reign in righteousness (1778). The heathen (17”: 27. 31) and the ‘ proud sinners,’ z.¢. the Hasmonzeans (vv.26f 41), will be driven from the inheritance usurped by them. The subject nations will come to a purified Jerusalem to bring her wearied children as gifts, and to see the glory of the Lord (172), Himself without sin (17), there is no unrighteousness in his days, for all are saints, and their king is the Lord’s Anointed (17°). Ordinary methods of warfare he will not resort to (17°"), but will smite the earth with the word of his mouth (17%). The period of his dominion is limited: ‘he shall not faint all his days.’ Such is the beauty of the king of Israel, and happy are they who are born in his days (17%7 18”). This bright expecta- tion of a Messiah in face of the triumph of the Roman arms shows that the downfall of the national dynasty was marked by a distinct revival of Messianic hopes. The writer contrasts the evils of the present with the glorious future awaiting Israel when they shall have returned to God. The Messianic idea is treated, however, more with reference to its bearing on the earthly prospects of the Israelitish people than is the case in Enoch, and it is very doubtful whether the supernatural at all enters into the poet’s conception of his hero. While there is no secularization of the Messianic idea, the future king is represented as David's successor upon the earthly throne (11. 181°).
At the commencement of the Christian era the Messianic idea in its spiritual significance had faded largely from the popular mind. It was in truth the secularization of this idea that led to the crucifixion of Jesus. A Messiah of another sort was wanted. ‘This feeling found its strongest manifestation in the fanaticism of the Zealots, — who, on the principle that God had already (under the Maccabees) delivered Israel from the yoke of a ereat heathen empire, continually fomented rebel- lion against the power of Rome. At the opposite pole from this was the exclusively spiritual concep- tion of Messianic prophecy which had become the specialty of apocalyptic authors. Both of these elements originally entered into the Messianic idea, but gradually they came to be sharply dis- tinguished.
In the Assumption of Moses, written according to Charles A.D. 7-30, but doubtless embodying views current before its composition, the Jewish lawgiver recounts to Joshua the future history of the nation down to Messianic times. The work is apocalyptic, and gives expression to the Messianic idea on its purely religious side. There is no mention of any victory over the heathen. The writer abandons the hope of an earthly Messiah,* and some would even detect hostility to this hope in the statement that ‘the Eternal God alone. . . will appear to punish the Gentiles’ (10%). In the beautiful passage forming ch. 10 there is nothing beyond an ardent expectation that J” will manifest Himself for the punishment of their enemies and the salvation of the chosen people. The theo- cratic kingdom, which will be preceded by a day of repentance (1'8), will extend to ‘the whole crea- tion’ (10'). The dominion of the devil shall have an end, and Israel’s enemies shall be punished by the hands of the angel (Michael), 1028. God will also exalt Israel to heaven (108), whence they shall joyfully behold their enemies in Ge(henna).+
The trend of Jewish Messianic expectation just before and after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans is exhibited in the Apocalypses of Baruch and 2 (4) Esdras. These two writings
* Hilgenfeld’s identification of ‘Taxo’ (91) with the Messiah is purely arbitrary. Cf. vol. iii. p. 449, ats t
+ According to the conjecture of Charles, who for &y 74 (=i terram) reads in Gehenna, and thus certainly gets a better sense.
| 300 DEVELOPMENT OF DOCTRINE
DEVELOPMENT OF DOCTRINE
have so many affinities that some have regarded them as from the same hand; but, according to the most recent scholarship as represented by Kabisch and Charles, they are composite works derived from several authors. Baruch reflects the Judaism of the latter half of the Ist cent. A.D. The Messianic portions, which present an opti- mistic view of the earthly prospects of Israel, seem to have been written prior to A.D. 70. ‘They are three in number—(1) 27-30'. The coming tribula- tion, which will fall into twelve periods, will ex- tend to the whole earth, and the enemies of Israel will be destroyed. After that the Messiah will appear, and the surviving ‘remnant’ will feed not only on the flesh of animals and the fruits of the earth, but on manna from the skies. It will be a time of plenty, of marvels, and of joy. At the end of his reign the Messiah ‘ will return in glory’ to heaven. (2) 36-40. Four successive world- empires antagonistic to Zion will rise and perish. When the last and most terrible of these (Rome) is ripe for destruction, then will be revealed ‘the principate of my Messiah, which is like the fountains and the vine, and when it is revealed it will root out the multitude of his host.’ The last surviving leader (?=Pompey) will be put to death by ‘my Messiah,’ whose reign will endure for ever, until the world of corruption is at an end. Here the Messiah plays a more active part than in the former section, the protection of Israel and the overthrow of their enemies being repre- sented as his sole work. (3) 53-74. In this section, which magnifies the Law while expressing the popular Messianic expectation, the writer divides the history of the world into twelve periods of evil (black waters) and good (bright waters) alternately, followed by a period of woes (the last and blackest waters). ‘To these succeeds the Messiah’s kingdom (the bright lightning). He will judge the nations, sparing those who have not trodden down the seed ot Jacob, but slaying the enemies of Israel. He will then continue to sit on the throne of his kingdom, and all tribulation will vanish before the universal joy.