‘O Come Emmanuel’ - The Messianic Prophecies of Isaiah  
 
Last week we began examining the seven Messianic titles from Isaiah that form the ‘O antiphons’ for the Magnificat during Evening Prayer (Vespers) in the week leading up to Christmas Eve. So far we explored the meaning of the first three titles: O Wisdom; O Adonai (Lord); O Root of Jesse.  
 
20 December: O Clavis David (O Key of David) 
Chapter 22 of Isaiah makes the following Messianic prophecy ^“And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.” (Isaiah 22:22) The context of this passage is important: Earlier Isaiah gave his judgment of the Chief steward Shebna, under King Hezekiah. Shebna was effectively the Prime Minister of Judah, with authority to act in the name of the King.  Shebna’s claim to authority is tenuous and yet he abuses his authority with a life of luxury, and pridefully seeking his own glory. The Lord announces that Shebna’s authority will be taken away and given to the virtuous Eliakim: 
 
“In that day I will call my servant Eli′akim the son of Hilki′ah, 21 and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your girdle on him, and will commit your authority to his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. 22 And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. (Isaiah 22:20-22) 
 
Eliakim is a ‘type’ foreshadowing the Messiah, who will act with Divine authority (“all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me” – Mt 28:18), not as tyrant but as a servant king (“I come among you as one who serves” – Lk 22:27). The ‘power of the keys’ are given to Peter to “bind and loose” as a sign that Christ has the right to confer spiritual authority upon the Church, which is called to act in his name, and according to His will. 
 
21 December: O Oriens (O Dawn of the East) 
The English translations for ‘Oriens’ vary widely: ‘morning star’, ‘Dayspring’, ‘Rising Dawn’ or even ‘Sun God’. Oriens literally means the ‘East’ (the root of the word Oriental) pointing symbolically to the light of the dawn that always rises in the East making an end of the darkness of night. This title draws upon Isaiah 9:2 which prophesies:  
 
 The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light;
  those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
    on them has light shined. 
 
It also recalls the vision of Ezekiel: “I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east.” (Ezekiel 43:2). John’s Gospel speaks thematically of Christ as ‘the light of the World’: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12). In view of Jesus’ Resurrection at dawn on Easter Sunday, the symbolism of the ‘Rising Sun’ comes into sharper focus. For thousands of years Christians purposely built their churches on an East-West axis with the sanctuary pointing in the East. This way when the priest offered the Mass ad orientem (facing the East) it served as a reminder of the Church being oriented to the light of the Resurrection and the hope of Christ’s Second Coming. 
 
22 December: O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations) 
Christians will be familiar enough with the idea that Jesus lays claim to being a “Son of David”. This is spelt out for us in the genealogies of Matthew and Luke which mention Jesse, David and Solomon by name. Both Matthew and Luke also spell out the significance of Jesus being born in Bethlehem. Luke explains the census of Caesar Augustus that had Mary and Joseph travel “to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David.” (Luke 2:4). David is the archetypal King of Israel and to him God made a promise that an heir of his would rule on his throne for ever.     
 
Jesse is the Father of King David, the shepherd-boy who was chosen by God among Jesse’s sons to be the King of Israel: “For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Samuel then anoints David with oil and “the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.” (1Samuel 16:13). Throughout the Books of 1&2 Samuel and 1&2 Kings there is a recurring motif of the unique status of the King as “the Lord’s anointed.” At his baptism in the River Jordan Jesus is visibly anointed by the Holy Spirit who descends upon him in the form of a dove. Jesus entire public ministry is centred around his proclamation of the Kingdom of God (or Heaven), implying his own claim to kingship. Upon Jesus entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday this becomes explicit, and when questioned by Pilate about whether he is a king, Jesus openly declares his heavenly kingship (John18:36-37). Accordingly Pilate has the charge (by which Jesus is sentenced) nailed to the cross: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” Yet the text was written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin, as a universal declaration of his kingship. Jesus is not merely the messianic King of the Jews, he is God incarnate, and therefore King of all the nations, peoples and races. John’s vision of Heaven has all the saints of the world declaring in unison: “Great and amazing are your deeds, Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, King of the nations!” (Rev. 15:3). 
 
23 December: O Emmanuel (‘God-With-Us’) 
Among the most striking of Isaiah’s prophecies is the anticipation of the virgin birth of the Messiah, precisely because it is so counter-intuitive: “Behold the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and he shall be called Emmanuel!” (Isaiah 7:14). In Matthew’s account of the infancy narrative Joseph is reassured of the miraculous nature of Mary’s pregnancy: “behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”’ (Matt 1:20-21). Matthew’s Gospel then directly references the prophecy of Isaiah: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us).” (Matt 1:22-23). John’s Prologue makes the same point in different language: “and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14) 
 
Jesus is truly “God-with-us” - not just two thousand years ago when he walked the earth, but even today. Jesus promised immediately before his Ascension: “behold I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:20) In the Eucharist above all else we see the fulfilment of Jesus’ promise to be “God with us”, the sign of presence in the Church, and the pledge of His enduring communion with us.   
 
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So, in order these titles are: O Wisdom (Sapientia), O Lord (Adonai), O Root of Jesse (Radix Jesse), O Key of David (Clavis David), O Rising Sun (Oriens), O King of the Nations (Rex Gentium) and O Emmanuel. If the first letter of each title is read backwards it forms an acrostic, ‘ERO CRAS,’ which in Latin means “tomorrow I will come”, or more literally “tomorrow I will be (here)”. Yes, tomorrow Jesus will be here – the wait is almost over!