Of the person of the Messias the following prophecies had been uttered:
- The Messias was to be the Son of God (Ps. ii. 7).
Through the prophet Nathan God promises David the Redeemer, and says: “He will call Me Father and I will call Him Son” (2 Kings vii. 14). In a psalm God addresses the Messias: “Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee” (Ps. ii. 7. 2).
- He shall be at the same time both God and man.
Isaias says, “A Child is born to us, and a Son is given to us; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, God, the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of peace” (Is. ix. 6).
- He was to be a great worker of miracles.
“God Himself shall come and save you. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as the hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall be unstopped” (Is. xxxv. 5-7).
- He was to be a priest like to Melchisedech.
“The Lord hath sworn and He will not repent: Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedech " (Ps. cix. 4). Christ offered bread and wine at the Last Supper, and offers it daily in holy Mass through the hands of the priests who are His representatives.
- He was to be a prophet or teacher of the people.
To Moses God had said, “I will raise up unto them a prophet, out; of the midst of thy brethren, like to thee” (Deut. xviii. 18). Hence the Jews named the Messias, “the Prophet Who was to come into the world” (John vi. 14). As prophet the Messias was to teach and to prophesy. He was also to be the teacher of the nations (Is. xlix. 1-6).
- He was to be King of a new kingdom (Jer. xxiii. 5), which was never to be destroyed, and was to embrace all other kingdoms (Dan. ii. 44).
This kingdom is the Catholic Church, or the Church of the whole world. Before Pilate Christ proclaimed Himself a king, and said, “My kingdom is not of this world,” i.e., His kingdom was to be a spiritual one (John xviii. 36).
- Of the sufferings of the Messias the prophets spoke as follows:
- The Messias was to enter into Jerusalem riding on a donkey (Zach. ix. 9).
- He was to be sold for thirty pieces of silver. " And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and I cast them into the house of the Lord " (Zach. xi. 12, 13).
The words of Zacharias were exactly fulfilled; Judas threw down the money in the Temple, and with it was bought a field belonging to a potter, as a burying-place for strangers (Matt, xxvii. 5-7).
- He was to be betrayed by one who ate at the same table with Him (Ps. xl. 10).
Judas went out from the Last Supper to betray his Master (John xiii. 30).
- His disciples were to forsake Him at the time of His Passion (Zach. xiii. 7).
- He was to be mocked (Ps. xxi. 7), beaten, spit upon (Is. 1. 6), scourged (Ps. Ixxii. 14), crowned with thorns (Cant, iii. 11), and given gall and vinegar to drink (Ps. Ixviii. 22).