A messiah is an individual appointed by God to a specific task of importance, and elevated to a level of far greater authority than a prophet by leading (or claiming to lead) a group or movement. The movement comes to be uniquely centered on his or her teachings, and the messiah claims spiritual and temporal authority over its followers. This book is an examination of both males and females in the Judeo-Christian heritage (excluding Jesus of Nazareth) who either claimed to be the messiah, were viewed by contemporaries as such, or are considered by a significant number of scholars to have been motivated by messianic goals.
The work is arranged chronologically, with details about messiahs from before Christ through the dawn of the technological age at the end of the nineteenth century. It covers nearly 100 individual messiahs, including such Old Testament figures as King Hezekiah and Herod the Great, as well as later messiahs both obscure and historically renowned (even Queen Elizabeth I and King Charles I were touted as messiahs by certain devoted followers). Meticulously researched, the book includes an extensive bibliography.

Roland H. Worth, Jr., is the author of many books. He lives in Richmond, Virginia.

Roland H. Worth, Jr.
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 263
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2005
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2311-8
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8227-6
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1

Introduction      3

1. Pre-First Century Messiahs      7

2. First Century Messiahs Outside the Jesus Movement      20

3. Second Century Messiahs      38

4. Messiahs in the Years of Western Europe’s Decline (A.D. 200–500)      50

5. Messiahs in the Years of Western Europe’s Collapse (A.D. 500–1000)      56

6. Messianic Movements in the Late Middle Ages (1000–1300)      63

7. Jewish Messiahs During the Renaissance and Reformation (1300–1600)      83

8. Gentile Messiahs During the Renaissance and Reformation (1300–1600)      110

9. Jewish Messiahs During the European Colonization of the Americas (1600–1800)      127

10. Gentile Messiahs During the European Colonization of the Americas (1600-1800)      166

11. Messianic Movements During the Birth of the Technological Age (1800–1900)      193

Notes      211

Bibliography      236

Index      249

“useful”—ARBA.