Messiah

Meaning

In Abrahamic religions, a messiah is a special leader or saviour who helps and frees a group of people. This idea began in Judaism, where the messiah will be a human leader from the family line of King David. This leader will bring peace, gather Jewish people to their homeland, and rebuild an important temple.

Samuel anoints David, Dura Europos, Syria, 3rd century CE.

In Christianity

In Christianity, people believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the messiah. They think he fulfilled old predictions with his life and will return again.

In Islam

In Islam, Jesus is seen as a prophet and messiah who will come back near the end of time with another important leader called the Mahdi. Different groups have different beliefs about who the messiah might be.

Etymology

The word "Messiah" comes from the Hebrew word מָשִׁיחַ, mashiaḥ, which means "anointed." This comes from the verb מָשַׁח, mashaḥ, meaning "to rub with oil, to anoint." In Greek, this word became χριστός, christos, also meaning "anointed." This is where the English title "Christ" comes from.

In Hebrew, the Messiah is sometimes called מלך המשיח, melekh mashiach, meaning "the Anointed King." The Greek translation of the old Hebrew books, called the Septuagint, uses the word Χριστός, Khristós, for the Hebrew word mašíaḥ. The New Testament uses the Greek word Μεσσίας, Messias, twice in the book of John.

In Arabic, the word for messiah is المسيح, al-Masīḥ, meaning "the anointed." This word is used by both Arab Christians and Muslims. Today, in Arabic, Jesus is called يسوع المسيح, Yasūʿ al-Masīḥ, by Arab Christians and عيسى المسيح, Īsā al-Masīḥ, by Muslims.

Judaism

In Judaism, the word “mashiach” means “anointed.” This word comes from a special ritual where holy oil is placed on a person or object. It shows they are chosen for an important role. In the Hebrew Bible, many people and things were anointed, like kings, priests, and even a temple altar.

Judaism teaches that a future leader called the Messiah will come from the family of King David. This leader will be a great king. He will rule with wisdom and help bring peace. Unlike some other beliefs, the Messiah in Judaism is seen as a human leader, not a god. People in Judaism believe the Messiah will come when the world needs saving the most.

There are stories about different leaders who people thought might be the Messiah. Some believed a leader named Sabbatai Zevi was the Messiah. In more recent times, some followers of a Jewish leader named Menachem Mendel Schneerson believe he was the Messiah. These ideas are special to certain groups within Judaism.

Christianity

Main article: Christ (title)

The Christ Pantocrator of Saint Catherine's Monastery at Mount Sinai, 6th century AD

In Christianity, the messiah is called the Christ. This name comes from a Greek word. Christians believe that Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled old promises about the messiah. They think he was from the family of King David and was called King of the Jews.

Most Christian teachings see Jesus as the Son of God. The Bible tells stories about Jesus being honored by a woman. This happened in different places during his time on Earth.

The book of Isaiah also talks about a leader named Cyrus the Great who helped rebuild a special temple in Jerusalem.

Islam

Main articles: Mahdi, Muhammad al-Mahdi, Jesus in Islam, and Masih (title)

The Islamic faith has a special name for Jesus. In Islam, Jesus is an important prophet, but not God or the son of God. Muslims believe Jesus went to Heaven and did not die on the cross. They believe someone else who looked like him was crucified. Muslims think Jesus will return near the end of time with another important figure called al-Mahdi. They will work together to bring peace and true belief.

In Islam, Jesus is respected as one of many great prophets, including Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Muhammad. While Christians believe Jesus is God’s son, Muslims see him only as a prophet who shared messages from God. Many Muslims believe Jesus is still alive in Heaven and will return one day to help make the world better.

Druze faith

The Druze maqam of Al-masih (Jesus) in As-Suwayda Governorate

In the Druze faith, Jesus is seen as the Messiah and one of God’s important prophets. He is one of seven prophets who came at different times. Druze beliefs say that Jesus was born of a virgin named Mary, did miracles, and died by crucifixion.

The Druze call Jesus three special names: the True Messiah, the Messiah of all Nations, and the Messiah of Sinners. They believe Jesus shared the true message, helped all nations, and offered forgiveness. They also believe a person named Hamza ibn Ali was a reincarnation of Jesus and guided his actions.

Other religions

In different religions, there are many ideas about a special leader or guide who will help people.

In Buddhism, Maitreya is thought to be the next Buddha who will come to teach again.
In the Bahá'í Faith, Baháʼu'lláh is seen as a promised leader. He said more leaders like him will come later.
Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia is viewed as a special messenger by followers of the Rastafari movement.
In Kebatinan, a Javanese tradition, Satrio Piningit is a hero from old stories.
In Zoroastrianism, there are three special figures called Saoshyant.
In Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches, the messiah is Aradia, the daughter of the goddess Diana.

Popular culture

In Literature

Dune Messiah is a famous book from 1969 by Frank Herbert. It is the second book in the Dune series.

In Film

The Messiah is a movie from 2007. It shows the life of Jesus from an Islamic view. Another movie, The Young Messiah, came out in 2016. It tells about Jesus’s early years from a Christian view.

In Television

There is a TV series called Messiah. It started in 2020.

Video Games

In the game Persona 3, players can use a special character called Messiah to help them make decisions.