A discourse on the mission of The Messiah
- Title
- A discourse on the mission of The Messiah
- Author
- Morais, Sabato
- Format
- 12 pages on 5 sheets
- Language(s)
- English
- Source
- Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies
- Sabato Morais Collection, Box 13, Folder 12
- Has Format
- https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3251g52q/manifest.json
- Link to Colenda
- https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3251g52q
- Provenance
- Transfer of Custody from the Hebrew Education Society, 10 March 1913.
- Is Format Of
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/judaicadh/morais/main/TEI/SMBx13FF12.xml
- content
-
A discourse on the mission of
The Messiah
Brethren! The wish I expressed not long since at the conclusion of one of my discourses, has prompted several of my hearers to submit to my judgment questions of grave importance. Each of them has an equal claim on my serious meditation, but motives that need not be explained, impel me to give pre--cedence to one latterly offered. You may perhaps be startled at hearing that a member of the Jewish household, should have asked "whether we believe in a personal redeemer," since we continually pray for his advent, but if you will bear in mind in relation with the subject, the dogma of a redemption from eternal perdition, through the agency of a man-god, preached by the apostles of another creed; you will agree with me that the query apparently para--doxical when emanating from a child of our faith, is nevertheless pertinent, and well deserving of our consideration. It does not imply, if I argue correctly, a doubt as to the fulfilment of the glorious predictions concerning Israel, but a desire to learn whe--ther the messenger of happy tidings to the outcasts of Judea will be, by reason of the appellation it bears,
identical in anywise with him whom the opponents of Judaism style their redeemer. Let me then, my friends in order to dispel any error which may have been con--ceived on this score, emphatically assert that both in temporal as in spiritual concerns, Israel recognizes one sole Redeemer, the Most High God Creator of the hea--ven and the earth. To cite authorities in corroboration of this truth would be supererogatory, for it stands proved beyond refutation, by the words of every prophet who wrote for our instruction [Hebrew] "Thou O Lord art our Father, Thy name is Our Redeemer from everlasting," exclaims Isaiah, when petitioning for the restoration of our nationality; and by the mouth of the inspired Hoshea, the Eternal said [Hebrew] [Hebrew] "I will deliver them form the power of destruction, I will redeem them from death." Let therefore no shadow of doubt ever be harbored in a Jewish mind, as to the true author of human salva--tion. Let the oft repeated lesson of our seers be ever remem--bered [Hebrew] "There is no Saviour but me."
Yet, to renounce the expectation of a Messiah, because we are taught to rely solely upon God for our redemp--tion, would be a denial of what we consider a
Divine declaration. Yes, we must believe that as Providence raised a Moses to lead us forth to freedom and that as He infused into Zerubabel and his right--eous colleagues devotion for the cause of their brethren, enthralled in the land of the stranger, so will He, when our mission is fulfilled by our dispersion endow a mortal with the mental, moral and spiritual qualifications, whereby he will be enabled to unfurl the banner, around which will rally all the outcasts of Israel from the four corners of the earth. Him did the son of Amoz foresee, and call "a a redeemer that shall come to Zion" [Hebrew] "and to those who turn from their transgression in Jacob." Him did Ezekiel behold with a celestial eye, when he predicted the acumen of the house of Joseph with that of Judah, under one shepherd and one shepherd and one king. "[Hebrew]" But neither the former nor the latter prophets ascribed to the foreshadowed personage the attributes which have been assigned by his followers to the character of the man of Nazareth. To construe the term [Hebrew] "Redeemer" into that signification, would betray
a total ignorance of the sacred language, for, who does not know that although when applied to God, it frequently means, the Deliverer of our souls, as [Hebrew] [Hebrew] "He redeemeth thy life form destruction," never-theless it has been variously employed in Holy Writ, so that under its title sometimes is he represented, on whom devolved the duty of rescuing his relative from penury distress, for instance [Hebrew] "And his redeemer nigh unto him, shall come, and redeem what [?] his brother hath sold"; at others he that in the days of yore deemed it a point of honour to avenge the death of a kinssman, as [Hebrew] "And the assembly shall judge between the slayer, and between the revenger (properly the redeemer) of blood, but who, I say, that is at all conversant with the Hebrew, has not learnt that the sense which that word mostly conveys, is a, liberator from oppression, so that of Solomon it is written, [Hebrew] "He will deliver their life from vexation and violence, and their blood will be precious in his eyes", and of the Almighty Protector of Israel, we read [Hebrew] "He redeemeth him form the hand of him one that is stronger than he? Besides, in the chapter, where
the sentence I have quoted occurs, the inspired man depicts the effect of sin, only with respect to our resto--ration. He points out the causes of its delay, acknow--ledges the justice of the punishment, and concludes with the consolatory promise of our final return to the pristine glory, not through our inherent merits, but by the mercy of God, who will "put on charity as a breastplate, and as a helmet of salvation upon his head" [Hebrew]. It is therefore, my dear Brethren! palpably demonstrated, that the predicted redeemer, will not supersede, so to speak, the Omnipotent Creator, by assuming His Divine attributes in blotting out human trespasses, but will be only invested with the power of consolidating the disjoint members of Israel into one compact body. This idea theologically correct, is further developped by the writings of Ezekiel, for, he says [Hebrew] "And David my servant shall be a prince over them for ever" purposing to signify, not that the monarch long deceased will rise form his grave, to weild the scepter anew but that what his genius and religious zeal achieved, will be likewise accomplished by one of his own lineage, for, tradition asserts that the Messiah will infallibly prove his descent
from the progeny of Jesse. This assertion, will in our present condition, seem untenable, but when we reflect that not only sundry of our ancient Sages, but even an author of celebrity who lived later than five centuries ago, could exhibit his pedigree, as a branch of the Davidian stock, we will accept with favour what our Teachers have handed down to us upon this subject. Now, the facts hitherto ad--vanced, ought to convince all my hearers that to ascribe to the man whom God will appoint as the future leader of his people a supernatural mission, is unwarrantable and contradictory of the holy scriptures. But in order to substantiate my statement also by Rabbinical authority, I will transcribe what Maimo--nides wrote towards the end of his treatise on Kings. "Imagine not--says the justly renowned philosopher--that the King Messiah will be de--manded to perform extraordinary deeds & wonders, or change the aspect of the world by calling the dead to life, or by similar prodigies, for, it is not so: witness it the conduct of Rabbi Akibah who was a very eminent Sage of the Mishnah,
and yet he became a staunch adherent of Bar Cochabà, because he regarded him as the true Messiah, though the Rabbis required of him neither a sign nor a mi--racle. But the whole truth is the following; that our law is unalterable in all its parts, nothing must be added to nor taken away from it; so that if a descendant of David, thoroughly versed therein and of pious habits, respecting both the written precepts and their oral exposition, were successful in enforcing the execution of the same upon Israel, and in securing their national tranquillity by his victories, we n be may would be justified in supposing him to be the Messiah. However, what will unquestionably proved him so it, is his ability to reconstruct the Temple, to restore Israel into their land, and bring thereby the world at large to the knowledge of the Unity of God, as it is predicted "For then will I turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one consent [Hebrew] Such will, my dear Brethren, be the commission en-trusted to the redeemer that is to come to Zion. His nature will not partake of the divine, more than that which is intellectually vouchsafed to mortals
by the only source of wisdom; his rule will be temporal, his dominion in the country of his forefathers. He will be what his name precisely denotes [Hebrew] Messiah, that is, the one, annointed with the oil, which erst consecrated alike the regal as the sacerdotal office. By that epithet were recognized all the Hebrew monarchs, in it gloried the royal shepherd, and by special grace it likewise adorned the name of that mighty Ruler of Persia, who arose a benefactor and liberator of the Babylonian exiles [Hebrew] "Thus sayeth the Lord to his Messiah Cyrus" intimating by it that the earthly grandeur he was to attain, would be the reward due to his magnanimous demeanour towards the residue of Judah. But not once,--even by the confession of gentile scholars,--has that term been employed in Holy Writ to testify an ethereal and yet terrestrial being, sent or spontaneously come to offer himself a vicarious sacrifice. Therefore it came to pass m b that the rack and the stake, the caldron of the inquisition and the auto da fés could never force out of the lips of the Jewish outcast an avowal, which would have changed his life of unheard of suffering into an honored existence.
The volumes unfolded before his eyes taught him that "to the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness" [Hebrew] [Hebrew]. From the redeemer whose advent he prayed for, he did not expect the remission of his ini--quities--which heartfelt repentance alone can expiate--, but freedom from oppression, and a high position among the family of nations, as when Judah and Israel dwelt peacefully together in the land of the patriarchs. The world mistook that unwavering firmness for in--flexible obstinacy, and poured on its possessor the vial of contempt, but he bore it--and what has he not borne!!--as a heavenly dispensation, still looking intently forward to the time when "the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion, while everlasting joy shall crown their heads" [Hebrew] [Hebrew]. My beloved Brethren! For the consummation of that happy event we also daily pour forth our supplications. We have not, thank God, joined the new Hebrew band, who laugh to scorn the idea of cherishing a hope so long deferred. We believe that even if it tarries in its fulfilment, we must await for him it [Hebrew], because the mouth of the Lord hath spoken. [Hebrew]--
But while holding fast on the divine declaration, it would be a fruitless and unreasonable end endeavour to speculate about the means by which Providence will work out his design. It may be by the light He will cast shed upon the gentiles. It may be by the arts of peace and human conditions, it may perad--venture be by wars and fierce struggles, but that should not engross our thoughts. Let our mind be rather occupied in improving ourselves and the intelligent creatures among whom our lot has been cast. Surely, my friends! what was to Daniel closed up and sealed [Hebrew] can never be revealed to us. The Rabbins themselves greatly deprecated the attempt, l when they said by remarking that [Hebrew] "The mind of those what determine when the captivity is to end, will be harrassed." Let us then trust with child-like faith to the Director of sublunary occurrences; and when disdainfully regarded by fallible men, comfort ourselves with the words which the unerring God inspired his chosen servant to utter in his name [Hebrew] [Hebrew] [Hebrew]
--[Hebrew] "As the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it f bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater; so shall be my word that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper him for whom I have sent it". So may it be, Amen - Identifier
- p3251g52q
- identifier
- SMBx13FF12
Part of A discourse on the mission of The Messiah
Morais, Sabato, “A discourse on the mission of The Messiah”, Sabato Morais Digital Repository, accessed September 7, 2024, https://judaicadhpenn.org/legacyprojects/s/morais/item/91448