Messiah

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

In Islam, Jesus is also 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 term comes from a special ritual where holy oil is placed on a person or object to show 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 who rules with wisdom and helps bring peace. Unlike some other beliefs, the Messiah in Judaism is seen as a human leader, not a god. People in Judaism believe that the Messiah will come when the world needs saving the most or when goodness is strong enough.

There are stories and traditions about different leaders who people thought might be the Messiah. Some believed a leader named Sabbatai Zevi was the Messiah, but he later converted to another religion. In more recent times, some followers of a Jewish leader named Menachem Mendel Schneerson believe he was the Messiah, even though he has passed away. 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, which comes from the Greek word khristós. Christians believe that Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled old prophecies about the messiah. They think he was from the family of King David and was called King of the Jews. His life, death, and coming back to life show that these old promises came true.

Most Christian teachings see Jesus as the Son of God. This idea of the messiah is different from what Jews and Muslims believe. The Bible tells stories about Jesus being anointed, or 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 uses a special name to talk about Jesus. In Islam, Jesus is seen as an important prophet, but not as God or the son of God. Muslims believe that Jesus was taken up to Heaven and did not actually die on the cross. Instead, someone else who looked just like him was crucified. Muslims think Jesus will return near the end of time, along with another important figure called al-Mahdi. Together, they will work 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 see Jesus as God’s son, Muslims see him only as a prophet who brought messages from God. Many Muslims believe Jesus is still alive in Heaven and will come back one day to help make the world a better place.

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 thought to be among seven prophets who appeared at different times in history. Druze beliefs state that Jesus was born of a virgin named Mary, performed miracles, and died by crucifixion.

The Druze know Jesus by three special titles: the True Messiah, the Messiah of all Nations, and the Messiah of Sinners. This is because they believe Jesus shared the true message, saved all nations, and offered forgiveness to people. They also believe that a person named Hamza ibn Ali was a reincarnation of Jesus and guided Jesus’s 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 when the lessons of Gautama Buddha are mostly forgotten.
In the Bahá'í Faith, Baháʼu'lláh is seen as the promised leader for many religions. He said more leaders like him will come in the very far future, after many years pass.
Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia is viewed as a special messenger by followers of the Rastafari movement. They believe he carries a special heritage linked to King Solomon.
In Kebatinan, a Javanese tradition, Satrio Piningit is a hero from old stories who is meant to become a great ruler of Nusantara. Before he comes, these stories say there will be big floods and sudden volcano eruptions.
In Zoroastrianism, there are three special figures who will help make the world better forever, called Saoshyant.
In Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches, the messiah is Aradia, the daughter of the goddess Diana, who comes to Earth to help people learn witchcraft before she returns to Heaven.

Popular culture

In Literature

Dune Messiah is a well-known book from 1969 by Frank Herbert. It is the second book in the Dune series and was very popular.

In Film

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

In Television

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

Video Games

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