Moshiach: The Messiah
Level: Intermediate |
I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the moshiach,
and though he may tarry, still I await him every day.
- Principle 12 of Rambam's
13 Principles of Faith
Belief in the eventual coming of the moshiach is a basic and fundamental
part of traditional Judaism. It is part of
Rambam's 13 Principles
of Faith, the minimum requirements of Jewish
belief. In the
Shemoneh Esrei prayer, recited three times
daily, we pray for all of the elements of the coming of the moshiach: ingathering
of the exiles; restoration of the religious courts of justice; an end of
wickedness, sin and heresy; reward to the righteous; rebuilding of Jerusalem;
restoration of the line of King David; and restoration of
Temple service.
Modern scholars suggest that the messianic concept was introduced later in
the history of Judaism, during the age of the prophets. They note that the
messianic concept is not mentioned anywhere in the
Torah (the first five books of the Bible).
However, traditional Judaism maintains that the messianic idea has always
been a part of Judaism. The moshiach is not mentioned explicitly in the Torah,
because the Torah was written in terms that all people could understand,
and the abstract concept of a distant, spiritual, future reward was beyond
the comprehension of some people. However, the Torah contains several references
to "the End of Days" (acharit ha-yamim), which is the time of the moshiach;
thus, the concept of moshiach was known in the most ancient times.
The term "moshiach" literally means "the anointed one," and refers to the
ancient practice of anointing kings with oil when they took the throne. The
moshiach is the one who will be anointed as king in the End of Days.
The word "moshiach" does not mean "savior." The notion of an innocent, divine
or semi-divine being who will sacrifice himself to save us from the consequences
of our own sins is a purely Christian concept that has no basis in Jewish
thought. Unfortunately, this Christian concept has become so deeply ingrained
in the English word "messiah" that this English word can no longer be used
to refer to the Jewish concept. The word "moshiach" will be used throughout
this page.
The moshiach will be a great political leader descended from King David (Jeremiah
23:5). The moshiach is often referred to as "moshiach ben David" (moshiach,
son of David). He will be well-versed in Jewish law, and observant of its
commandments (Isaiah 11:2-5). He will be a charismatic leader, inspiring
others to follow his example. He will be a great military leader, who will
win battles for Israel. He will be a great
judge, who makes righteous decisions (Jeremiah 33:15). But above all, he
will be a human being, not a god, demi-god or other supernatural being.
It has been said that in every generation, a person is born with the potential
to be the moshiach. If the time is right for the messianic age within that
person's lifetime, then that person will be the moshiach. But if that person
dies before he completes the mission of the moshiach, then that person is
not the moshiach.
There are a wide variety of opinions on the subject of when the moshiach
will come. Some of Judaism's greatest minds have cursed those who try to
predict the time of the moshiach's coming, because errors in such predictions
could cause people to lose faith in the messianic idea or in Judaism itself.
This actually happened in the 17th century, when Shabbatai Tzvi claimed to
be the moshiach. When Tzvi converted to Islam under threat of death, many
Jews converted with him. Nevertheless, this prohibition has not stopped anyone
from speculating about the time when the moshiach will come.
Although some scholars believed that G-d has set
aside a specific date for the coming of the moshiach, most authority suggests
that the conduct of mankind will determine the time of the moshiach's coming.
In general, it is believed that the moshiach will come in a time when he
is most needed (because the world is so sinful), or in a time when he is
most deserved (because the world is so good). For example, each of the following
has been suggested as the time when the moshiach will come:
-
if Israel repented a single day;
-
if Israel observed a single Shabbat properly;
-
if Israel observed two Shabbats in a row properly;
-
in a generation that is totally innocent or totally guilty;
-
in a generation that loses hope;
-
in a generation where children are totally disrespectful towards their parents
and elders;
Before the time of the moshiach, there shall be war and suffering (Ezekiel
38:16)
The moshiach will bring about the political and spiritual redemption of the
Jewish people by bringing us back to
Israel and restoring Jerusalem (Isaiah 11:11-12;
Jeremiah 23:8; 30:3; Hosea 3:4-5). He will establish a government in Israel
that will be the center of all world government, both for Jews and gentiles
(Isaiah 2:2-4; 11:10; 42:1). He will rebuild the
Temple and re-establish its worship (Jeremiah
33:18). He will restore the religious court system of Israel and establish
Jewish law as the law of the land (Jeremiah 33:15).
The world after the messiah comes is often referred to in Jewish literature
as Olam Ha-Ba (oh-LAHM hah-BAH), the World to Come. This term can cause some
confusion, because it is also used to refer to a spiritual
afterlife. In English, we commonly use the
term "messianic age" to refer specifically to the time of the messiah.
Olam Ha-Ba will be characterized by the peaceful co-existence of all people
(Isaiah 2:4). Hatred, intolerance and war will cease to exist. Some authorities
suggest that the laws of nature will change, so that predatory beasts will
no longer seek prey and agriculture will bring forth supernatural abundance
(Isaiah 11:6-11:9). Others, however, say that these statements are merely
an allegory for peace and prosperity.
All of the Jewish people will return from their
exile among the nations to their home in
Israel (Isaiah 11:11-12; Jeremiah 23:8; 30:3;
Hosea 3:4-5). The law of the Jubilee will be reinstated.
In the Olam Ha-Ba, the whole world will recognize the Jewish
G-d as the only true G-d, and the Jewish religion
as the only true religion (Isaiah 2:3; 11:10; Micah 4:2-3; Zechariah 14:9).
There will be no murder, robbery, competition or jealousy. There will be
no sin (Zephaniah 3:13). Sacrifices will
continue to be brought in the Temple, but these
will be limited to thanksgiving offerings,
because there will be no further need for expiatory offerings.
Jews do not believe that Jesus was the moshiach. Assuming that he existed,
and assuming that the Christian scriptures are accurate in describing him
(both matters that are debatable), he simply did not fulfill the mission
of the moshiach as it is described in the biblical passages cited above.
Jesus did not do any of the things that the scriptures said the messiah would
do.
On the contrary, another Jew born about a century later came far closer to
fulfilling the messianic ideal than Jesus did. His name was Shimeon ben Kosiba,
known as Bar Kokhba (son of a star), and he was a charismatic, brilliant,
but brutal warlord. Rabbi Akiba, one of the
greatest scholars in Jewish history, believed that Bar Kokhba was the moshiach.
Bar Kokhba fought a war against the Roman Empire, catching the Tenth Legion
by surprise and retaking Jerusalem. He resumed
sacrifices at the site of the
Temple and made plans to rebuild the Temple.
He established a provisional government and began to issue coins in its name.
This is what the Jewish people were looking
for in a moshiach; Jesus clearly does not fit into this mold. Ultimately,
however, the Roman Empire crushed his revolt and killed Bar Kokhba. After
his death, all acknowledged that he was not the moshiach.
Throughout Jewish history, there have been many people who have claimed to
be the moshiach, or whose followers have claimed that they were the moshiach:
Shimeon Bar Kokhba, Shabbatai Tzvi, Jesus, and many others too numerous to
name. Leo Rosten reports some very entertaining accounts under the heading
False Messiahs in his book,
The
Joys of Yiddish. But all of these people died without fulfilling the
mission of the moshiach; therefore, none of them were the moshiach. The moshiach
and the Olam Ha-Ba lie in the future, not in the past.
The following passages in the Jewish
scriptures are the ones that Jews consider to be messianic in nature
or relating to the end of days. These are the ones that we rely upon in
developing our messianic concept:
-
Isaiah 2, 11, 42; 59:20
-
Jeremiah 23, 30, 33; 48:47; 49:39
-
Ezekiel 38:16
-
Hosea 3:4-3:5
-
Micah 4
-
Zephaniah 3:9
-
Zechariah 14:9
-
Daniel 10:14
If you want to know how Jews interpret the passages that Christians consider
to be messianic, see the
Jews for Judaism
website, especially the Knowledge Base under Resources. The Knowledge Base
addresses more than 130 of the most common arguments that evangelists make
to Jews.
© Copyright 5758-5761 (1998-2001), Tracey
R Rich
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