The Mystery of the Messiah
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A focused study of the concept of “Messiah” in the scriptures and other religious sources:
- The Messiah in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
- An Islamic reading of the history of the concept of “Messiah”
- Unhistorical images of the Jewish and Christian Messiahs
- The misrepresentation of the Messiah as king
- The second coming of the Christian Messiah
The Messiah is the central figure of the largest religion in the world, as Christianity was formed around Jesus’ messiahship. Judaism also gives the Messiah a special and high position, although it denies that Jesus was the Messiah, so the Jews continue to wait for the coming of their Messiah.
The Qur’an confirms the Christian belief that Jesus was the Messiah, but it has fundamental differences with the Christian representation of the Messiah. Islam has even more differences with the Jewish concept of the Messiah.
This book compares the concept of “Messiah” in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It examines the portrayal of the Messiah in the Old Testament and other Jewish writings, the New Testament, and the Qur’an. It develops a complete picture of how this concept appeared, what it originally represented, and how it was changed over time by different believers. The study shows why and how the Messiah was developed in Judaism into a military king whose main role is to re-establish Israel and restore its glory. It also explains how Christianity turned this victorious Jewish warrior into a suffering spiritual king.
The author’s ultimate goal is to show that the Qur’anic Messiah is the historical one. Neither a victorious royal with a political agenda nor a defeated spiritual teacher who ended up on the cross, the Messiah was a prophet sent by God. This new critical reading of the history of the “Messiah” challenges deep-rooted prejudices and misunderstandings about this concept.
Author: Louay Fatoohi
Pages: 116
Size: 229mm x 152mm
Publication Date: May 2009
Publisher: Luna Plena Publishing, UK
ISBN: 978-1-906342-05-0
Table of Contents
1. Messiahship in Judaism
Historical Messiahs in the Old Testament
Future Saviors in the Old Testament
The Future Saviors Become One Eschatological Messiah
The Divine Revelation about the Messiah
Different Messiahs in Other Jewish Sources
2. The Christ in the New Testament
Unanointed Messiah
The Christ of Paul
3. Al-Masih in the Qur’an
The Meaning of Masih
Messiahship is No Special Prophethood
The Awaited Messiah
One Messiah
The Name of the Followers of the Messiah
4. Jesus’ Public Claim to Messiahship
The Qur’anic Jesus’ public Proclamation of Messiahship
5. King of the Jews?
Jesus the King Messiah
Jesus the Spiritual King Messiah
Jesus the Messiah as a Spiritual Leader
The Non-Royal Qur’anic Messiah
6. A Second Coming for an Unfulfilled Kingdom
The Need to Bring Jesus Back
The Dangerous Politics of the Messiah’s Awaited Coming
The Unreturning Qur’anic Messiah
7. Son of King David
The Qur’anic Messiah: Son of Mary not Son of David
8. Savior?
The Qur’anic Messiah: No Unique Savior
9. Miracle Worker
The Miracle-Working Qur’anic Messiah
10. Suffering Messiah?
The Saved Messiah of the Qur’an
11. Scriptural Messianic Prophecies and the Gospels
Old Testament or Matthean Prophecies?
The Qur’anic Messiah’s prophecy about the “Praised One”
12. The Historical Messiah
A. The Qur’anic Verses that Mention the Title “Messiah”
References
Index of Qur’anic Verses
Index of Biblical Passages
Index of Names and Subjects
Copyright © 2009 Louay Fatoohi
Blog: http://www.louayfatoohi.com
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