENANT is an agreement made in trust. • God enters into covenants with the people of the Old Testament: • Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David • Each of these covenants foreshadow the Paschal Mystery.

19. People of Ancient Israel are Entrusted with the Knowledge of God’s Promise • Abraham • First Patriarch • Considered the Father of the Chosen People, Israel. • His descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the skies and will have a Promised Land. • Genesis 22:17- “I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies”

20. People of Ancient Israel are Entrusted with the Knowledge of God’s Promise • “In order to gather together scattered humanity God calls Abram from his country, his kindred and his father's house, and makes him Abraham, that is, ‘the father of a multitude of nations’. ‘In you all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.’” (CCC 59) • “The people descended from Abraham would be the trustee of the promise made to the patriarchs, the chosen people, called to prepare for that day when God would gather all his children into the unity of the Church.” (CCC 60)

21. People of Ancient Israel are Entrusted with the Knowledge of God’s Promise • Moses • Moses is called to free the Israelites from their oppressors, the Egyptians. • God gives the Israelites The Ten Commandments or The Law as a new covenant with them. • God formed Israel as his people by freeing them from slavery in Egypt. He established with them the covenant of Mount Sinai and, through Moses, gave them his law so that they would recognize him and serve him as the one living and true God, the provident Father and just judge, and so that they would look for the promised Savior. (CCC 62)

22. People of Ancient Israel are Entrusted with the Knowledge of God’s Promise • God promises through out the Old Testament that he will send someone to save the Israelites. • Judge- a tribal leader through which God delivers the people from destruction • Pattern of Judges • Israelites fall into sin (worshipping idols, abandoning God). • Sin leads to calamity. • Israelites repent of sin and cry out to God for help. • God has mercy and raises up a Judge to deliver the Israelites from disaster.

23. People of Ancient Israel are Entrusted with the Knowledge of God’s Promise • The Prophets are divided into two major groups: the Former/Non-writing Prophets and the Latter/Writing Prophets. • Non-Writing Prophets: Samuel, Nathan, Elijah, and Elisha • Writing Prophets: Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Micah • Prophets addressed pleas to the kings to turn from idol worship and injustice and return to a life with God.

24. People of Ancient Israel are Entrusted with the Knowledge of God’s Promise • By the end of the Judges era, there was no central leader for Israel. • Israel was becoming morally and spiritually corrupt which threatens the existence of the tribes of Israel. • 1st and 2nd Samuel and 1st Kings discuss the transition from Israel being a theocracy (ruled by God) to a monarchy (ruled by king). • David becomes the center of this particular time in Israel’s history and sets the stage for the need of the Messiah

25. People of Ancient Israel are Entrusted with the Knowledge of God’s Promise • Davidic Covenant • David wants to build a house but Nathan says that it is not time. Nathan wants to wait until Solomon is born. • God will build a house and it will be a covenant with David. • Messianic Promise • Jews wait for the arrival of the Messiah. • Messiah(Christos)= anointed • Early Christians believed that Jesus was the Messiah because he was from the line of David and therefore God.

26. People of Ancient Israel are Entrusted with the Knowledge of God’s Promise • Isaiah is considered to be the most influential of the prophetic books. Usually discussed in three parts. • All of Isaiah is named after the Isaiah of Jerusalem because he was the first and most important contributor. • Contain stories of infidelity, suffering, repentance, and consolation for the people—and of threats condemnations, promises, and comfort by the prophets.

27. People of Ancient Israel are Entrusted with the Knowledge of God’s Promise • The Book of Isaiah includes the Songs of the Suffering Servant, interpreted by Christians as foreshadowing the coming of Jesus Christ. • Prophesies: • A virgin (young woman) will bear a son, named Immanuel. • A blessed child will come, he will be the king of kings. • A child will come from the stump of Jesse to lead His people to a time of peace.

28. Understanding of the Promise After the Resurrection • Jesus revealed himself and the truth about himself on the Road to Emmaus. In this account, when Jesus to the two disciples "their eyes were veiled" so that they could not recognize him. Later "in the breaking of bread" "their eyes were opened" and they recognized him. • Many individuals (the Jewish Community- the Church had not yet been formed) understood Scripture and the promises of God, however, they had difficulty understanding who Jesus was and identifying him as the Promised Messiah.