Messiah

This article is about the concept of a savior. For the oratorio by George Frideric Handel, see Messiah (Handel). For the Christian Messiah, see Christ. For other uses, see Messiah (disambiguation).
Samuel anoints David, Dura Europos, Syria, Date: 3rd century CE.

A messiah (literally, "anointed one")[1] is a saviour or liberator of a group of people, most commonly in the Abrahamic religions. In the Hebrew Bible, a messiah (Hebrew: מָשִׁיחַ, Modern mashiaẖ, Tiberian māšîăḥ) is a king or High Priest traditionally anointed with holy anointing oil.[2] However, messiahs were not exclusively Jewish, as the Hebrew Bible refers to Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, as a messiah[3] for his decree to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple.

The concept of messianism originated in Judaism.[4][5] According to Jewish tradition, the Jewish Messiah, ha-Mashiach (המשיח, "the Messiah", "the anointed one"),[6] often referred to as "King Messiah" (מלך המשיח, melekh mashiach),[7] is plainly distinct from the concept of a divine Christian Messiah or any other concept of a messiah in other Abrahamic religions, especially the Islamic.[8] The future Jewish Messiah to come is thought to be a human leader, physically descended from the paternal Davidic line through King David and King Solomon. He is thought to accomplish predetermined things in only one future arrival, including the unification of the tribes of Israel,[9] the gathering in of all Jews to Eretz Israel, the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, the ushering in of a Messianic Age[10] of global universal peace, and the annunciation of the World to Come.[4][5]

The translation of the Hebrew word מָשִׁיחַ mašíaḥ as Χριστός (Khristós, whence the term Christ comes) in the Greek Septuagint[11] became the accepted Christian designation and title of Jesus of Nazareth.[12] Christians believe that messianic prophecies in the Christian Old Testament (especially Isaiah) refer to a spiritual savior and believe that Jesus is the Christian Messiah.

Islamic tradition holds that Jesus, the son of Mary, was a Prophet and the Masîḥ (مسيح) (messiah) sent to the Israelites, and that he will return to Earth at the end of times, along with the Mahdi, and defeat al-Masih ad-Dajjal, the "false Messiah" or Antichrist.[13]

Etymology

Messiah (Hebrew: מָשִׁיחַ, Modern Mashiaẖ, Tiberian Māšîăḥ; in modern Jewish texts in English spelled Mashiach; Aramaic: משיחא‎, Greek: Μεσσίας, Syriac: ܡܫܺܝܚܳܐ‎, Məšîḥā, Arabic: المسيح‎, al-Masīḥ, Latin: Messias) literally means "anointed one".[1] In Hebrew, the Messiah is often referred to as מלך המשיח (Meleḵ ha-Mašīaḥ in the Tiberian vocalization, pronounced [ˈmeleχ hamaˈʃiaħ], literally meaning "the Anointed King."

The Greek Septuagint version of the Old Testament renders all thirty-nine instances of the Hebrew word for "anointed" (Mašíaḥ) as Χριστός (Khristós).[11] The New Testament records the Greek transliteration Μεσσίας, Messias twice in John.[Jn. 1:41][4:25]

al-Masīḥ (proper name, pronounced [mæˈsiːħ]) is the Arabic word for messiah. In modern Arabic, it is used as one of the many titles of Jesus. Masīḥ is used by Arab Christians as well as Muslims, and is written as Yasūʿ al-Masih (يسوع المسيح) by Arab Christians or ʿĪsā al-Masīḥ (عيسى المسيح) by Muslims. The word al-Masīḥ literally means "the anointed", "the traveller", or the "one who cures by caressing".[14] In Qur'anic scripture, Jesus is mentioned as having been sent down by Allah, strengthened by the holy spirit,[15] and hence, 'anointed' with the task of being a prophet and a "recipient of sacred scripture".[14] The Israelites, to whom Isa was sent, had a traditional practice of anointing their kings with oil. An Imam Bukhari hadith describes Jesus as having wet hair that looked as if water was dripping from it, possibly meaning he was naturally anointed.[16] Muslims believe that this is just one of the many signs that proves that Jesus is the Messiah.

Judaism

The literal translation of the Hebrew word mashiach (messiah) is "anointed", which refers to a ritual of consecrating someone or something by putting holy oil upon it. It is used throughout the Hebrew Bible in reference to a wide variety of individuals and objects; for example, a Jewish king, Jewish priests and prophets, the Jewish Temple and its utensils, unleavened bread, and a non-Jewish king (Cyrus king of Persia).[17]

In Jewish eschatology, the term came to refer to a future Jewish king from the Davidic line, who will be "anointed" with holy anointing oil, to be king of God's kingdom, and rule the Jewish people during the Messianic Age. In Judaism, the Messiah is not considered to be God or a pre-existent divine Son of God. He is considered to be a great political leader that has descended from King David. That is why he is referred to as Messiah ben David, which means "Messiah, son of David". The messiah, in Judaism, is considered to be a great, charismatic leader that is well oriented with the laws that are followed in Judaism.[18] He will be the one who will not "judge by what his eyes see" or "decide by what his ears hear".[19]

Belief in the eventual coming of a future messiah is a fundamental part of Judaism, and is one of Maimonides' 13 Principles of Faith.[20]

Maimonides describes the identity of the Messiah in the following terms:

And if a king shall arise from among the House of David, studying Torah and occupied with commandments like his father David, according to the written and oral Torah, and he will impel all of Israel to follow it and to strengthen breaches in its observance, and will fight God's wars, this one is to be treated as if he were the anointed one. If he succeeded and built the Holy Temple in its proper place and gathered the dispersed ones of Israel together, this is indeed the anointed one for certain, and he will mend the entire world to worship the Lord together, as it is stated: "For then I shall turn for the nations a clear tongue, so that they will all proclaim the Name of the Lord, and to worship Him with a united resolve (Zephaniah 3:9)."[21]

Even though the eventual coming of the messiah is a strongly upheld idea in Judaism, trying to predict the actual time when the messiah will come is an act that is frowned upon. These kinds of actions are thought to weaken the faith the people have in the religion. This happened once when Sabbatai Zevi, from Smirna (now İzmir, Turkey), claimed that he was the messiah that the Jewish community have been waiting for. So in Judaism, there is no specific time when the messiah comes. Rather, it is the acts of the people that determines when the messiah comes. It is said that the messiah would come either when the world needs his coming the most (when the world is so sinful and in desperate need of saving by the messiah) or deserves it the most (when genuine goodness prevails in the world).[20]

A common modern rabbinic interpretation is that there is a potential messiah in every generation. The Talmud, which often uses stories to make a moral point (aggadah), tells of a highly respected rabbi who found the Messiah at the gates of Rome and asked him, "When will you finally come?" He was quite surprised when he was told, "Today." Overjoyed and full of anticipation, the man waited all day. The next day he returned, disappointed and puzzled, and asked, "You said messiah would come 'today' but he didn't come! What happened?" The Messiah replied, "Scripture says, 'Today, if you will but hearken to his voice.'"[22]

A Kabbalistic tradition within Judaism is that the commonly discussed messiah who will usher in a period of freedom and peace (Messiah ben David) will be preceded by Messiah ben Joseph, who will gather the children of Israel around him, lead them to Jerusalem. After overcoming the hostile powers in Jerusalem, Messiah ben Joseph, will reestablish the Temple-worship and set up his own dominion. Then Armilus, according to one group of sources, or Gog and Magog, according to the other, will appear with their hosts before Jerusalem, wage war against Messiah ben Joseph, and slay him. His corpse, according to one group, will lie unburied in the streets of Jerusalem; according to the other, it will be hidden by the angels with the bodies of the Patriarchs, until Messiah ben David comes and brings him back to life.[23]

Christianity

The Last Judgment, by Jean Cousin the Younger (c. late 16th century)
Main article: Christ

The Greek translation of Messiah is khristos (χριστος), anglicized as Christ, and Christians commonly refer to Jesus as either the "Christ" or the "Messiah." Christians believe the Messianic prophecies were fulfilled in the mission, death, and resurrection of Jesus and that he will return to fulfill the rest of Messianic prophecy.

The majority of historical and mainline Christian theologies consider Jesus to be the Son of God and God the Son, a concept of the Messiah fundamentally different from the Jewish and Islamic concepts. In each of the four New Testament Gospels, the only literal anointing of Jesus is conducted by a woman. In the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and John, this anointing occurs in Bethany, outside Jerusalem. In the Gospel of Luke, the anointing scene takes place at an indeterminate location, but context suggests it to be in Galilee.

Islam

The Quran identifies Jesus as the penultimate Messiah (Masih), referring to him as "Isa".[24] Jesus is one of the most important prophets in the Islamic tradition, along with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Muhammad.[Quran 33:7][Quran 42:13-14][Quran 57:26][24] Contrary to Christians, Muslims see Jesus only as a prophet, not God. Prophecy in a human form is adequate in Islam, but does not represent the true powers of God as Jesus does in Christianity.[25]

The Quran states that Isa, the Son of Mariam (Arabic: Isa ibn Maryam), is the Messiah and Prophet sent to the Children of Israel.[Quran 3:45] The birth of Isa is described Quran sura 19 verses 1–33,[Quran 19:1-33] and sura 4 verse 171 explicitly states Isa as the Son of Mariam.[Quran 4:171] Muslims believe Isa is alive in Heaven and will return to Earth to defeat the Masih ad-Dajjal (false Messiah),[13] a figure similar to the Antichrist in Christianity, who will emerge shortly before Yawm al-Qiyāmah ("the Day of Resurrection"). After he has destroyed ad-Dajjal, his final task will be to become leader of the Muslims. Isa will unify the Muslim Ummah (the followers of Islam) under the common purpose of worshipping Allah alone in pure Islam, thereby ending divisions and deviations by adherents. Mainstream Muslims believe that at that time Isa will dispel Christian and Jewish claims about him.

A hadith in Abu Dawud (37:4310) says:

Narrated Abu Hurayrah: The Prophet said: There is no prophet between me and him, that is, Isa. He will descend (to the earth). When you see him, recognise him: a man of medium height & reddish dusky complexion, wearing two light yellow garments, looking as if drops of water were falling down from his head though it will not be wet. He will fight for the cause of Islam. He will break the cross, kill the swine, and put an end to war (in another Tradition, there is the word Jizyah instead of Harb (war), meaning that he will abolish jizyah); God will perish all religions except Islam. He [Isa] will destroy the Antichrist who will live on the earth for forty days and then he will die. The Muslims will pray behind him.

Both Sunni[24] and Shia Muslims agree[26] that al-Mahdi will arrive first, and after him, Isa. Isa will proclaim al-Mahdi as the Islamic community leader. A war will be fought—the Dajjal against alMahdi and Isa. This war will mark the approach of the coming of the Last Day. After Isa slays alDajjāl at the Gate of Lud, he will bear witness and reveal that Islam is indeed the true and last word from God to humanity as Yusuf Ali's translation reads: "And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him before his death; and on the Day of Judgment he will be a witness against them."[Quran 4:159] A hadith in Sahih Bukhari (Sahih al-Bukhari, 4:55:658) says:

Allah's Apostle said "How will you be when the son of Mariam descends among you and your Imam is from among you."

The Quran refutes the crucifixion of Jesus,[24] claiming that he was neither killed nor crucified.[Quran 4:157] The Quran also emphasizes the difference between Allah (God in Arabic) and the Messiah: "Those who say that Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary, are unbelievers. The Messiah said: "O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord... unbelievers too are those who have said that Allah is the third of three... the Messiah, son of Mary, was only a Messenger before whom other Messengers had gone."[Quran 5:72-77]

Ahmadiyya

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, considered by Ahmadis to be the Promised Messiah of the latter days

In Ahmadiyya theology, the terms "Messiah" and "Mahdi" are synonymous terms for one and the same person.[27] The term "Mahdi" means guided by God, thus implying a direct ordainment by God of a divinely chosen individual.[28] According to Ahmadiyya thought, Messiahship is a phenomenon through which a special emphasis is given on the transformation of a people by way of offering suffering for the sake of God instead of giving suffering (i.e. refraining from revenge). Ahmadis believe that this special emphasis was given through the person of Jesus and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908).[29] among others.

Ahmadis hold that the prophesied eschatological figures of Christianity and Islam, the Messiah and Mahdi, were in fact to be fulfilled in one person who was to represent all previous prophets.[30] The prophecies concerning the Mahdi or the Second Coming of Jesus are seen by Ahmadis as metaphorical and subject to interpretation. It is argued that one was to be born and rise within the dispensation of Muhammad, who by virtue of his similarity and affinity with Jesus, and the similarity in nature, temperament and disposition of the people of Jesus' time and the people of the time of the promised one (the Mahdi) is called by the same name.[31]

Numerous hadith are presented by the Ahmadis in support of their view, such as one from Sunan Ibn Majah, which says, "There is No Mahdi but Jesus son of Mary."[32]

Ahmadis believe that the prophecies concerning the Mahdi and the second coming of Jesus have been fulfilled in Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908), the founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement. Contrary to mainstream Islam, the Ahmadis do not believe that Jesus is alive in heaven, but that he survived the crucifixion and migrated towards the east where he died a natural death and that Ghulam Ahmad was only the promised spiritual second coming and likeness of Jesus, the promised Messiah and Mahdi.[33] He also claimed to have appeared in the likeness of Krishna and that his advent fulfilled certain prophecies found in Hindu scriptures. Though he held Krishna to be a prophet of God and a human being, rather than God or an incarnation of God.[34] He stated that the founder of Sikhism was a Muslim saint, who was a reflection of the religious challenges he perceived to be occurring.[35] Ghulam Ahmad wrote Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, in 1880, which incorporated Indian, Sufi, Islamic and Western aspects in order to give life to Islam in the face of the British Raj, Protestant Christianity, and rising Hinduism. He later declared himself the Promised Messiah and the Mahdi following Divine revelations in 1891. Ghulam Ahmad argued that Jesus had appeared 1300 after the formation of the Muslim community and stressed the need for a current Messiah, in turn claiming that he himself embodied both the Mahdi and the Messiah. Ghulam Ahmad was supported by Muslims who especially felt oppressed by Christian and Hindu missionaries.[35]

Other traditions

Popular culture

The following are works in which the concept of a messiah as a leader of a cause or liberator of a people is used.

Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert; second in the trilogy of Dune which was also a movie. It was one of the widest selling works of fiction in the 1960's.

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 http://etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=messiah&searchmode=none
  2. ↑ Exodus 30:22-25
  3. ↑ Jewish Encyclopedia: Cyrus: Cyrus and the Jews: "This prophet, Cyrus, through whom were to be redeemed His chosen people, whom he would glorify before all the world, was the promised Messiah, 'the shepherd of Yhwh' (xliv. 28, xlv. 1)."
  4. 1 2 Schochet, Rabbi Prof. Dr. Jacob Immanuel. "Moshiach ben Yossef". Tutorial. moshiach.com. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  5. 1 2 Blidstein, Prof. Dr. Gerald J. "Messiah in Rabbinic Thought". MESSIAH. Jewish Virtual Library and Encyclopaedia Judaica 2008 The Gale Group. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  6. ↑ Telushkin, Joseph. "The Messiah". The Jewish Virtual Library Jewish Literacy. NY: William Morrow and Co., 1991. Reprinted by permission of the author. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  7. ↑ Flusser, David. "Second Temple Period". Messiah. Encyclopaedia Judaica 2008 The Gale Group. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  8. ↑ See Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan: "The Real Messiah A Jewish Response to Missionaries" at the Wayback Machine (archived May 29, 2008)
  9. ↑ Megillah 17b–18a, Taanit 8b
  10. ↑ Sotah 9a
  11. 1 2 Etymology Online
  12. ↑ Jesus of Nazareth, the central figure of Christianity, born 7–2 Before Christ (BC).
  13. 1 2 "Muttaqun OnLine - Dajjal (The Anti-Christ): According to Quran and Sunnah". Muttaqun.com. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  14. 1 2 Badawi, Elsaid; Haleem, Muhammad Abdel (2008). Arabic–English Dictionary of Qur'anic Usage. Koninklijke Brill. p. 881.
  15. ↑ Ali, Abdullah Yusuf. "2:87". The Qur'an: Text, Translation and Commentary.
  16. ↑ http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/hadith/bukhari/055.sbt.html#004.055.650
  17. ↑ Tanakh verses:
  18. ↑ "Judaism 101: Mashiach: The Messiah". Jewfaq.org. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  19. ↑ Isaiah 11:3-4
  20. 1 2 "Judaism 101: Mashiach: The Messiah". Jewfaq.org. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  21. ↑ Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings 11:4
  22. ↑ Psalms 95:7
  23. ↑ "Messiah". Jewish Encyclopedia. 1906. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  24. 1 2 3 4 Albert, Alexander. "Orientating, Developing, and Promoting an Islamic Christology". FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  25. ↑ Siddiqui, Mona (2013). Christians, Muslims, and Jesus. Yale University Press. p. 12.
  26. ↑ "Sunni and Shi'a". BBC. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  27. ↑ Messiah and Mahdi - Review of Religions
  28. ↑ ""Mahdi" in a Special Meaning and Technical Usage". Ahlul Bayt Digital Islamic Library Project. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  29. ↑ Ask Islam: What is the different between a messiah and a prophet?
  30. ↑ "The Holy Quran". Alislam.org. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  31. ↑ "The Muslim Jesus". Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  32. ↑ Ibn Majah, Bab, Shahadatu-Zaman
  33. ↑ "Jesus: A humble prophet of God". Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  34. ↑ http://www.alislam.org/library/books/LectureSialkot.pdf Lecture Sialkot
  35. 1 2 Robinson, Francis. "Prophets without honour? Ahmad and the Ahmadiyya". History Today 40 (June): 46.
  36. ↑ "Maitreya (Buddhism)". Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  37. ↑ "Buddhist - Prophecies - Mission of Maitreya". Buddhist - Prophecies - Mission of Maitreya. www.maitreya.org. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  38. ↑ "Messianic Expectations in the Eastern Religions". Messianic Expectations in the Eastern Religions. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  39. ↑ Momen, Moojan (2004). "Baha'i Faith and Holy People". In Jestice, Phyllis G. Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1-57607-355-6.
  40. ↑ "Bahá'u'lláh - History". Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  41. ↑ "The life of Baha'u'llah". www.Baha'i.org. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  42. ↑ "Maitreya The World Teacher". Maitreya The World Teacher. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  43. ↑ "Rastafarian beliefs". BBC. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  44. ↑ "Haile Selassie I - God of the Black race". BBC News. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  45. ↑ R.M. Mangkudimedja. 1979. Serat Pararaton Jilid 2. Jakarta: Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, Proyek Penerbitan Buku Sastra Indonesia dan Daerah. p. 168 (In Indonesian)
  46. ↑ Mulder, Niel. 1980. "Kedjawen: Tussen de Geest en Persoonlijkheid van Javaans". The Hague: Droggstopel. p. 72 (In Dutch)
  47. ↑ The Messiah (2007 film)
  48. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/The-Jewish-Messiah-A-Novel/dp/0143114972
  49. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/Messiah-A-Novel-Andrei-Codrescu/dp/0684803143

References

External links

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