Laurence Boxer - moshiach

Judaism and the Messiah

As one of the small Jewish minority at Niagara University, a Catholic institution, I was often asked questions about Judaism by students curious about the Judaic origins of Christianity. The following excerpts an electronic bulletin board exchange with one student (using nom-de-keyboard "Doughboy") about Jewish views of Jesus. The student's questions are set off by ">".

> .... I am glad to hear that the Jews have not lost their search

> for the Messiah. Only I pose a simple question, if you feel like

> answering, "Why isn't Jesus the Messiah?"

I'll answer, but first, it's important to establish a framework for such a discussion. The next set of remarks is not individually directed at Doughboy, who as a true philosopher knows the value and the format of respectful intellectual dialogue -- rather, they are directed at anyone who might be tempted to follow an undesirable direction, as I hope to clarify.

My answer will not be intended to persuade. Judaism, unlike many other religions, does not seek converts. We do not feel it is important to make the world Jewish, nor even monotheistic -- only to make the world good. Judaism teaches that the righteous of all nations will share in the rewards of whatever afterlife exists -- that these rewards are available to Jews and non-Jews, monotheists, atheists, pagans, idol-worshippers, and agnostics, as long as they live according to standards of justice and decency; that G-d is understanding and forgiving of those who do not view Him correctly, so long as they are good to their fellow humans. There is a theology that Judaism expects its members to follow, but outsiders are not required by Judaism to become members.

Indeed, Judaism teaches respect for the religious views of all other religions, so long as they are not immersed in immorality. "Respect" doesn't mean "agreement." As a Jew of a somewhat traditional outlook, I am perfectly comfortable working in a Catholic institution, because my tradition teaches me to be respectful of views with which I cannot agree. I shall insist on a similar respect for my views and my tradition. Interfaith dialogue on a basis of seeking knowledge and understanding can be a fine thing; interfaith dialogue on a basis of debate and attempt to persuade becomes ugly, breeding hatred, pogroms, Inquisitions, and Holocaust, particularly where, as in the question above, the point of discussion is fundamental to one of the faiths. Anyone who thinks I am exaggerating in the last statement is ignorant of the history of the Jewish people over the last 2500 years.

Therefore, I welcome honest questions, and will try to answer honestly. I will show respect for theological views from traditions not my own. I will insist upon similar respect for those of my tradition. I will show no respect for any attempt to challenge the validity of my tradition, to assert the claimed superiority of another tradition, or to persuade me to abandon my tradition for another.

OK, ground rules established; let's repeat the question:

> "Why isn't Jesus the Messiah?"

There are several ways to answer this question.

1. Let's begin with the word "Messiah." In the original Hebrew, it refers to a process of being anointed. The first king of Biblical Israel, Saul, was anointed by Samuel, prophet and Judge of Israel. This action symbolized the transfer of political leadership of the nation from Samuel to Saul; more importantly, because Samuel was G-d's prophet, the anointment symbolized G-d's approval of Saul as king. When Saul lost divine favor, David was anointed to succeed Saul as king -- again, the anointment symbolized both a transfer of power and divine approval. David's kingship was made hereditary, and, even today, Jewish traditions of the Messiah include a belief in MOSHIACH BEN DAVID -- Messiah, descendant of David -- who will restore all the Jewish people to a peaceful homeland in Israel. Thus, the term Messiah came to represent legitimacy as leader of the Israelite nation; "legitimacy" implying acceptance by G-d and by the people. (Approval by G-d is insufficient; a Biblical tradition rooted in the account of the conquest of the Promised Land makes popular approval a necessity.)

Was Jesus ever anointed in his lifetime? I don't know, but I do know that he was never anointed by someone accepted by then-contemporary Israel as having the stature of a Samuel in either of Samuel's roles -- as political leader of the nation, or as prophet of G-d. Jesus was certainly never accepted within his lifetime as a political or religious leader by any majority of the Israelite nation. It's useful to recall that unlike Judaism and Islam, Christianity did not start until after the death of its principal prophet; and that, although Christianity claims to have succeeded Judaism, the overwhelming majority of its followers were not drawn from Jewish ranks.

2. Jesus lived during an era in which the Roman empire had imposed a cruel tyranny on its Israelite conquest. The term "Messiah" was already being used, as explained above, as a symbol of Jewish sovereignty and political legitimacy. Yearning for freedom, the Jewish people of that era invested in the word MOSHIACH (Messiah) connotations that we have today: the Messiah would deliver the nation (later, it became the world) from its suffering. A people nurtured on the story of the Exodus from Egypt would not suffer a foreign tyranny passively: Israel rebelled against Rome regularly, and with each revolt, the leader of the battle was hoped to be the Messiah. As a result, there were many so-called "Messiahs" in that era, none who turned out to be the real thing. If Jesus proclaimed himself to be the Messiah, or if any of his followers did so during his lifetime, it's easy to see how such a claim would be rejected.

3. The world clearly is not perfect. My understanding is that Christianity teaches world perfection will be attained when Jesus comes to earth for a second time. Judaism believes one appearance by the Messiah will suffice to perfect the world. (Incidentally, Jewish legend also has it that the Messiah will clear all mysteries. I guess that implies we'll find out which religious beliefs are "right.")

> That is to say, can you show that he did

> not fulfill the propheses?

I suppose there are certain prophesies that you have in mind; it would be foolish of me to comment on them without knowing what they are. A couple of general comments: If these are based in the Christian Bible (I prefer this term to "New Testament," as the latter phrase rolls off the tongue of many a proselytizer with the implication that "New" is better than "Old," a premise I clearly must object to) then your reasoning would seem to be circular. If you have in mind prophesies from the Jewish Bible, I remark that many Christian interpretations of such prophesies are based upon incorrect translations of the original Hebrew. Just one example that comes to mind: There is a verse in Isaiah that speaks of the birth of a child to a young woman that many Christians have interpreted as foretelling the birth of Jesus. The reference to the young woman is via a word that has been INCORRECTLY TRANSLATED as meaning "virgin" -- the Hebrew word in question has no connotation about the woman's sexual history, or lack thereof.

> Was not the "Son of Man" to come to Earth to

> redeem their sins, etc...?

"Son of Man" is G-d's affectionate and ironic manner of addressing the prophet Ezekiel, not Jesus (Jewish point of view, recall). Judaism, it seems to me, takes a different view of redemption from sin than does Catholicism. Judaism has no religious hierarchy; everyone is responsible not only for their own deeds, but also for their own relationship with Ribono Shel Ha-Olam, the Master of the Universe. In Judaism, confession of sin must go directly to the offended party; no individual can redeem my sins, unless I have offended him/her and he/she forgives me; my offenses against G-d are only redeemed via my repentance and His forgiveness, with no human third party involved.

The rabbi, in Judaism, is not completely equivalent to the priest in Catholicism. One of the roles of the priest is to be a religious intermediary between G-d and parishioner, for example, in hearing confession. As explained above, the rabbi has no such role. The rabbi's primary purpose is to be teacher, interpreter, and judge of Jewish law and tradition. That a rabbi leads the services in many synagogues is a sociological fact, not a religious requirement.

> What do people of the Jewish faith look for?

From the Messiah: perfection of the world.

> When will they know Him?

I'm tempted to give the flip answer, "When the world is perfected," but your question deserves a more serious response. There is a variety of Jewish traditions on this subject, some in conflict with others. You may be familiar with traditions from the Jewish Bible that indicate the arrival of the Messiah will be preceded by periods of horrible warfare -- the War of Gog and Magog, for example. There are other legends that claim an era of peace will precede the Messiah's arrival; one variation of this theme requires all Jews throughout the world to observe the Sabbath in traditional fashion for 3 consecutive weeks. There is a tradition that every generation has an individual capable of becoming the Messiah, if only the people of that generation would be worthy of the Messianic age. It's not a settled question, perhaps because it's not what's important to us. If I am not the Messiah, I still have an obligation to do my part in making the world better. If all humans would live up to that obligation, the arrival of the Messiah will take care of itself.

I was often asked questions about Judaism by students curious about the Judaic origins of Christianity. The following excerpts an electronic bulletin board exchange with one student (using nom-de-keyboard "Doughboy") about Jewish views of Jesus. The student's questions are set off by ">".