The Messiah,s Portrait in the Literature of the Second Temple Period

Authors

  • Alexander TARASENKO From 1997–2000 he was an editor of the almanac Chronograph. He has taught in various Christian schools in St. Petersburg.,

Keywords:

The Messiah, s Portrait in the Literature of the Second Temple Period, eschatological expectations

Abstract

This article is part of an unpublished monograph that analyzes messianic notions in Palestine in the so-called Second Temple period. The article examines various texts that were created within Palestine among different Jewish groups over approximately two centuries. In the author's opinion, these messianic expectations are peculiar precisely to Palestinian literature and are found in the texts of the Mediterranean Diaspora. The climax of eschatological expectations falls during the period between Pompey's seizure of Jerusalem in 63 BCE and Titus' destruction of the Holy City in 70 CE.  During that time of active Roman growth in the East, the Messiah was imagined as a national liberator from pagan occupation and the ruler of the world. Only after 70 CE do the sources stress his role as a teacher. The rabbinic literature either tries to level out his significance for the future history of Israel or just glosses over his role. Modern research concerning this theme is found in the footnotes.

Author Biography

Alexander TARASENKO, From 1997–2000 he was an editor of the almanac Chronograph. He has taught in various Christian schools in St. Petersburg.

Alexander Tarasenko was born in 1965 in Melitopol, Ukraine. He is a graduate of St. Petersburg Christian University (B.Th., 1998) and the University of South Africa in Pretoria (M.Th., 2000). From 1997–2000 he was an editor of the almanac Chronograph. He has taught in various Christian schools in St. Petersburg. His articles have been published in secular periodicals; in addition, he is the author of Jesus and “the Fullness of Time” and The Fourth Gospel and its Palestinian Context. His main specializations are New Testament and the history of Israel in the Second Temple period. Presently he is a Baptist pastor in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. He is married. E-mail: tarasenko65@gmail.com, web: www.vloza.info

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THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS #11 (2010)

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TARASENKO, Alexander. 2010. “The Messiah,s Portrait in the Literature of the Second Temple Period”. Theological Reflections: Eastern European Journal of Theology, no. 11 (May):43-54. http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/88836.

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No. 11 (2010): Theological Reflections: Euro-Asian Journal of Theology

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