Apologeticae sive Theologiae Fundamentalis, Tomus I: Demonstratio Christiana

1. Jesus rejected rabbinic messianism. The older evolutionism maintained that Jesus merely appropriated for himself the messianic ideas commonly bandied about by the rabbis. That this contention is insipid is evident from everything we have said concerning the actual messianic testimony: throughout the whole time of his preaching Jesus most carefully keeps from himself the politico-national messianism of the Pharisees, and at length he is visited with the punishment of the cross because he had constantly turned this messianism away from himself.

2. Jesus rejected eschatological messianism. On the contrary, many modern rationalists think that Jesus subscribed to eschatological messianism.¹ But they are refuted by their own confession that Jesus shrank from rabbinic messianism. For we have proved that eschatological messianism almost coincides with the rabbinic, in that both dream of the Messiah as a political king and of a national and material kingdom of God. Since Jesus repudiates these, by that very fact he repudiates eschatological messianism as well.

Messianic eschatology differs from the theology of the rabbis, as we have seen, only in the properly eschatological element, i.e., in this, that the apocalyptic writers maintain that the Messiah and his kingdom will not exist in this age and worst of worlds, but that, this world having been destroyed, he will at length come as judge in a transcendental age and world. Yet that this eschatological element was foreign to Jesus escapes no one.

For although Jesus professes himself to be also the future judge of the world, nevertheless he wishes to be, and to be acknowledged as, the Messiah already in this age and world.

To John the Baptist, who asks whether Jesus is the Messiah that is to come, he answers that the Messiah is already present in himself, indeed that he has proved himself to be the present Messiah by his works.²

At Caesarea Philippi he praises and rewards Peter's confession: "Thou art the Messiah," and thus acknowledges that even now, in the present life and time, he is the Messiah.³

The Samaritan woman, expecting a Messiah by no means eschatological, says: "I know that the Messiah cometh; when therefore he is come, he will tell us all things."⁴ To her Jesus: "I am he, that speak with thee." Finally he elicits from the Samaritans the confession: "For we ourselves have heard and know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world."⁵

The Jews challenge Jesus: "How long dost thou hold our soul in suspense? If thou art the Messiah, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them by appealing to the messianic works already wrought by himself: "I speak to you, and you believe not. The works that I do in the name of my Father, these bear witness of me."⁶

Caiaphas interrogates him: "Art thou the Messiah, the Son of the blessed God?" But Jesus said to him: "I am." The high priest urges: "I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art the Messiah, the Son of God." Jesus says to him: "Thou hast said it." But they all said: "Thou art then the Son of God?" He said: "You say that I am. And you shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of the power of God, and coming with the clouds of heaven."⁷

Pilate asks: "Art thou the king of the Jews?" i.e., the king Messiah. But Jesus, answering, said: "Thou sayest that I am a king. For this was I born, and for this came I into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth."⁸

Therefore Jesus wills to be the Messiah already in the present life and world, although messianic glory will shine most brightly in the judgment and the future age.

The same holds of the messianic kingdom of Jesus. According to the Gospels the kingdom of God will indeed be perfect and complete only in another world. At the last judgment, at length, Jesus will say to his elect: "Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."⁹ "Then shall the just shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father."¹⁰

Notwithstanding this, the kingdom of God begins and develops already in this world. Jesus at once announces that the kingdom of God has drawn near,¹¹ and then that it has come: "The kingdom of God is come upon you."¹² "Behold, the kingdom of God is within you."¹³ Gradually, throughout all Galilee and Judea, he preaches "the gospel of the kingdom of God,"¹⁴ and performs "the mystery of the kingdom of God"¹⁵ works by which the present kingdom of God is proved and established,¹⁶ while the kingdom of Satan is overthrown.¹⁷ He compels all, leaving behind every impediment, to seek the kingdom of God.¹⁸ He spends his whole life, and that of his disciples as well, that the kingdom of God may advance more and more. Hence by word and deed he excludes the apocalyptic eschatology which maintains that the kingdom of God will at length, at the last judgment and in the future world, fall like lightning from heaven. What has been said thus far is confirmed by what follows, in which Jesus positively defines his kingdom and his person.