almost all agree that the belief in the coming of a Messiah is an important feature of Judaism. The nature and limitations of this dogma, however, remained unsettled, the Jewish authorities differing widely in their conception of it, according to the intellectual and material position of the people at their respective times. It is the object of the present volume to trace the development of this ideal from its early origins to the present day, to elucidate the influences it exerted upon the lives and habits of the Jews, and to explain the causes by which it, in turn, was influenced, giving in outline the historical conditions of every period. It does not pretend to be an exhaustive study of the subject, but a mere outline of the marvellous development of this hope in the Jewish heart. Less space has been devoted to the pre-Christian period than its importance demands, since that period has been sufficiently explored by many Christian scholars, to whom I hereby acknowledge my indebtedness for many valuable suggestions. I have paid special attention to the Talmudic and Midrashic sources, to the works of the Jewish philosophers of the middle ages, and to the Kabbalistic writings, and have endeavored, whenever possible, to consult the original sources and translate them faithfully. The material was prepared by me during the winter of 1903-4, and then incorporated in a course of lectures which were delivered before the Young Men's Hebrew Association of Philadelphia. Since then I have made numerous changes in the work, the result of further study and investigation on the subject. I aim to give due credit to the authorities I have consulted, in notes at the end of the book, which may prove useful to the student for further investigation. In conclusion, I wish to express my gratitude to Mrs. D. W. Amram, who greatly assisted me in the revision of the style and the arrangement of the material. I also wish to give thanks to Professor Morris Jastrow, of the University of Pennsylvania, for much valuable assistance, both in suggestions with regard to the subject-matter and in permitting me the use of books I could not otherwise have obtained. JULIUS H. GREENSTONE Philadelphia, January, 1906 CONTENTS Israel's Golden Era in the Future-Early History Gloomy--Hence Desire for a Redeemer-The "Judge," later the King, regarded as the Re- deemer-David the Model of the Messiah-The Ideal extended-The Division of the Kingdom in- tensifies the Messianic Hope-Amos and Hosea -The Universalism of Isaiah-" The Remnant -The Child Immanuel-Idea developed in Three Prophecies-Personal Messiah not mentioned in an Old Prophecy quoted by Isaiah and Micah- Religious Regeneration under Joash-Downfall of Assyria-Nahum and Zephaniah make no Reference to a Personal Messiah-The Mes- sianic Era and the Spiritual Regeneration of the Whole World-Jeremiah's Theocracy-The Miraculous introduced in the Messiah Idea- Emphasized by Ezekiel and Joel-The Mes- sianic Era as described by Isaiah of the Exile— "The Servant of the Lord "-Universalism— Haggai and Zechariah regard Zerubbabel as the Messiah Their Conception of the Messianic |