With this post I am introducing a new page on the site – 355 Prophecies (Fulfilled in Jesus Christ?). This is a project that I started a long time ago and have now decided to make public despite the fact that it is largely incomplete. I’ve come to terms with the fact that it will probably take years to “finish”, so I might as well open it up now to the process of peer review and get started making corrections and improvements.
My intent is to continue to slowly work my way through the list and occasionally publish posts that summarize the updates. As of this writing the list is roughly one third complete, though I fully intend that the entries will be continually revised in response to feedback and/or new discoveries; so it will never really be complete. All critiques and comments are welcome.
Hi Travis, I admire you for taking on this massive task. My view as a christian is that very few of the alleged prophecies can be used as some sort of “proof” of christianity, for three reasons.
(1) Prophecies in the OT were less often predictive, more often a warning.
(2) Prophecies in the OT are often obscure, and more often aimed at current events and issues. Any application to the future is difficult, in most cases.
(3) First century rabbis often quoted OT passages, many of them not originally prophecies at all, out of their original context, for the purpose of illustrating their points and “proving” in a less literal way than we would prefer today.
For these reasons,I think only a few OT prophecies are remarkable. I’ll be interested to see what you make of these – when you get to them!!
Best wishes for the enormous task ahead of you.
Thanks Eric. I know you’re not alone and that many Christians would not affirm any significance to these, but I must admit that it has thus far been an interesting exercise. I have a far greater appreciation now for the extent to which the NT authors sought continuity with the OT. Of course that doesn’t carry any prophetic weight for me, but it does reinforce the cultural identity under which Christianity was established, contra those who wish to see significant pagan influences in the NT (not that such influences were therefore entirely absent).
A bit more than I care to delve into, but very impressive. Obviously a lot of time and effort went into this and I most definitely admire you for that. Hope it stimulates some discussion.
Thanks Nan. Sometimes it is more than I care to delve into but I am also learning more than I anticipated.