db 152 I cannot overstate the extent to which the

INTERPRETATION OF THIS PASSAGE HAS ANCHORED THE CONVENTIONAL VIEW OF JUDAISM'S RELATIONSHIP TO MESSIANISM.

IT HAS BEEN GENERALLY ASSUMED BY MODERN FOLKS THAT JEWS HAVE ALWAYS GIVEN THE PASSAGE A METAPHORICAL READING, UNDERSTANDING THE SUFFERING SERVANT TO REFER TO THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL, & THAT IT WAS THE CHRISTIANS WHO CHANGED & distorted it's meaning to make it refer to Jesus. Quite the contrary, we now know that many Jewish authorities, maybe even most, until nearly the modern period have read Isaiah/Yeshayahu 53 as being about the Messiah/MASHIACH; until the last few centuries, the allegorical reading was a minority position.

Aside from one very important - but absolutely unique - notice in Origen's CONTRA CELSUM, there is no evidence at all that any late ancient Jews tead Isaiah 52-53 as referring to anyone but the Messiah. There are, on the other hand, several attest actions of ancient rabbinic readings of the song as concerning the Messiah and his tribulations.

The Palestinian Talmud, commenting on the biblical passage "And the land shall mourn" (Zachariah 12:12), cites two amoraic opinions: one amora who interprets "This is the mourning over the Messiah" and one who disagrees, arguing that is is the mourning over the sexual desire (that kph as been killed in the messianic age) (PT Sukkah 5:2 55b).

Genoeg voor nu: wat Mor betreft mag een ieder elk gevoel, alle gedachten & mogelijke interpretaties koesteren die men maar wil, al of niet tegelijkertijd en/of na elkaar. Als het maar níet gaat leiden tot nòch meer tragikomische huichelachtig overdreven fanatieke daden: 'die Gedanken sind frei'! Mits we ons niet alsmaar weer keer op keer laten verleiden tot onrechtvaardigheid, gewelddadigheid & haat in de verste hoeken en gaten van de aardkloot op grond van wat voor drogredenen & kromme waanzin dan ook. De tijd zal het ons leren.