Jewish Messiahs in a Christian Empire

Jewish Messiahs in a Christian Empire PDF Author: Martha Himmelfarb
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674979095
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 231

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Book Description
The seventh-century CE Hebrew work Sefer Zerubbabel (Book of Zerubbabel), composed during the period of conflict between Persia and the Byzantine Empire for control over Palestine, is the first full-fledged messianic narrative in Jewish literature. Martha Himmelfarb offers a comprehensive analysis of this rich but understudied text, illuminating its distinctive literary features and the complex milieu from which it arose. Sefer Zerubbabel presents itself as an angelic revelation of the end of times to Zerubbabel, a biblical leader of the sixth century BCE, and relates a tale of two messiahs who, as Himmelfarb shows, play a major role in later Jewish narratives. The first messiah, a descendant of Joseph, dies in battle at the hands of Armilos, the son of Satan who embodies the Byzantine Empire. He is followed by a messiah descended from David modeled on the suffering servant of Isaiah, who brings him back to life and triumphs over Armilos. The mother of the Davidic messiah also figures in the work as a warrior. Himmelfarb places Sefer Zerubbabel in the dual context of earlier Jewish eschatology and Byzantine Christianity. The role of the messiah’s mother, for example, reflects the Byzantine notion of the Virgin Mary as the protector of Constantinople. On the other hand, Sefer Zerubbabel shares traditions about the messiahs with rabbinic literature. But while the rabbis are ambivalent about these traditions, Sefer Zerubbabel embraces them with enthusiasm.

Jewish Messiahs in a Christian Empire

Jewish Messiahs in a Christian Empire PDF Author: Martha Himmelfarb
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674979095
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 231

Get Book

Book Description
The seventh-century CE Hebrew work Sefer Zerubbabel (Book of Zerubbabel), composed during the period of conflict between Persia and the Byzantine Empire for control over Palestine, is the first full-fledged messianic narrative in Jewish literature. Martha Himmelfarb offers a comprehensive analysis of this rich but understudied text, illuminating its distinctive literary features and the complex milieu from which it arose. Sefer Zerubbabel presents itself as an angelic revelation of the end of times to Zerubbabel, a biblical leader of the sixth century BCE, and relates a tale of two messiahs who, as Himmelfarb shows, play a major role in later Jewish narratives. The first messiah, a descendant of Joseph, dies in battle at the hands of Armilos, the son of Satan who embodies the Byzantine Empire. He is followed by a messiah descended from David modeled on the suffering servant of Isaiah, who brings him back to life and triumphs over Armilos. The mother of the Davidic messiah also figures in the work as a warrior. Himmelfarb places Sefer Zerubbabel in the dual context of earlier Jewish eschatology and Byzantine Christianity. The role of the messiah’s mother, for example, reflects the Byzantine notion of the Virgin Mary as the protector of Constantinople. On the other hand, Sefer Zerubbabel shares traditions about the messiahs with rabbinic literature. But while the rabbis are ambivalent about these traditions, Sefer Zerubbabel embraces them with enthusiasm.

The Jewish Messiahs

The Jewish Messiahs PDF Author: Harris Lenowitz
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019534894X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 308

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Book Description
In this book, Harris Lenowitz explores the fascinating history of Jewish messianic movements. Looking in detail at all of the Jewish messiahs about whom anything is known, he introduces each of these figures in turn, and offers extensive excerpts of the original texts that tell their stories. The messiahs whom we meet in these pages range from the inspiring to the tragic and bizarre. By examining the messianic idea in the tradition which gave birth to it, Lenowitz both sheds new light on this engrossing aspect of Jewish history and provides a firmer basis for understanding contemporary messianic groups.

50 Jewish Messiahs

50 Jewish Messiahs PDF Author: Jerry Rabow
Publisher: Gefen Publishing House Ltd
ISBN: 9789652292889
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 228

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Book Description
It is a little known fact that there have been more than fifty prominent Jewish Messiahs. These characters, though unrenowned today, inspired messianic fervour that at times seized the whole Jewish, Christian, Muslim and even secular worlds. The stories of these fifty Messiahs, both male and female, are unknown -- suppressed by Jewish religious authorities or ignored by historians of all religions. Until now. In this book, these Jewish Messiahs are remembered, and now their forgotten stories -- whether humorous, bizarre, tragic or solemn -- are finally told. The Messiah who killed the Pope; The Messiah who was saved from the Inquisition when the Pope hid him in the Vatican; The Messiah who demanded that his head be cut off in order to prove his immortality The Messiah who defied the Holy Roman Emperor; The 17th century Messiah whose followers continued their secret society into the 20th century. And to contemporary times and the story of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, and how he inspired a passionate and devoted following. Above all, Fifty Jewish Messiahs examines humanity, not divinity, and history rather than theology. Taken together, these intriguing stories paint a vivid portrait of the universal and timeless human need for optimism, and hope in a better future.

The Jewish Messiahs : From the Galilee to Crown Heights

The Jewish Messiahs : From the Galilee to Crown Heights PDF Author: Harris Lenowitz Professor of Hebrew in the Department of Languages and Literature and the Middle East Center University of Utah
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0198027451
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 310

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Book Description
In this book, Harris Lenowitz explores the fascinating history of Jewish messianic movements. Looking in detail at all of the Jewish messiahs about whom anything is known, he introduces each of these figures in turn, and offers extensive excerpts of the original texts that tell their stories. The messiahs whom we meet in these pages range from the inspiring to the tragic and bizarre. By examining the messianic idea in the tradition which gave birth to it, Lenowitz both sheds new light on this engrossing aspect of Jewish history and provides a firmer basis for understanding contemporary messianic groups.

The Jewish and the Christian Messiah

The Jewish and the Christian Messiah PDF Author: Vincent Henry Stanton
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Messiah
Languages : en
Pages : 442

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Book Description
Summary: Dot ventures out into the bush to locate the lost Joey and reunite him with his mother the kangaroo. She meets a rabbit who tries to convince Dot that he is the lost Joey . She names him Funnybunny and together they go to Kangaroo Valley in search of the lost Joey. Dot tries to keep Funnybunny out of trouble as he tries to prove he is a kangaroo.

Messiahs: Christian and Pagan

Messiahs: Christian and Pagan PDF Author: Wilson D.q(Wilson Dallam) Wallis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description


The Jewish and the Christian Messiah

The Jewish and the Christian Messiah PDF Author: Vincent Henry Stanton
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 421

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Book Description


Judaisms and Their Messiahs at the Turn of the Christian Era

Judaisms and Their Messiahs at the Turn of the Christian Era PDF Author: Jacob Neusner
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521349406
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
In its approach to evidence, not harmonizing but analyzing and differentiating, this book marks a revolutionary shift in the study of ancient Judaism and Christianity.

The Hebrew-Christian Messiah

The Hebrew-Christian Messiah PDF Author: Arthur Lukyn Williams
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Bible
Languages : en
Pages : 460

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Book Description


The Sabbatean Prophets

The Sabbatean Prophets PDF Author: Matt GOLDISH
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674037758
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
In the mid-seventeenth century, Shabbatai Zvi, a rabbi from Izmir, claimed to be the Jewish messiah, and convinced a great many Jews to believe him. The movement surrounding this messianic pretender was enormous, and Shabbatai's mission seemed to be affirmed by the numerous supporting prophecies of believers. The story of Shabbatai and his prophets has mainly been explored by specialists in Jewish mysticism. Only a few scholars have placed this large-scale movement in its social and historical context. Matt Goldish shifts the focus of Sabbatean studies from the theology of Lurianic Kabbalah to the widespread seventeenth-century belief in latter-day prophecy. The intense expectations of the messiah in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam form the necessary backdrop for understanding the success of Sabbateanism. The seventeenth century was a time of deep intellectual and political ferment as Europe moved into the modern era. The strains of the Jewish mysticism, Christian millenarianism, scientific innovation, and political transformation all contributed to the development of the Sabbatean movement. By placing Sabbateanism in this broad cultural context, Goldish integrates this Jewish messianic movement into the early modern world, making its story accessible to scholars and students alike. Table of Contents: Preface Prologue 1. Messianic Prophecy in the Early Modern Context 2. Nathan of Gaza and the Roots of Sabbatean Prophecy 3. From Mystical Vision to Prophetic Explosion 4. Opponents and Observers Respond 5. Prophecy after Shabbatais Apostasy Notes Index Reviews of this book: Goldish looks at the Jewish messianic surge of the 17th century, which culminated with the Sabbatean movement, and places it in a broader multidimensional context...He has produced a well-written, scholarly addition and modification to the literature. --Paul Kaplan, Library Journal