Messiahs And Messianic Movements Through 1899

A messiah is an individual appointed by God to a specific task of importance, and elevated to a level of far greater authority than a prophet by leading (or claiming to lead) a group or movement. The movement comes to be uniquely centered on his or her teachings, and the messiah claims spiritual and temporal authority over its followers. This book is an examination of both males and females in the Judeo-Christian heritage (excluding Jesus of Nazareth) who either claimed to be the messiah, were viewed by contemporaries as such, or are considered by a significant number of scholars to have been motivated by messianic goals. The work is arranged chronologically, with details about messiahs from before Christ through the dawn of the technological age at the end of the nineteenth century. It covers nearly 100 individual messiahs, including such Old Testament figures as King Hezekiah and Herod the Great, as well as later messiahs both obscure and historically renowned (even Queen Elizabeth I and King Charles I were touted as messiahs by certain devoted followers). Meticulously researched, the book includes an extensive bibliography.

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.

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.

Rabbi Greenstone's valued work, The Messiah Idea in Jewish History, offers a detailed survey, from Biblical times down to the religious reform movements and Zionism of the late 19th century, of messianic beliefs in Judaism. As Greenstone's introduction mentions: "The belief in the coming of the Messiah, the treasured hope of the Jew throughout all the centuries of misery and persectuion, is regarded by most Jewish thinkers as a dogma of Judaism." The author pays special attention to Talmudic and Midrashic sources, to the work of philosophers and Kabbalists, as well as the historical conditions, to elucidate the influences messianism had on Jewish society over the centuries.

The messianic idea that a redeemer sent by God will come to end the suffering of a persecuted people and inaugurate a new age of justice and peace has been one of the most powerful and influential concepts given by the Jewish people to western civilization. This book represents a sample of the most penetrating and provocative scholarly interpretations of Jewish messianic movement from various perspectives- historical, sociological, psychological, and religious.

Consummation of the ages vol III deals with the subjects of demons, devils and false messiahs and the growing apsotasy in the christian churches.