The Messiah Texts [Paperback]

Raphael Patai (Editor)

Product Details

• Paperback: 373 pages
• Publisher: Wayne State University Press (September 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814318509
• ISBN-13: 978-0814318508
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #405,541 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Practices > Messianic Judaism

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53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best complilation in English, June 30, 2000

By 

Rabbi Yonassan Gershom (Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Messiah Texts (Paperback)

This book is the most comprehensive compilation of Jewish texts about the Messiah that I know of in English. When it first came out, it filled a great need for an intelligently-written book where both Jews and non-Jews could read the traditional sources on what Jews believe about the Messiah. As it turns out, those sources are much richer and far more complex that you might imagine.

Patai does not seek to present any particular doctrine as "the truth," nor does he seek to convert anybody to anything. He simply presents all the materials he could find, with some academic overviews of the basic themes. His approach is that of an academic folklorist, not a theologian -- in fact, the book is subtitled "Jewish Legends of Three Thousand Years."

The chapters cover such things as pre-existent names of the Messiah, prophecies, apocalyptic writings, birth of the Messiah, stages of the Great Redemption, Last Judgement, Resurrection, dreams and visions of the future world, etc. There are sources from the Bible, Talmud, Midrash, medieval texts, Hasidic teachings, and modern accounts. Plus there are literary references to the Messiah from such writers as Elie Wiesel, Scholom Asch, Martin Buber, Jacob Wasserman, etc. All in all, 337 pages of prime material.

Most interesting were the various people who have claimed (or were once thought to be) the Jewish Messiah, ranging from Bar Kochba to Shabbetai Zevi to -- get this -- Theodore Herzl! Yes indeed, the founder of the Zionist movement once dreamed that he was the Chosen One (see pp. 272-73) and apparently saw himself as a savior of the Jewish people -- albeit a secular one. (And I suppose if this book were to be updated now, it would also include the late Lubovitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, as well. He never made the claim, but some of his followers did.)

One rather startling piece of info is a chapter on a mythological character named "Armilus" who is a villain that will oppose the true Messiah (see pp. 156-64.) This brought me up short, because the Edgar Cayce readings say that the soul of Jesus is called "Armilius" in the next world. Prior to reading Patai's book, that was the only reference to any "Armilius" I had heard of. Did Cayce read this legend somewhere? If so, he got the story all mixed up, because the Armilus described in the Messiah texts is a pretty nasty guy and not at all like the Jesus of the Gospels.

When the true Messaih does come, according to the legends in this book, the righteous will be treated to a heavenly banquet, where they will eat the Leviathan, a huge fish-creature created especially for this purpose. Also served will be it's dry-land counterpart, Behemoth. (Which means "beast" in Hebrew. Anybody care for a nice juicy slice of Roast Beast?) Those who prefer fowl can enjoy the flesh of the Ziz, a wading bird of cosmic proportions. (Vegetarians, I suppose, will dine on the fruits from the Garden of Eden.)

All in all, this is an excellent sourcebook for teachings that range from the sublime to the utterly bizarre. If you only buy one book on Jewish Messiah texts, this is it!

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Messiah Texts is a comprehensive study of messianic prophecy, December 12, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Messiah Texts (Paperback)

The Messiah Texts is a comprehensive study of Hebrew messianic prophecy. It explores such topics as pre-existence of the messiah, the suffering messiah theme in Jewish tradition, the signs of times of the messiah. It also explores the Suffering Servant - Israel connection, conceding that the Suffering Servant is a psychological projection of Israel. The quality of research is excellent: excrepts include quotes from Zohar, Genesis Rabbah, Sefer Zerubabel and, of course, the Bible. This book does not present any religious dogma, it simply explores the subject. Anyone studying the Messianic prophecy & tradition will benefit from reading The Messiah Texts.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent translation of primary sources, August 22, 2007

By 

Geoffrey W. Dennis (Flower Mound, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Messiah Texts (Paperback)

I picked up my copy of the Messiah Texts in a now-defunct New Mexico metaphysical bookstore, Brotherhood of Life. The only Jewish book in the building, the book had sat on the shelf so long it was permeated with the smell of incense. I loved it the minute I opened it and promptly bought it. Over the years my copy lost its fragance, but not its usefulness. When I was working on my own book, THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JEWISH MYTH, MAGIC, AND MYSTICISM, it was invaluable in pointing me to primary sources and highlighting both the major themes and obscure byways of Jewish messianism.

While making heads or tails of the Midrashic style of many of the entries will prove daunting to the casual reader, this book is real prize for anyone interested in Jewish messianic traditions.