The Messiahs – The Origin of the Messiah Idea

[First posted in 2014.  If there is one–and only one–people group or nation that has looked forward to a figure they call “Messiah” that would be Israel.  No other nation in the world has had a similar expectation, not one.  

 

So if there is only one nation waiting for the appearance of a “Messiah” who would be recognizable because of conditions prevailing at that specific time, then only that nation and no other’ people-grouping’—whether gentile nation or religion/church—has the prerogative of defining and hence identifying by recognizable signs, this anticipated figure.

 

That said, then what are the identifying criteria applied to this messianic figure, according to the anticipators, the Jews? There are many “counter-missionary” Jewish websites that explain the Jewish expectation; this seems to be one topic where Jews are quite unified in their viewpoint. For full discussions of the Jewish perspective, please go to the Jewish links recommended in this website because we cannot feature all of them here, but it is enlightening to read everything they’ve written on this subject.

 

It is one thing to listen to the Jews who have rejected Jesus as Israel’s ‘Messiah’, that is only to be expected of the Jews;  it is quite another to listen to a non-Jewish historian, someone who has studied the New Testament and is in fact an archeologist— to agree with the Jews why Jesus is not the Messiah pointed to by the Hebrew Scriptures.  So what we are featuring here is not only from a gentile perspective but specifically a New Testament scholar.  It takes one to know one, and just as we Sinaites as former Christians truly understand why Christians believe Jesus is Israel’s long anticipated Messiah, more so does James D.  Tabor, a professor in Christian origins and ancient Judaism who wrote an eye-opening, mind-clearing, truth-awakening book:  Restoring Abrahamic Faith.   He, more than any other NT scholar we have read, presents the most balanced and comprehensive viewpoint.  For the benefit of our website visitors who might not yet have found a copy of this MUST HAVE book, we are quoting excerpts from Chapter 4 which gives the clearest explanation about — not one messiah, but “The Messiahs.”  This should clear up some of the fog and correct misconceptions about this figure for those who have simply accepted Christian teaching without checking out the Hebrew Scriptures. Condensed and reformatted.

Sequels to this post are:

• The Messiahs – 2 – The Davidic Messiah
• Revisit: The Messiahs – 3 – The Second Coming of YHVH
• The Messiahs – 4 – Restoring the Biblical Balance
• The Messiahs – 5 – A Heavenly Messiah?
• The Messiahs – 6 – Was Jesus the Nazarene the Messiah?

—Admin 1.]  

 

 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse,

and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

and the Spirit of knowledge

and the fear of YHVH shall rest upon him.

(Isaiah 11:1-2)

 

Millions think of the Messiah as a single superhuman figure whose appearance brings about an instant solution to all of the problems of the world.  For Christians and Muslims, his arrival will be a “second coming,” while Jews await his first appearance.  The original concept of the Messiah, or more properly, the Messiahs, as set for in the Hebrew Bible, has been almost totally obscured and forgotten.

 

For many Christians the word “Christ” is synonymous with Jesus, almost as if it were his last name.  The English word “Christ” is a title, a descriptive designation, not a name.  It is based on the Greek word Christos, which is a translation of the original Hebrew term Messiah” (maschiach) which simply means an “anointed one,” or one who is specially selected by God.  Therefore, to speak of “Jesus Christ” is actually to claim that Jesus was the one whom God anointed or chose for an exalted mission.  Likewise, the word “Christian” means “Messianist,” or one who is a member of a messianic movement or a follower of a Messiah.  Indeed, early Christianity was just that, a messianic movement within Judaism.  

 

[Footnote: Since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls we know a great deal more about such Jewish messianic movements during the time of Jesus the Nazarene.  The Scrolls are part of the hidden library of just such a group, often referred to as the Essenes.  They were highly messianic and apocalyptic, expecting the imminent arrival of the Kingdom of God.]

 

• What then was the anticipated mission of the Messiah according to the Hebrew Prophets?  
• Why is he chosen?  
• What is he to accomplish?  

 

It seems that Christians, Jews, and Muslims all hold different and conflicting ideas on this subject and few seem to recognize that biblical “messianism” is irrevocably tied to the concept of the Kingdom of God.

 

Some Christians are likewise confused about the relationship between God and the Messiah, or Christ.  

The first great Christian departure from the ancient HEBREW FAITH was to declare that the Messiah was, in fact, God Himself.   

The concept of a divine Messiah, eternally existing as God, but born as a human being, is foreign to the Hebrew Scriptures.  This confusion between the ONE GOD of Israel and His Messiah (or Messiahs as we will shortly see), has led to further confusion about the messianic role in inaugurating the Kingdom of God.  It has clouded the central issue of the mission of the Messiahs, why they are chosen, and what they are to accomplish.

 

 

The concept of the “Second Coming of Christ” is a familiar one in our culture, especially among Christians and Muslims.  And yet in the Hebrew Scriptures one reads of a different “Second Coming, not that of a Messiah, but rather the Second Coming of YHVH GOD  Himself.  This is the major concept of eschatology in the Hebrew Scriptures, and yet one seldom, if ever, hears it mentioned.

 

[Footnote:  Eschatology is the term scholars use to refer to all the things pertaining to the “end of the age,” or the last days of human history, leading into the kingdom of God.]

 

The problem is that Christianity as largely lost its Hebraic roots.  The idea of Messiah is a thoroughly Hebrew or Jewish concept.  The place to begin is with the Hebrew Scriptures, that is, the TORAH, Prophets, and Writings of the Tanakh (which Christians call the O.T.).  In these writings the original, fundamental messianic teaching emerges clearly, without ambiguity.  Indeed this all-important doctrine of the Messiah/s is one of the pillars of BIBLICAL FAITH.  Before one tries to understand the development of the messianic ideas that one finds in the New Testament writings, it is essential to first have a thorough grounding in what the Hebrew Scriptures say on this topic.

 

In this chapter I will set forth the messianic teaching based on the Hebrew Scriptures, while at the same time highlighting what I hope will become a restored Biblical emphasis—the concept of a different “Second Coming,” one that involves the literal return of YHVH Himself to this planet and the subsequent rule of His Kingdom.

 

The Origin of the Messiah Idea

 

To grasp the basic Biblical messianic teaching we have to go back to the origins of the very idea.  The word itself means, “anointed one,” and comes from the Hebrew verb mashah which means “to smear with oil.”  It is first mentioned in the TORAH.  There Moses is commanded:  “And you shall make of these [spices] a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil” (Exodus 30:25).  This holy oil, rich with the fragrant smell of exotic spices, had a number of functions.  It was smeared upon the furniture of the Tabernacle, including the Ark of the TESTIMONY, in order to consecrate and separate these items for their sacred use (Exodus 30:26).  It was also used by Moses to consecrate Aaron and his sons as perpetual priests of Israel.  

 

Note the following verses: 

 

Then you shall take the anointing oil, and pour it on his [Aaron’s] head and anoint him (Exodus 29:7).

 

. . . and you shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve Me as priests (Exodus 28:41).

 

 

. . .and you shall anoint them even as you have anointed their father, that they may minister as priests to Me; and their anointing shall qualify them for a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations (Exodus 40:15).

 

 

We see here that the priests of Israel, beginning with Aaron, are properly understood to be “messiahs” or “anointed ones.”  David refers to this priestly anointing ceremony in one of his Psalms, comparing the sweetness of brotherhood to the precious oil upon the head, coming down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard, coming down upon the edge of his robes (Psalm 132:2).  The anointing ceremony conveyed a most positive image in ancient Israel, with the precious perfumed oil, running down the hair, beard, and clothing, signifying the Spirit or Presence of YHVH God Himself.

 

 

In the time of the prophet Samuel (10th century BCE) this holy anointing oil was used to consecrate and set apart those God had chosen as kings of Israel.  The ceremony was carried out by a prophet or a priest, or perhaps by both (see 1 Kings 1:34-39). For example, when Samuel the prophet anoints Saul, and later David, as King of Israel, we read:

 

 Then Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on his [Saul’s] head, kissed him and said, “Has not YHVH anointed you ruler over His inheritance?” (1 Samuel 10:1).

 

Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of YHVH came mightily upon David from that day forward (1 Samuel 16:13; cf. Psalm 89:20). 

 

David regularly and respectfully refers to King Saul as “YHVH’s anointed,” which might just as well be translated as “YHVH’s messiah,” or anointed one (see 1 Samuel 24:6; Psalm 2:2).

 

It is also probably that in certain case a similar anointing ceremony was used to pass on the office or position of a prophet. Elijah is told at the end of his work.

 

Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place (1 Kings 19:16).

 

Even the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are called “messiahs” because of their chosen prophetic roles (Genesis 20:7).  Notice Psalm 105:13-15, where the reference is to these Fathers:  

 

When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people, He permitted no one to do them wrong; yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes, saying “Do not touch My anointed ones (“messiahs”), and do My prophets no harm.”

 

YHVH even calls the Gentile King Cyrus of Persia “His messiah:”

 Thus says YHVH to Cyrus, His anointed (Hebrew mashiach or “messiah,” Isaiah 45:1). 

 

It is obvious from these verses that to be anointed  of YHVH (whether it involved an actual ceremony with the holy oil or not) is to be appointed and chosen for a special role, office, or mission.  These anointed ones, or “messiahs,” are empowered by God Himself to carry out special and particular functions within God’s historical PLAN.  So, we can clearly see that according to the normal Hebrew use of the term, Abraham is a messiah,” as well as every priest, king, and prophet of Israel.  In other words, there are many dozens of “messiahs” in Israelite history carrying out many diverse, but divinely appointed, tasks and missions.  Clearly, the key question we must ask, in any given case, is for what is one anointed or appointed?

 

The concept of a “messianic” person is never separated from the “messianic” mission or task such a one is to carry out.  This is a common misunderstanding among some Christians.  The “personhood” of Jesus is emphasized, along with the affirmation that he was the “Christ” or “Messiah,” while his messianic task and mission are often ignored.  He was given the title or name, but the root meaning of the concept was lost to the largely Gentile Church of the 2nd through the 4th centuries C.E.

 

It is the case that the Hebrew Prophets give special emphasis to a single extraordinary figure, a descendant of David, who can properly be called “the Messiah,” not just another among the many.  Nonetheless, this general concept of various “anointed” figures throughout the Scriptures is essentially background for understanding this very special and singular Davidic figure to come.

 

[Next:  The Messiahs – 2 – The Davidic Messiah]

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