David Solomon discusses the concept of the messiah and how it emerges in Jewish History, beginning with the biblical period.
This first lecture examines the appearance of the messianic idea in Tanach, charting its metamorphosis towards a universal application.
David explores the development of the Jewish messianic picture throughout the books of the Hebrew Bible, including in:
- The Book of Samuel and its discussion of the ultimate messianic figure, King David
- The Book of Kings and its depiction of one of the most exceptional Jewish monarchs, King Hezekiah
- The Book of Isaiah, a contemporary of Hezekiah, whose visions of messianic prophecy are foundational to Jewish eschatology
- The Book of Jeremiah on messianic and Davidic lineage
- The Book of Ezekiel on David the shepherd and prince
- The Book of Daniel’s eschatological visions for the future
- The Book of Zechariah, who made clear pronouncements on the coming of a messiah
- The Book of Haggai, with its messianic vision of the role ascribed to the Davidic descendent, Zerubavel, charged with rebuilding Jerusalem and the Second Temple.
He also considers the messianic role ascribed to Cyrus, king of the Babylonian Empire, in Tanach and later in Jewish History.
The lecture examines modern scholarly discussions about the implications when biblical ideas of messianism become re-imaged as contemporary visions for Zionism.
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This talk is the first of a four-part series, The Messianic Idea in Jewish History, presented at Caulfield Shule in 2021.
The series examines the length of Jewish history from the biblical period to today.