There is another person in the Old Testament whose name is Joshua (or Jesus). He is a Jewish high priest who lived during the times of Zechariah (6th century B.C.). Like Joshua the Son of Nun, this Joshua, who is the son of Josedech, is also a type of Christ. In the Book of Zechariah, it says:
And the Lord shewed me Jesus the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and the Devil stood on His right hand to resist him. And the Lord said to the Devil, The Lord rebuke thee, O Devil, even the Lord that has chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: behold! is not this as a brand plucked from the fire? Now Jesus was clothed in filthy raiment, and stood before the angel. And the Lord answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, Take away the filthy raiment from him: and He said to him, Behold, I have taken away thine iniquities: and clothe ye him with a long robe, and place a pure mitre upon his head. So they placed a pure mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments: and the angel of the Lord stood by. And the angel of the Lord testified to Jesus, saying, Thus saith the Lord Almighty; If thou wilt walk in My ways, and take heed to My charges, then shalt thou judge My house: and if thou wilt diligently keep My court, then will I give thee men to walk in the midst of these that stand here. Hear now, Jesus the high priest, thou, and thy neighbours that are sitting before thee: for they are diviners, for, behold, I bring forth My servant The Branch. For as for the stone which I have set before the face of Jesus, on the one stone are seven eyes: behold, I am digging a trench, saith the Lord Almighty, and I will search out all the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day, saith the Lord Almighty, ye shall call together every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig-tree. (Zech. 3, LXX)
The Prophet Zechariah was recording a vision he had of Joshua (Jesus) the son of Josedech. The very name of this high priest points prophetically to Jesus Christ. The filthy garments that he was clothed in were interpreted by Tertullian and St. Cyprian of Carthage as being Christ's humiliation,* that is, His taking on mortal flesh and humbling Himself to the point of death. Tertullian interpreted the devil's actions in the vision to be referring to things he would do to Christ during the course of His earthly life and ministry, like tempting Him in the desert after His baptism and inciting one of His disciples to betray Him. According to Tertullian, the priestly robe and the mitre represent Christ's condition of exaltation at His second advent.
So also in Zechariah, Christ Jesus, the true High Priest of the Father, in the person of Joshua, nay, in the very mystery of His name, is portrayed in a twofold dress with reference to both His advents. At first He is clad in sordid garments, that is to say, in the lowliness of suffering and mortal flesh: then the devil resisted Him, as the instigator of the traitor Judas, not to mention his tempting Him after His baptism: afterwards He was stripped of His first filthy raiment, and adorned with the priestly robe and mitre, and a pure diadem; in other words, with the glory and honour of His second advent. (Zech. 3) (Five Books against Marcion, Book III, chapter 7, by Tertullian, 145-220 A.D., vol. 3, p. 327, Ante-Nicene Fathers)
St. Justin the Martyr interpreted the filthy garments in this vision to be our sins. St. Peter said that Christ bore our sins in His body on the tree (that is, the Cross). (I Pet. 2:24) So, the filthy garments, in my opinion, would appear to be referring to our sins. After the Lord told the angels to take the filthy raiment off of Joshua, He said: "Behold, I have taken away thine iniquities." (Zech. 3:5, LXX)
“But to give you the account of the revelation of the holy Jesus Christ, I take up again my discourse, and I assert that even that revelation was made for us who believe on Christ the High Priest, namely this crucified One; and though we lived in fornication and all kinds of filthy conversation, we have by the grace of our Jesus, according to His Father’s will, stripped ourselves of all those filthy wickednesses with which we were imbued. And though the devil is ever at hand to resist us, and anxious to seduce all to himself, yet the Angel of God, i.e., the Power of God sent to us through Jesus Christ, rebukes him, and he departs from us. And we are just as if drawn out from the fire, when purified from our former sins, and [rescued] from the affliction and the fiery trial by which the devil and all his coadjutors try us; out of which Jesus the Son of God has promised again to deliver us, and invest us with prepared garments, if we do His commandments; and has undertaken to provide an eternal kingdom [for us]. For just as that Jesus (Joshua), called by the prophet a priest, evidently had on filthy garments because he is said to have taken a harlot for a wife,** and is called a brand plucked out of the fire, because he had received remission of sins when the devil that resisted him was rebuked (Zech. 3:1-10); even so we, who through the name of Jesus have believed as one man in God the Maker of all, have been stripped, through the name of His first-begotten Son, of the filthy garments, i.e., of our sins; and being vehemently inflamed by the word of His calling, we are the true high priestly race of God, as even God Himself bears witness, saying that in every place among the Gentiles sacrifices are presented to Him well-pleasing and pure. (Mal. 1:11) Now God receives sacrifices from no one, except through His priests. (Isaiah 66:21; Rom. 15:15-17; I Pet. 2:9) (Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, chapter 116, by St. Justin the Martyr, 110-165 A.D., vol. 1, p. 257, Ante-Nicene Fathers)
When it says in this chapter of Zechariah, "Thus saith the Lord Almighty; If thou wilt walk in My ways, and take heed to My charges, then shalt thou judge My house: and if thou wilt diligently keep My court, then will I give thee men to walk in the midst of these that stand here" (Zech. 3:8), I am reminded of Jesus Christ's own words in the Gospel according to St. John:
For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son. (St. John 5:22)
and:
And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him. (St. John 8:29)
Jesus never sinned. He, as Man, obeyed God. As God He acted sinlessly in accordance with His divine nature. God the Father has, therefore, committed all judgment to His Son.
Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead. (Acts 17:31)
The Branch which is mentioned in this chapter is also a reference to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is called a Branch by Isaiah, too. (See Isaiah 11:1, Hebrew. I will talk about this prophecy of Isaiah in a later blog.)
The stone in this chapter refers to Jesus Christ, too. Jesus claimed to be the stone that the builders rejected. (St. Matt. 21:42-44) St. Peter called Jesus the "chief cornerstone." (I Pet. 2:6-8)
So, this prophecy refers to Jesus Christ as the Branch, the Stone, and the High Priest who takes away our sins. Jesus is, of course, the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. (Heb. 7:12-28)
Steve
* St. Cyprian in one of his testimonies quoted Zech. 3:1,3,5 along with Isaiah 53:1-7; Isaiah 50:5-7; Isaiah 13:2-4; Psalm 12:6-8, 15, LXX; and Phil. 2:6-11. The title of the testimony is "That Christ was to come in low estate in His first advent." (The Treatises of Cyprian, Treatise XII: Three Books of Testimonies against the Jews, Book II, Testimony 13, by St. Cyprian of Carthage, 200-258 A.D., vol. 5, p. 520, Ante-Nicene Fathers)
** According to Jewish tradition, filthy garments might signify an illicit marriage. (See footnote number 2 in vol. 1 of p. 257 of the Ante-Nicene Fathers.) According to the Law of Moses, a high priest could marry only a virgin. (Lev. 21:10-15) Maybe Joshua the son of Josedech married a harlot like St. Justin said.
Ante-Nicene Fathers, edited by Alexander Roberts, D.D. & James Donaldson, LL.D., volumes 1-10, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, Massachusetts
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D., volumes 1-14, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, Massachusetts
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D. & Henry Wace, D.D., volumes 1-14, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, Massachusetts
And the Lord shewed me Jesus the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and the Devil stood on His right hand to resist him. And the Lord said to the Devil, The Lord rebuke thee, O Devil, even the Lord that has chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: behold! is not this as a brand plucked from the fire? Now Jesus was clothed in filthy raiment, and stood before the angel. And the Lord answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, Take away the filthy raiment from him: and He said to him, Behold, I have taken away thine iniquities: and clothe ye him with a long robe, and place a pure mitre upon his head. So they placed a pure mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments: and the angel of the Lord stood by. And the angel of the Lord testified to Jesus, saying, Thus saith the Lord Almighty; If thou wilt walk in My ways, and take heed to My charges, then shalt thou judge My house: and if thou wilt diligently keep My court, then will I give thee men to walk in the midst of these that stand here. Hear now, Jesus the high priest, thou, and thy neighbours that are sitting before thee: for they are diviners, for, behold, I bring forth My servant The Branch. For as for the stone which I have set before the face of Jesus, on the one stone are seven eyes: behold, I am digging a trench, saith the Lord Almighty, and I will search out all the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day, saith the Lord Almighty, ye shall call together every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig-tree. (Zech. 3, LXX)
The Prophet Zechariah was recording a vision he had of Joshua (Jesus) the son of Josedech. The very name of this high priest points prophetically to Jesus Christ. The filthy garments that he was clothed in were interpreted by Tertullian and St. Cyprian of Carthage as being Christ's humiliation,* that is, His taking on mortal flesh and humbling Himself to the point of death. Tertullian interpreted the devil's actions in the vision to be referring to things he would do to Christ during the course of His earthly life and ministry, like tempting Him in the desert after His baptism and inciting one of His disciples to betray Him. According to Tertullian, the priestly robe and the mitre represent Christ's condition of exaltation at His second advent.
So also in Zechariah, Christ Jesus, the true High Priest of the Father, in the person of Joshua, nay, in the very mystery of His name, is portrayed in a twofold dress with reference to both His advents. At first He is clad in sordid garments, that is to say, in the lowliness of suffering and mortal flesh: then the devil resisted Him, as the instigator of the traitor Judas, not to mention his tempting Him after His baptism: afterwards He was stripped of His first filthy raiment, and adorned with the priestly robe and mitre, and a pure diadem; in other words, with the glory and honour of His second advent. (Zech. 3) (Five Books against Marcion, Book III, chapter 7, by Tertullian, 145-220 A.D., vol. 3, p. 327, Ante-Nicene Fathers)
St. Justin the Martyr interpreted the filthy garments in this vision to be our sins. St. Peter said that Christ bore our sins in His body on the tree (that is, the Cross). (I Pet. 2:24) So, the filthy garments, in my opinion, would appear to be referring to our sins. After the Lord told the angels to take the filthy raiment off of Joshua, He said: "Behold, I have taken away thine iniquities." (Zech. 3:5, LXX)
“But to give you the account of the revelation of the holy Jesus Christ, I take up again my discourse, and I assert that even that revelation was made for us who believe on Christ the High Priest, namely this crucified One; and though we lived in fornication and all kinds of filthy conversation, we have by the grace of our Jesus, according to His Father’s will, stripped ourselves of all those filthy wickednesses with which we were imbued. And though the devil is ever at hand to resist us, and anxious to seduce all to himself, yet the Angel of God, i.e., the Power of God sent to us through Jesus Christ, rebukes him, and he departs from us. And we are just as if drawn out from the fire, when purified from our former sins, and [rescued] from the affliction and the fiery trial by which the devil and all his coadjutors try us; out of which Jesus the Son of God has promised again to deliver us, and invest us with prepared garments, if we do His commandments; and has undertaken to provide an eternal kingdom [for us]. For just as that Jesus (Joshua), called by the prophet a priest, evidently had on filthy garments because he is said to have taken a harlot for a wife,** and is called a brand plucked out of the fire, because he had received remission of sins when the devil that resisted him was rebuked (Zech. 3:1-10); even so we, who through the name of Jesus have believed as one man in God the Maker of all, have been stripped, through the name of His first-begotten Son, of the filthy garments, i.e., of our sins; and being vehemently inflamed by the word of His calling, we are the true high priestly race of God, as even God Himself bears witness, saying that in every place among the Gentiles sacrifices are presented to Him well-pleasing and pure. (Mal. 1:11) Now God receives sacrifices from no one, except through His priests. (Isaiah 66:21; Rom. 15:15-17; I Pet. 2:9) (Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, chapter 116, by St. Justin the Martyr, 110-165 A.D., vol. 1, p. 257, Ante-Nicene Fathers)
When it says in this chapter of Zechariah, "Thus saith the Lord Almighty; If thou wilt walk in My ways, and take heed to My charges, then shalt thou judge My house: and if thou wilt diligently keep My court, then will I give thee men to walk in the midst of these that stand here" (Zech. 3:8), I am reminded of Jesus Christ's own words in the Gospel according to St. John:
For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son. (St. John 5:22)
and:
And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him. (St. John 8:29)
Jesus never sinned. He, as Man, obeyed God. As God He acted sinlessly in accordance with His divine nature. God the Father has, therefore, committed all judgment to His Son.
Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead. (Acts 17:31)
The Branch which is mentioned in this chapter is also a reference to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is called a Branch by Isaiah, too. (See Isaiah 11:1, Hebrew. I will talk about this prophecy of Isaiah in a later blog.)
The stone in this chapter refers to Jesus Christ, too. Jesus claimed to be the stone that the builders rejected. (St. Matt. 21:42-44) St. Peter called Jesus the "chief cornerstone." (I Pet. 2:6-8)
So, this prophecy refers to Jesus Christ as the Branch, the Stone, and the High Priest who takes away our sins. Jesus is, of course, the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. (Heb. 7:12-28)
Steve
* St. Cyprian in one of his testimonies quoted Zech. 3:1,3,5 along with Isaiah 53:1-7; Isaiah 50:5-7; Isaiah 13:2-4; Psalm 12:6-8, 15, LXX; and Phil. 2:6-11. The title of the testimony is "That Christ was to come in low estate in His first advent." (The Treatises of Cyprian, Treatise XII: Three Books of Testimonies against the Jews, Book II, Testimony 13, by St. Cyprian of Carthage, 200-258 A.D., vol. 5, p. 520, Ante-Nicene Fathers)
** According to Jewish tradition, filthy garments might signify an illicit marriage. (See footnote number 2 in vol. 1 of p. 257 of the Ante-Nicene Fathers.) According to the Law of Moses, a high priest could marry only a virgin. (Lev. 21:10-15) Maybe Joshua the son of Josedech married a harlot like St. Justin said.
Bibliography
Ante-Nicene Fathers, edited by Alexander Roberts, D.D. & James Donaldson, LL.D., volumes 1-10, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, Massachusetts
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D., volumes 1-14, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, Massachusetts
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D. & Henry Wace, D.D., volumes 1-14, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, Massachusetts
Good analysis. But it could go the other way: historical 'facts' about a Yeshua of Nazareth could be theological constructions that are basically embellishments upon the stories of Yeshua the Priest and Yeshua son of Nun.
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