A Messiah of war or peace? Contradictions and polyphony in Micah 5,4-14 in the light of the book's rhetoric and theology

Abstract

This article aims to discuss the theological content of Mq 5,4-14, an implacable judgment of God and apparently contradictory, from the study of the rhetorical structure of the book and of the prophecy in question, as well as from a theological analysis. Considering the final text as a product of a post-exilic scribal writing, we reflect on how this prophecy harmonizes the different theological conceptions of its time – the proclamation of a Messiah of peace and the defense of violence reflected in the relentless annihilation against enemies. The conflicts of his time were not subtracted from the prophecy of Mq 5,4-14. The stylistic options that configure the rhetorical structure polyphonic of the text represent the different voices that are within human beings. They portray a divided society emerging from a period of deep cultural, political, economic and religious crisis. Jerusalem under reconstruction is in search of its new national identity that builds a new model of life, and the path is the search for unity. Therefore, there is a certain harmony in the final arrangement of Mq 5,4-14: divine justice exterminates the false certainty of militarism and calls for an ethical religious structure; peace is not the absence of war, it implies personal responsibility in building a new world and the struggle to build new relationships.