The Two Messiah Theory

The Two Messiah Theory
By
James Scott Trimm

1 And it came to pass, when Yeshua had finished commanding His twelve talmidim, He
passed over from there, to teach and to proclaim in their cities.
2 Now Yochanan, when he heard in the prison the deeds of the Messiah, sent two of his
talmidim, and said to Him,
3 Are you He that is destined to come, or do we await another?
(Mattmew 11:1-3)

Why does Yochanan ask this question. The answer (below) is found in the Hebraic Roots commentary to Matthew at http://nazarenespace.com/page/books-dvds

Yochanan asks this question because of the "two Messiah theory". There are two basic versions of the two Messiah theory:

1. The "rabbinic" two Messiah theory which held to a Messiah the sonof Joseph, sometimes called "Ephraim." who would come and suffer to redeem his brothers (like the patriarch Joseph); and a Messiah the son of David who would come and rule from David's throne forever.

2. The "Qumran" two Messiah theory which held to a Priestly Aaronic

Messiah and a Kingly Messiah.

In order to understand the Messianic theory of the Nazarenes and Ebionites it is important to understand these two theories. I will first document each version of the two Messiah theory, then I will show evidence that both theories existed in the first century. I will also show that the two versions of the theory are related to each other. Finally I will show that the NT shows an awareness of the two Messiah theory and relates to it.

The first of the two Messiah theories is the "Rabbinic" theory. The Rabbi's have always recognized an apparant conflict between certain Messianic passages. For example:

            R. Alexandri said: Rabbi Joshua opposed two verses:
            Is is writted:
            And behold, one like the son of man came with the clouds
            of heaven. (Dan. 7:13)
            Whilst it is written:
            [behold, your king comes to you...] lowely, and riding
            upon an ass! (Zech. 9:9)
            (b.San. 98a)

The Rabbinic "two Messiah" theory was one of several answers that the Rabbis found for these contradictions. It delegated the lowly, suffering servant passages to Messiah the son of Joseph (sometimes called Ephraim); and the Kingly passages to Messiah the son of David. A good example of the Ephraim Messiah in Rabbinic literature is a Midrash in which the Messiah is being warned by God of what awaits him:

             Their sins will be upon you like a yoke of iron.
            They will choke your spirit. Because of their sins,
            Your toungue will cleave to the roof of your mouth.
            Do you accept this? If not, I will remove the decree from you.

            The Messiah replies: "Master of the worlds,
            how long will this last?
            God replies: "Ephraim, my true Messiah,
            ever since the six days
            of creation you have taken this ordeal upon yourself.
            At this moment, your pain is my pain"

            Messiah replies: "Master of the worlds,
            I accept this with gladness
            in my soul, and joy in my heart, so that not a single one of the
            House of Israel should perish.
            Not only for those alive, but also
            the dead. It is enough that the servant be like the Master.
            (Midresh Pesqita Rabbah 36)

Rabbi Dosa (who lived around 250 CE) was a chief advocate of the two Messiah theory. The Talmud records that he taught regarding Zech. 12:10:

             What is the cause of the mourning [of Zech. 12:12]--...
            It is well according to him who explains that
            the cause is the slaying of Messiah the son of Joseph,
            since that well agrees with the Scriptural verse:
            And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced,
            And they shall mourn for him as one mourns for his
            only son. (Zech. 12:10)
            (b.Sukkot 52a)

Now the Qumran community also believed in two Messiahs:

            They shall govern themselves using the original precepts
            by which the men of the YAHAD began to be instructed,
            doing so until there come the Prophet and the Messiahs
            of Aaron and Israel.
            (Manual of Discipline 1Qs Col. 9 lines 10-11)

Two Messiahs are also evident in 1QSa, 1Q28a where the two Messiahs are pictured at a future Messianic banguet table.

Now it has been stated in recent years that the two Messiah theory did not exist in the first century. These theorists claim that a "suffering servent" Messiah who dies was invented to get Bar Kokhba off the hook. However the Talmud tells us that Bar Kokhba failed, not because he was a suffering servent Messiah, but because he was not a Messiah of any kind whatsoever. Moreover First century sources attest to both the idea of a suffering servent Messiah and the two Messiah theory.

The earliest sources for the two Messiah theory are the Dead Sea Scrolls and Targum Jonathan. Targum Jonathan identifies the pierced one of Zech. 12:10 as the "Messiah son of Ephraim." Targum Jonathan was supposed to have been written in the first century by Jonathan ben Uziel the student of Hillel.

Another question that arises is, can the priestly Messiah of the Qumran community be identified with the suffering servent Messiah? The answer is, I believe, yes. The critical clue lies in the way that the Dead Sea Scrolls use Is. 61:1-4.

One document among the scrolls (11Q13) applies Is. 61:1-3 to a priestly eschatalogical figure who is called "Melchizadek" the document then speaks of a "Messiah" who is called the one "anointed of the spirit" (Is. 61:1) and to whom Is. 62:2 is also applied. This "Messiah" is identified as the figure spoken of in Is, 52:7 and as the Messiah who is "cut-off" in Dan. 9:26. This implies a connection to the suffering servent in Is. 53 who is also cut-off. A final clue is found in 4Q521 which also applies Is. 61:1 to the Messiah and which closely parallels Mt. 11:5 (which will become important later).

Finally, was there to be two Messiahs or one Messiah? There does seem to have been confusion on this issue. While 1QS 9:10-11 refers to the "Messiahs of Levi and Israel" The Damascus Document three times refers to the "Messiah of Levi and Israel" (12:23; 14:19; 19:10) was there a question as to whether these would be two Messiahs or one?

A tradition found in Midrash Rabbah may provide the answer:

            Like Moses, Messiah will be revealed, then hidden,
            then revealed again.
            (Bamidbar Rabbah 11:2)

The Zohar also seems to allude to the fact that the "two Messiahs" are actually combined into a single Messiah. The Zohar says:

This is also hinted at in the verse “the sceptre shall not depart from Judah nor the ruler's staff from between his feet”, “the sceptre” referring to the Messiah of the house of Judah, and “the staff” to the Messiah of the house of Joseph.
(Zohar 1:25b)

Here the Zohar alludes to Gen. 49:10 obviously in light of Ezekiel 37 where two sticks represent the two houses of Israel and become one stick. The Zohar is clearly identifying these with the scepter and the staff from Gen. 49:10 and thus indicating that in reality these "two Messiahs" are one.

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James Trimm
Worldwide Nazarene Assembly of Elohim
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Comment by James Trimm on February 1, 2012 at 8:14am: The Zohar seems to allude to the fact that the "two Messiahs" are actually combined into a single Messiah. The Zohar says:

This is also hinted at in the verse “the sceptre shall not depart from Judah nor the ruler's staff from between his feet”, “the sceptre” referring to the Messiah of the house of Judah, and “the staff” to the Messiah of the house of Joseph.
(Zohar 1:25b)

Here the Zohar alludes to Gen. 49:10 obviously in light of Ezekiel 37 where two sticks represent the two houses of Israel and become one stick. The Zohar is clearly identifying these with the scepter and the staff from Gen. 49:10 and thus indicating that in reality these "two Messiahs" are one.

Comment by Onieu bahn Duid on February 1, 2012 at 9:41am: I am not convinced that that particular scroll from the Essenes you quoted is a messianic text. note that in Hebrew the word for messiah is anointed and does not always refer to our son of Mary, but refers often to anointed priests, anointed kings, anointed items, etc. thus, i iam currently under the impression that the messiah of aaron and messiah of israel is an anointed of aaron and an anointed of israel.

Comment by Shimon Ben Eiver on February 1, 2012 at 10:12am: Personally I think all of the above Messiah titles (Son of Aaron, Son of Joseph, Son of David) are valid and applicable to Yeshua.

The book of Hebrews describes Yeshua as the High Priest forever in the order of Malchizedek, so the 'son of Aaron' title seems pertinent. Qumran validates this.

Yeshua came and suffered, atoning for our sins, hence 'son of Joseph' seems relevant. Also, his adoptive father was named Joseph, so this was, in a way, literally true. Also, typoligically speaking, and thinking in terms of the Magnificence of YHWH's eternal plan and foresight, Yahoshua the son of Nun (also called Yeshua), who inherited rulership when Moshe died and led the Israelites into the Promised Land, was an Ephraimite (see Num 1:10 and 1 Chron 7:27). Yeshua the Messiah leads all believers across the Jordan of Baptism into covenant relationship with YHWH.

That Yeshua is the Son of David is well documented. This is the regal aspect he will assume at the 2nd advent.

Comment by Onieu bahn Duid on February 1, 2012 at 10:18am: I agree Shimon. But the qumran document refers to distinct individuals, and its reference to a Messiah of Israel is inconsistent with the other descriptions in Qumran texts of a Messiah of Levi and a Messiah of Judah. Judah does not equal Israel.

Comment by Barz Ganya on February 1, 2012 at 10:31am: In our daily Amidah we say "We give thanks to you Adonai, the good one are you and you it is proper to give thanks.."

Seems to mean there may be a bad one whom it is not proper to give thanks?

At any rate, we are warned that there shall be many false Christs. Two or more would only lend to the confusion...HaShem is One and we are all part of His Body, which is Spiritual.

Gal 4:28-31 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

Comment by Onieu bahn Duid on February 1, 2012 at 10:35am: the two are certainly actually one: the son of Mary. Various Scriptures of the Essenes say things like: a man will rise up and he will be from the Tribe of Levi and the Tribe of Judah. The only reference to two "the" Messiahs is rabbinic not Essene. The Essenes believed in many messiahs,, but only one THE Messiah.

Comment by Frank Barbour on February 1, 2012 at 11:12pm

They are definitely Two Different Persons! The True Messiah: " Yahweh-Hushua " - was the body that The Mighty One Fashioned For Himself. In fact, The Name ' YHWH ' - which is clearly defined as: " I Am All That Exists " - also [ symbolically ] means: " Behold The Hands, Behold The Nails "... and, this is not by accident.

The incorrect understanding, that Yahshua was: " Merely His Son ", stems from: His Own Intentional Deception, and His Necessity To Walk Among Us Quietly. While a proper study of The Scriptures clearly reveals this previous deception - for The Distasteful Necessity that it was [ proof text 5 ]. See for yourself:

" Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you, says The Mighty One [ Yahweh ] and Your Redeemer [ Yahshua ], The Holy One Of Israel. " - Isaiah 42:14.
" I, even I, am The Mighty One, And besides Me there is no savior. I have declared [ In The Very Beginning ] and I have saved [ By My Own Sacrifice ]. I have proclaimed [ Through My Own Spirit ], And there was no foreign god among you [ At Any Time ]; Therefore you are My Witnesses, says Yahweh, that I Am The Mighty One. " - Isaiah 43:11-12.
" I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My Own Sake; And I will not remember your sins. Put Me [ Yahweh ] in remembrance; Let us contend together; State your case, that you may be acquitted. " - Isaiah 43:25-26.
" Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion upon the son of her womb? Surely, they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you upon The Palms Of My Hands; Your walls are continually before Me. " - Isaiah 49:15-16.
" Yes, though they have hired [ themselves ] among the nations, Now I will gather them; And they shall sorrow a little [ At My Own Personal Deception ], Because of the burden [ My Own Stumbling Block ] of The King Of Princes [ The Teaching That Yahshua Was Merely My Son ]. " - Hosea 8:10.

Indeed, there are numerous of these scriptures to honestly examine - if you are Truly Led By His Spirit!

Meanwhile, The [ So-Called ] Second Messiah, that you have referenced, is merely His Servant - A Watchman, Prophet, Governor and Fellow Human Being - that faithfully does His Own Work, at The Time Of The End [ in response to his own calling ]... which earns him The Beloved Name: " Jeshurun " - as prophesied.

" Yet hear now, O Jacob My Servant, And Israel whom I [ Yahweh ] have chosen. Thus says The Mighty One who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you: ' Fear not O Jacob My Servant; And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. " - Isaiah 44:2.

Are there certain similarities between: Yahshua and Jeshurun? Certainly! After all, The Truth has never been highly popular; and:

Both of them came to: Open Blind Eyes and Set The Prisoners Free [ Isaiah 42 ]...
Both of them are: Despised and Initially Rejected - by The Nation Of Israel [ Isaiah 49 ]...
And, Both of them serve other very similar purposes.

Comment by Solomon Avar on February 2, 2012 at 8:27am: Confer the Biblical concept of the former and the latter rain, and also the multiple harvests every year.

Comment by Frank Barbour on February 2, 2012 at 10:21am

Everything In The Scriptures Occurs Twice!

For Instance:

The Two Floods - Noah's Flood and The End Time Flood Of Evil.
The Two Babylons - The Nation That: Was >Is Not< and Yet Is [ At The Time Of End ].
The Two Towers Of Babel - In Asia and In Europe.
The Two Periods Of Enslavement - In: Egypt and Assyria.
The Two Wanderings In The Wilderness - In Sinai and North America.
The Two Gatherings Of Israel - Moses/Joshua and then Jeshurun/Yahshua.
The First And Second Coming - Once To Teach and Once To Rule.
ETC.

These are all examples of ' The Scriptural Parallelism Necessary To Completing Yahweh's Own Work '!

Comment by Frank Barbour on February 2, 2012 at 10:40am

Just as there are also:

Two Witnesses - Israel and Judah.
Two Testaments - The Former One [ Gen. - Mal. ] and The Latter One [ Math. - Rev. ].
Two Covenants - The Externalized Law and The Internalized Law.
Two Rains Of The Holy Spirit - The Former [ At Pentecost ] and The Latter [ At The Time Of The End ].
Two Judgments Upon The Earth.
Two Resurrections.
Etc.

After all, According To The Scriptures It Requires: Two Witnesses To Establish Any Fact... Two Testaments To Both: Look Forward [ Prophecy ] And Then Back [ Its Fulfillment ]... Two Covenants To Govern Both: Action [ The External/Natural Man ] And Thought [ The Internal/Spiritual Man ].... You see, parallelism provides a useful and necessary function!

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