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Messiah
Messiah (adaptation of Heb., ha-mashiaḥ, ‘the anointed one’, also transliterated haMashiach).
JudaismAnointed descendant of the Jewish king David who will restore the Jewish kingdom. The idea of the messiah did not exist before the second Temple period, but grew out of the biblical hope that the House of David would again rule over the Jewish people. As a result of the Roman occupation of Erez Israel, various messiahs emerged, including Jesus (as interpreted after his death by his followers), Judas the Galilean (mentioned in Josephus), and Simeon Bar Kokhba (see MESSIANIC MOVEMENTS). The rabbis taught that, with the coming of the messiah, the climax of human history would be achieved and God's kingdom would be established on earth. From the 13th cent., messianic expectations were centred on kabbalistic thought and culminated in the Shabbatean movement (see MESSIANIC MOVEMENTS).ChristianityAlthough at an early date the followers of Jesus were marked out as those who believed that Jesus was the promised messiah/christ, Jesus appears to have resisted any attempt to interpret what he was doing and saying in his God-derived way through that category—to such an extent that it gave rise to the theory of the messianic secret—see SCHWEITZER, ALBERT. Some aspects of his life (e.g. the entry into Jerusalem) were clearly open to the interpretation that he was acting as the descendant of David, but it was only after his death and resurrection that the appropriateness of interpreting him as messiah was developed. The New Testament reveals a certain amount of scripture-searching to find ways in which Jesus fulfilled messianic prophecies in Tanach (Jewish scripture), but it remains a Jewish objection to Jesus as Christ that few of the biblical signs of the messiah were fulfilled.IslamIn Islam, al-Masiḥ is a description (almost a name, except that the Arabic article is never dropped) for ʿIsā/Jesus. |
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JOHN BOWKER. "Messiah." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Messiah." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Messiah.html JOHN BOWKER. "Messiah." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Messiah.html |
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Messiah
Messiah (Heb. for ‘anointed’). A person invested by God with special powers and functions. It was rendered in Greek by χριστός, from which ‘Christ’ derives.
In the OT the term could be applied to anyone set apart for a special function, such as the priest in Lev. 4: 3, but it was used more particularly of the king, who was conceived as anointed by Divine command; as ‘the Lord's anointed’ his person was sacrosanct (1 Sam. 24: 6). Later the whole Davidic dynasty was seen as specially chosen by God, and the hope that a king who should be both ‘the Lord's anointed’ and ‘the son of David’ never died out. In the NT, Jewish expectations of a deliverer are echoed at Lk. 24: 21 and Acts 1: 6, and at Mt. 2: 2–4 where, using the absolute form not found in early Judaism, Jesus is called ‘the Christ’ (AV) or ‘the Messiah’ (modern translations commonly render the word thus when the Greek has a definite article, and leave it as ‘Christ’ where there is no such article). The expectation that the deliverer would be descended from David is present both in the genealogies and in such titles as ‘Son of David’. The inscription on the Cross confirms that Jesus was executed as a Messianic figure, but it is unclear whether He Himself defined His role in these terms. In Mk., at a central point St Peter confesses Jesus as Messiah (8: 29), but the disciples are silenced and His identity is revealed only at His Passion (14: 61 f.) and in His death (15: 39). In the letters of St Paul the title ‘Christ’ (or ‘Messiah’) is already on the way to becoming simply a name. See also CHRISTOLOGY, JESUS CHRIST, and MESSIANIC SECRET. |
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Messiah." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Messiah." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Messiah.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Messiah." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Messiah.html |
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Messiah
Messiah, Handel's most famous and frequently performed oratorio, was written in just over three weeks and first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742. It was a great success, raising £400 for charity, and Handel revived it many times, often adding different arias for new soloists. Charles Jennens's libretto selects biblical texts concerning the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ, and this subject-matter, together with the unusually high proportion of choruses, has contributed to the work's lasting popularity with choral societies. The gentle lyricism of arias like ‘I know that my redeemer liveth’ and the jubilant grandeur of the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus have survived countless rearrangements and doubtful performances.
Eric Cross |
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JOHN CANNON. "Messiah." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Messiah." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-Messiah.html JOHN CANNON. "Messiah." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-Messiah.html |
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Messiah
Messiah (Heb. ‘anointed’) Saviour or redeemer. Specifically, the Messiah was the descendant of King David expected by the Jews of ancient times to become their king, free them from foreign bondage, and rule over them in a golden age of glory, peace, and righteousness. It refers to the ‘idealized’ king as having been anointed by God or his representative in the way that David and his successors were. The title ‘Christ’, derived from the Greek version of the term Messiah, was probably applied to Jesus by his followers.
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"Messiah." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Messiah." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Messiah.html "Messiah." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Messiah.html |
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messiah
mes·si·ah / məˈsīə/ • n. 1. (the Messiah) the promised deliverer of the Jewish nation prophesied in the Hebrew Bible. ∎ Jesus regarded by Christians as the Messiah of the Hebrew prophecies and the savior of humankind. 2. a leader or savior of a particular group or cause: to Germany, Hitler was more a messiah than a political leader. DERIVATIVES: mes·si·ah·ship / -ˌship/ n. |
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"messiah." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "messiah." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-messiah.html "messiah." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-messiah.html |
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Messiah
Messiah, Handel's most famous and frequently performed oratorio, was written in just over three weeks and first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742. It was a great success, raising £400 for charity. The gentle lyricism of arias like ‘I know that my redeemer liveth’ and the jubilant grandeur of the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus have survived countless rearrangements and doubtful performances.
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Messiah." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Messiah." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-Messiah.html JOHN CANNON. "Messiah." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-Messiah.html |
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Messiah
Messiah XVI. Earlier forms Messie XIV (- (O)F. Messie), Messias XIII — late L. Messīās — Gr. Messíās — Aram. mešiḥā, Heb. māšîāh anointed, f. māšah anoint.
So Messianic XIX. — modL. Messiānicus. |
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T. F. HOAD. "Messiah." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "Messiah." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-Messiah.html T. F. HOAD. "Messiah." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-Messiah.html |
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Messiah
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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Messiah." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Messiah." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-Messiah.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Messiah." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-Messiah.html |
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messiah
messiah •acquire, admire, afire, applier, aspire, attire, ayah, backfire, barbwire, bemire, briar, buyer, byre, choir, conspire, crier, cryer, defier, denier, desire, dire, drier, dryer, dyer, enquire, entire, esquire, expire, fire, flyer, friar, fryer, Gaia, gyre, hellfire, hire, hiya, ire, Isaiah, jambalaya, Jeremiah, Josiah, Kintyre, latria, liar, lyre, Maia, Maya, Mayer, messiah, mire, misfire, Nehemiah, Obadiah, papaya, pariah, peripeteia, perspire, playa, Praia, prior, pyre, quire, replier, scryer, shire, shyer, sire, skyer, Sophia, spire, squire, supplier, Surabaya, suspire, tier, tire, transpire, trier, tumble-dryer, tyre, Uriah, via, wire, Zechariah, Zedekiah, Zephaniah
•homebuyer
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"messiah." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "messiah." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-messiah.html "messiah." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-messiah.html |
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