Early Judaism: Messianic Claimants/Messianic Expectations Paper

A messiah is a rather ambiguous term. It mainly means an anointed one; usually a messiah is considered to be a son of David and would reestablish Israel to what it once was. Because messiahs are anointed ones they would typically be Jewish priests, prophets and kings. However, a Messiah can also be a warrior, or a man of peace. (CITE) A messiah was to reestablish unity among the Jewish people and navigate through the hardships and oppression that they went through during early Judaism and bring a sense of freedom and relief. An array of messianic claimants came forth during the two peaks of Jewish rebellion, the death of King Herod the Great and the first Jewish war against the Romans.

The first search for a messiah started in the sixth century BC when the Jews of Babylonia were exiled, they called for an anointed one that would bring them back to their home. The second time was when Alexander the Great brought down the Achaemenid Empire and left it to his Macedonian generals. The Jews were peaceful and tried to fit in more with the Greeks to avoid confrontation through this time. Ultimately when the Greeks pushed it too far and destroyed the temple the Hasmonean family led a revolt that bought independence back to the Jews. This period is referred to as the Hasmonean Dynasty. In response to this change of priesthood, the Jewish people reorganized themselves into three major philosophies; the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Essenes. When the shift went to Roman, the Jews lost their sense of freedom. They were then ruled by King Herod the Great which didn’t improve. Herod the great was a powerful, brutal and ruthless leader, who accomplished a large amount, however under his rule Jewish people were extremely poor and highly taxe...

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... army by his side. Simon and his followers were well organized and systematic in their approach.

Works Cited

http://www.livius.org/men-mh/messiah/messiah_01.html

http://www.livius.org/men-mh/messiah/messiah_06.html

http://www.livius.org/jo-jz/josephus/josephus.htm

http://www.livius.org/ja-jn/jewish_wars/jwar07.html

http://www.livius.org/men-mh/messiah/messianic_claimants03.html

Anchor Bible – Richard, Horsley

Horsley, Richard A. "Menahem In Jerusalem : A Brief Messianic Episode Among The Sicarii--Not "Zealot Messianism." Novum Testamentum 27.4 (1985): 334-348. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. Web. 4 Apr. 2012.

Stern, Pnina. "Life Of Josephus: The Autobiography Of Flavius Josephus." Journal For The Study Of Judaism In The Persian, Hellenistic And Roman Period 41.1 (2010): 63-93. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. Web. 4 Apr. 2012.