The First Messiah: Investigating the Savior Before Jesus

by Michael Owen Wise

In The First Messiah renowned Dead Sea Scrolls scholar Michael O. Wise brings to light the life of Judah, a forgotten prophet who predated Jesus as a messianic figure by a century and has had a profound impact on the course of Christianity and Western civilization. Although Judah, known in the Dead Sea Scrolls as the Teacher of Righteousness, preached a message distinctly different from that of Jesus, the parallels between their lives are striking. Sharing with his successor a strong foundation in earlier written revelation, Judah came to believe--through meditation on Holly Writ--that he brought a divine message from God; like Christ, Judah's claims to messianic status led to his arrest and condemnation. Judah's warnings of Jewish apostasy and his apocalyptic prophecies, combined with powerful personal charisma, also built a movement that survived his death and even grew into an institution comprising bishops, priests, and laity.

Unlike Jesus, Judah left behind a personal testament, in his own words, of his relationship with God. By analyzing the Thanksgiving Hymns discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls, Wise uncovers the basis of a groundbreaking understanding of the prophetic mind. In so doing, Wise deepens our understanding of Christ, his impact on the Jewish community of his time, and even his interpretation of his own messianic role.

The parallels between Judah and Jesus blaze forth in sharp relief:




Both declared themselves prophets.


Both were hailed by followers as He Who Is to Come and worked attendant wonders.


Both founded vital and long-lasting movements before leaving this world.
In all these things, Judah was first, anticipating the far more famous prophet from Galilee. How can these similarities be explained?

A century before Christ, a man came to Jerusalem who became known as the Teacher of Righteousness. In The First Messiah, distinguished Dead Sea Scrolls scholar Michael O. Wise provides a detailed examination of Judah, a figure whose life and prophecies helped lay the foundation for the acceptance of Jesus as the savior. Drawing on ancient texts as well as contemporary anthropological thought, Wise reveals compelling parallels between early prophets such as Judah and Jesus, and messianic figures who have emerged through the ages to the current day in cultures around the world.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, History, Judaism

352 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1999

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, really good book. This compares historical parallels between Judah (the 'first messiah') and Jesus and introduces lots of information most of us haven't seen before. I read this about 10 years ago, and will again.

[Raylee Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of the book is simply the author's speculation. His prejudice towards certain groups is blatant throughout the entire work. While some of the book is historical fact others are complete works of imagination, with very little distinction between the two except to disclaim the name Judah. While I did enjoy some of the book, other more opinionated parts really through me for a loop.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most Christians don't know what to think about the Dead Sea Scrolls except that they predate Jesus, and simple interpretations of history and textual authority claim that whatever existed first must have the greatest authority. Michael O. Wise, a leading Dead Sea Scrolls scholar, now offers a smart, accessible argument about the relationship between Jesus and the Scrolls. The First Messiah: Investigating the Savior Before Jesus argues that Judah, a messianic figure described in the Scrolls, anticipated Jesus' coming in many respects--Judah was perceived by his contemporaries as fulfilling many of the same prophesies as Jesus, he taught many of the same principles Jesus taught, and after his death he inspired a movement that prefigured early Christianity. The First Messiah is not a hatchet-job on Jesus, however; Wise is not out to torpedo anybody's faith. Instead, he's offering readers a valuable lesson in humility. While respecting the possibility of Jesus' unique cosmic significance, he convincingly shows that Jesus' assumption of messianic status reenacts a social and religious drama that had clear historical precedents. This drama continues to be enacted by people around the world today. --Michael Joseph Gross --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Update: This book was quite uninteresting of a read. For such an interesting topic, it still could not hold my own interest. I put it down for now for other items of interest

[Karen Floyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

One always has to wonder with speculative books like this how much is true and how much is author speculation. Even this man's name did not survive, only some of his writings in the Dead Sea Scrolls, where he is known as the Teacher of Righteousness. But his followers did apparently interpret his writing in the way the author did, which is only stated in the notes. So the author is not completely drawing a bow at a venture.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting look at a prophet named Judah who lived at least 50 years before Jesus and whose life parallels Jesus in many ways. Except one -- his followers weren't able to establish a new world religion.