Concept of Messiah

There is great diversity of opinion concerning the terms messiah, Messiah ben David, and Messiah ben Joseph (or Messiah ben Ephraim) both today and over the past 2000 years or so.  From a purely linguistic point of view, the term משיח simply means anointed.  Talk to any Christian, and the term messiah automatically is assumed to be a reference to Jesus.  Talk to a Jew, and the term will elicit any of several different concepts, depending on which rabbinic interpretation he follows.  Although the term has been used in a variety of ways, it was not always so. 

Surprisingly, the term משיח occurs just 38 times in the entire Hebrew bible.  Originally it referred to the act of physically anointing a person with olive oil during a consecration ceremony.  Thus, Aaron and his sons were anointed as priests by Moses, and presumably all successive priests were anointed at their consecration.  Similarly, Samuel anointed first Shaul and then David as king over Israel, and presumably all successive kings were also anointed at the time they were so designated.  Interestingly, there is no description of a physical anointing for any of the patriarchs, Moses, Joshua, any of the judges, Samuel, or any of the later prophets.  However, in Psalm 105:15, all of the people from Abraham to Joseph are described as משיחי 'my anointed ones'.  This usage refers to individuals who have been set apart and empowered by God for a specific purpose, whether or not they have had any physical anointing.  Even the pagan Cyrus is called his messiah in Is 45:1 because of the role he would play in freeing the captive Israelites.  This meaning is the one most commonly found in the later prophets, and it is essentially the only usage that still survives in a theological context today.  So, for example, Christians often say that a particular person has been anointed by the Holy Spirit when that person has had a significant spiritual impact on them. Even though they undoubtedly would never call such a person a messiah, they are using the term משיח in this latter sense.

For Christians there is one and only one Messiah and no messiahs.  (Muslims also have a very restrictive idea about a singular messiah who will restore the Caliphate.)  Jewish opinion on the matter is much more diverse and hardly unified.  The earliest non-biblical texts that refer to messiahs come from Qumran: 4Q175, 4Q372, and 1QS:

·     4Q175 dates from about 100 BCE and speaks about four messiah-like figures – a prophet like Moses, a ruling individual like David, a priestly individual, and a warrior.

·        4Q372 dates from about 200 BCE and describes a messiah of Israel from the line of Joseph who dies at the hands of his enemies.  This coupled with Deut 33:17 may be one of the early sources for teachings about Messiah ben Joseph.

·    1QS dates from about 100 BCE and mentions a messiah of Israel, a messiah of Aaron, and a prophet.  

The Gabriel Revelation is a stone tablet with an ink inscription that was found near the north end of the Dead Sea, and it dates from near the end of the first century BCE.  The text speaks of Ephraim as God's first born (Jer 31:19) and also of 'My servant David'.  It mentions a great slaughter of people in Jerusalem as well as their leader at the hands of an evil king.  Because much of this text cannot be read, there remains considerable scholarly debate about its historical context and who the two or three 'messianic' figures might be.

The next significant text dealing with this issue is the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs.  According to Charles, the English translator of this book, the text was originally written in Hebrew toward the end of the life of John Hyrcanus before he broke ties with the Pharisees.  John Hyrcanus was a priest, but he took the offices of high priest, king, and prophet.  Evidently, the author viewed him as messiah and the one who would bring in the messianic age.  This expectation was not realized, but the book does indicate the scope of messianic fervor during the first century BCE.

The targums, Talmud, and Jewish sages have a great deal to say about the messiah or messiahs, and the messianic hope has been central to Judaism for the past 2000 years or more.  During this time up to the present day, more than 120 individuals have been advanced as candidates for the messianic role.  Some of the diverse interpretations are as follows:

·     The Messiah ben Joseph has been set forward due to scriptural passages that describe Israel or Ephraim as the first born son of God.  He is to be a charismatic leader who is instrumental in rebuilding the temple and who lives out experiences of the suffering servant of YHWH.  Many of the teachings on Messiah ben Joseph assert that he is destined to die at the hands of a wicked king.  At least one of the teachings on Messiah ben Joseph asserts that he would be resurrected as Messiah ben David and then reign as king.  All of the interpretations I have found concerning Messiah ben Joseph (or Ephraim) indicate that he will be a real man who must suffer and die.

·       Messiah ben David is to be the one who lives out prophesies concerning the conquering ruler.  He will rule righteously on the throne of his father David, and his sovereignty will extend over the entire world forever.

·       One interpretation asserts that the nature of messiah depends on the character of Israel.  If Israel is unworthy, then Messiah will come as the suffering Messiah ben Joseph.  If Israel is worthy, then he will come as triumphant king Messiah ben David.

Rabbinic writings concerning the messiah since the destruction of the second temple are abundant and diverse.  (See The Messiah Texts by Raphael Patai.)  However, there are some very interesting common elements within the diversity that keep cropping up:

·       The origins of Messiah ben David are varied.  Some held that he was the first of all created beings before the creation of the earth.  Others held that he was born as either son or direct descendant of David.  Timing of this birth is various: directly during David's life, as one of Solomon's sons, as son of Hezekiah, as one born on the day that the first temple was destroyed, as one born on the day that the second temple was destroyed.

·      Regardless of how he came to be, he is kept in a special place within the heavenly garden of Eden, and there he is constantly mourning over the sin of Israel until the time that God finally reveals him on earth.  At the time of the mo'adim he i joined in his mourning by the patriarchs.

·       When the time has come for him to be revealed, he takes charge of the Jewish forces opposing the host of Satan, which is totally destroyed by miracles accomplished by God.  The Messiah ben Joseph is resurrected, and Messiah ben David assumes kingship over Israel and all the nations of the world.

All of the Jewish interpretations of messiah connect his coming with the restoration of the people of Israel to the land of Israel, restoration of Jerusalem to Jewish sovereignty, and the building of the third temple.  Jerusalem, and particularly the temple, are at the center of Jewish identity.  Moshe Feiglin, founder of Zehut (Identity) International, has asserted that the reunification of Jerusalem and the taking of the temple mount in the Six-Day War of 1967 were the gift of God to Israel and an invitation for Israel to take up her mantle and embrace her destiny before the world.  However, the Israeli government gave control of the temple mount back to the Muslims almost immediately after that war was over.  In so doing, they repudiated the gift of God and the destiny of Israel as a people.  As a result, now more than 50 years later nearly every nation in the world questions the legitimacy of Israel as the nation of the Jews.  His contention is that the only way for Israel to reclaim its legitimacy as a nation is to make Jewish identity as the central feature of her existence.  Thus Israel is not a nation like all other nations, but she has a unique role ordained by God.  (Note: The desire to be like every other nation is what got the Israelites into trouble during the time of the judges.)  With this I agree, but Mr. Feiglin has not addressed how this might relate to the concept of Messiah so far as I am aware.