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40 - Messianism and apocalypticism in rabbinic texts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2008

By
Lawrence Schiffman
Edited by
Steven T. Katz
Lawrence Schiffman
Affiliation:
Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, New York University
Steven T. Katz
Affiliation:
Boston University
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Summary

THE BASIC NOTION OF MESSIANISM

Central to the development of post-biblical Judaism in all its various manifestations has been the messianic idea. Roughly stated, this concept speaks of the eventual coming of a redeemer, a descendant of David, who is expected to bring about major changes in the nature of life in this world, changes which include the attainment of such goals as world peace, prosperity, and the elimination of evil and misfortune. Essential to the messianic idea in Judaism is the expectation of the re-establishment of the ancient glories of the Davidic kingdom in the Land of Israel. It must be firmly emphasized that Jewish messianism is this-worldly and expresses itself in concrete terms. The rise in the spiritual level of humanity which will attend the messianic era is to be both cause and effect of the ingathering of Israel and the recognition of Israel’s God by all humankind.

The foregoing is, of course, a sweeping generalization. The messianic idea in Judaism has a complex history. The matter is further complicated by the simultaneous existence, even within the same strain of Judaism, of various views of messianism. This chapter seeks to understand, through what may appear to be a circuitous route, a striking and extremely significant feature of rabbinic Judaism in the amoraic period, namely the resurfacing of a set of apocalyptic messianic ideas that had typified various trends of Second Temple Judaism, but that had appeared to have become extinct in tannaitic times after the destruction of the Temple.

Keywords

Babylonian TalmudGodapocalyptic writingsamoraic periodrabbinic JudaismJewish messianism
Type
Chapter
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The Cambridge History of Judaism , pp. 1053 - 1072
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2006

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