Elijah Daniel is a JW apologist. The table below is Elijah's writing, opinion and interpretation. I have rearranged the table in chronological order. My comments in this colour.
Source: https://searchforbibletruths.blogspot.com/2009/11/scholars-quotes-concerning-jesus-as.html
From early Christian writings until now there have been many who understood Michael to be the archangel who became Jesus on earth. (For much more on the subject, see the ARCHANGEL category.)
| Date | Author | Text |
|---|---|---|
| 185–253 | Origen | “There are certain creatures, rational and divine, which are called powers [spirit
creatures, probably angels]; and of these Christ was the highest and best
and is called not only the wisdom of God but also His power.” - Origen, Commentary on John Book 1:42 (The phrase in square brackets is Elijah's, not by Origen. This is reading into the text that Origen could be claiming that Christ was Michael. Nowhere does Origen ever identify Christ as being Michael.) |
| 1509-1564 | John Calvin | on Daniel 12:1 “I embrace the opinion of those who refer this to the person of Christ, because it suits the subject best to represent him as standing forward for the defense of his elect people.” - J. Calvin, Commentaries On The Book Of The Prophet Daniel, trans. T. Myers (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1979), vol. 2 p. 369. |
| 1599 | Geneva Study Bible | Geneva Study Bible: Revelation “12:7 And there was war in heaven: 14 Michael and his angels
fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, “(14) Christ is the Prince of angels and head of the Church, who bears that iron rod….” This passage does not identify Jesus as being Michael. |
| 1697-1771 | John Gill | A Body of Doctrinal Divinity, Book 7 Chapter 5 “1b2. Another prophecy in Daniel 12:1-3 respects the second and personal coming of Christ; for he is meant by Michael, who is “as God”, as his name signifies, equal to him; the ‘great prince,’ the prince of the kings of the earth, and the head of all principalities and powers.” |
| 1697-1771 | John Gill | "Exposition of the Entire Bible" on Daniel 12:1 “Ver. 1. And at that time shall Michael stand up,.... The Archangel, who has all the angels of heaven under him, and at his command, the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ;” |
| 1703-1791 | John Wesley |
Wesley on Daniel 10:21: "Michael - Christ alone is the protector of his church, when all the princes of the earth desert or oppose it.” Wesley on Daniel 12 |
| 1703-1758 | Jonathan Edwards | Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 2, Ch. 1, “Angels”: “II. When Lucifer rebelled and set up himself as a head in opposition to God and Christ, and drew away a great number of the angels after him, Christ, the Son of God, manifested himself as an opposite head, and appeared graciously to dissuade and restrain by his grace the elect angels from hearkening to Lucifer’s temptation, so that they were upheld and preserved from eternal destruction at this time of great danger by the free and sovereign distinguishing grace of Christ. Herein Christ was the Saviour of the elect angels, for though he did not save them as he did elect men from the ruin they had already deserved, and were condemned to, and the miserable state they were already in, yet he saved them from eternal destruction they were in great danger of, and otherwise would have fallen into with the other angels. The elect angels joined with him, the glorious Michael, as their captain, while the other angels hearkened to Lucifer and joined with him, and then was that literally true that was fulfilled afterwards figuratively. Rev. xii. ‘When there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was there place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.’ ” This passage does not identify Jesus as being Michael. |
| 1739-1752 | John Guyse (1680-1761) | John Guyse’s The Practical Expositor, or, An Exposition of the New Testament, in the Form of a Paraphrase
was first published in three volumes between 1739 and 1752 Guyse in his Paraphrase on the New Testament, on Rev 12:7, acknowledges that many good expositors think that Christ is signified by Michael; and also gives it as his opinion. |
| 1762–1832 | Adam Clarke | Clarke’s Commentary on Jude 1:9 “Let it be observed that the word archangel is never found in the plural number in the sacred writings. There can be properly only one archangel, one chief or head of all the angelic host. Nor is the word devil, as applied to the great enemy of mankind, ever found in the plural; there can be but one monarch of all fallen spirits. Michael is this archangel, and head of all the angelic orders; the devil, great dragon, or Satan, is head of all the diabolic orders. When these two hosts are opposed to each other they are said to act under these two chiefs, as leaders; hence in Revelation 12:7, it is said: MICHAEL and his angels fought against the DRAGON and his angels. The word Michael lakym, seems to be compounded of ym mi, who, k ke, like, and la El, God; he who is like God; hence by this personage, in the Apocalypse, many understand the Lord Jesus.” |
| 1769 | Brown 1722-1787 | Brown's Dictionary of the Bible (1769) - on the words 'Michael' and 'Angel' says, that both these words do sometimes refer to Christ; and also affirms that Christ is the Archangel. |
| 1818 | Joseph Benson | In his five-volume Bible Commentary stated that the description of Michael as found in the Bible “manifestly points out the Messiah.” |
| 1802–1869 | Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg | Lutheran Christology of the Old Testament and a Commentary on the Messianic Predictions, 1836-9, Vol. IV, pp. 304-5 (in the T. & T. Clark publication; p. 269 in the Kregel publication). “Michael is no other than Christ.” |
| 1871-1899 | J. P. Lange | commenting on Revelation 12:7, wrote: “We take it that Michael . . . is, from the outset, Christ in warlike array against Satan.” |
| W. E. Vine | Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. p. 64 (trinitarian) (“recognized as one of the world’s foremost [Bible] Greek scholars”) tells us that this “voice of the archangel” (1 Thess 4:16) is apparently “the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ”! | |
| ISBE | The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia: “The earlier Protestant scholars usually identified Michael with the preincarnate Christ, finding support for their view, not only in the juxtaposition of the “child” and the archangel in Rev 12, but also in the attributes ascribed to him in Daniel” – vol. 3, p. 2048, Eerdmans Publishing, 1984 printing. | |
| 1886 | William L. Alexander | A Cyclopedia Of Biblical Literature, originally edited by John Kitto, 3d ed. (Edinburgh: A & C Black, 1886).
vol. 3, p. 158. There seems good reason for regarding Michael as the Messiah. Such was the opinion of the best among the ancient Jews.... With this all the Bible representations of Michael agree. He appears as the Great Prince who standeth for Israel (Dan 12:1), and he is called “the Prince of Israel” (Dan 10:21) |
| 1813 | James Wood | A Dictionary of the Holy Bible by James Wood (Volume II) - teaches nearly, if not exactly, the same on this subject that Brown’s does. The former was a Calvinist, the latter a Methodist. |
| Butterworth, Cruden, and Taylor | Cruden’s Concordance (Alexander Cruden): Originally published in 1737 John Butterworth’s Concordance: Listed as being from 1812. John Taylor’s Hebrew Concordance (no date) Butterworth, Cruden, and Taylor in their concordances, assert that Michael and Angel are both names of Christ. |
|
| Thomas Scott | in his notes on the Bible (published 1788 to 1792), says the Angel that appeared to Hagar when she fled from her mistress, one of the three Angels that appeared to Abraham in the plains of Mamre, the Angel that appeared to Moses in the bush, and the Angel that spoke to the Jews at Bochim, was Jesus Christ: and also asserts that Michael the Archangel is Jesus Christ. See Gen 16:9,10; 18 throughout. Exo 3:2-7. Judges 2:1-5, Dan 10:13,21; 12:1, Rev 12:7. | |
| 1945 | Dr. E. F. Scott | Emeritus Professor at the Union Theological Seminary - An Encyclopedia of Religion, 1945 ed. , p. 726, wrote: “The author of Hebrews ... thinks of [Jesus] as an angel, whom God had exalted above all others, investing him with his own majesty and calling him by the name of Son.” (trinitarian) |
| 1962 |
The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible | (trinitarian) p. 364, Vol. 3, Abingdon Press, 1962, tells us that at this time the Jewish expectation was that the Christ was "a pre-existent, heavenly angelic being who, at the end of time, will appear at the side of God as judge of the world [see Acts 7:55-56].” |
| 1982 | Today’s Dictionary of the Bible | (trinitarian), Bethany House Publ., 1982, p. 39: “Angel of the Lord [angel of Jehovah] - occurs many times in the Old Testament, where in almost every instance it means a supernatural personage to be distinguished from Jehovah .... Some feel the pre-incarnate Christ is meant.” |
| Smith | Smith’s Bible Dictionary (trinitarian), Hendrickson Publ. p. 40: “Angel of the Lord. ... Christ’s visible form before the incarnation.” | |
| 1984 | New Bible Dictionary | New Bible Dictionary, Tyndale House (trinitarian), 1984 printing. p. 38: “ANGEL OF THE LORD, ... is represented in Scripture as a heavenly being sent by God to deal with men as his personal agent and spokesman [`word'] .... In the NT [which trinitarians agree explains and amplifies the OT] there is no possibility of the angel of the Lord being confused with God. .... mostly when appearing to men he is recognized as a divine being, even though in human form, and is [sometimes] addressed as God” |
| 1985 | NIV | The NIV Study Bible by Zondervan Publishing, 1985 (highly trinitarian) - footnote for Gen 16:7: “The Angel of the LORD.... Traditional [from 2nd century A. D. (at least)] Christian interpretation has held that this `angel' was a preincarnate manifestation of Christ as God's Messenger-Servant. It may be ..., the angel could speak on behalf of (and so be identified with) the One [Jehovah] who sent him.” |
William L. Alexander, Doctor of Divinity, stated: "The two passages in the New Testament, in which Michael is mentioned, serve to confirm the result already arrived at. That the Michael referred to in Rev 12:7 is no other than the Logos, [the Word - the Son of God] has already been proved in my commentary upon that passage." —Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg, Christology of the Old Testament and a Commentary on the Messianic Predictions, 1836-9, Vol. IV, pp. 304-5 (in the T. & T. Clark publication; p. 269 in the Kregel publication).