David C. Mitchell, «The Fourth Deliverer: A Josephite Messiah in 4QTestimonia», Vol. 86 (2005) 545-553
Commentators recognize a tri-polar messianism in 4Q175, based on the first three
sections of the text. But the last section suggests that the text is in fact tetramessianic,
featuring an eschatological Joshua. This is confirmed by similarities
between 4Q175, the tetra-messianic "Four Craftsmen" baraitha, and Targ. Ps.-J.
to Exod. 40,9-11; as well as by evidence that Joshua was a messianic type in postbiblical
Judaism.
548 David C. Mitchell
Of course both variants show the same figures (12). Elijah is the same in
each case. Messiah ben David is the King Messiah. The Righteous Priest is
Melchizedek — in the Bible Melchizedek is always a priest (Gen 14,18-20;
Ps 110,4) and there is supporting MS evidence (13). That leaves Messiah ben
Joseph to be identified with the War Messiah, a widely-held conclusion (14),
supported by numerous texts (15).
The ‘Four Craftsmen’ tradition therefore features the same figures as I
identified in 4Q175. In fact the earliest version of the ‘Four Craftsmen’ even
presents the figures in the same order: prophet, king, priest, and Josephite
War Messiah (16).
Diagram 1: The Four Craftsmen & 4Q175
Redeemer Figures
Joshua, War Messiah
4Q175 Prophet King Messiah Priest
ben Joseph
Four Craftsmen. War Messiah
Prophet King Messiah Priest
Variant A. ben Joseph
Such a correspondence of figures, number and order is striking. The
likelihood of its being accidental is small: 1 in 24, to be precise, the
probability of four names arbitrarily falling in a given sequence. The
introduction of other variables, such as number and identity of figures, would
push the probability lower still (17). This seems to corroborate our
interpretation of 4Q175.
As for the relation between these texts, while direct dependence cannot
(12) A third variant of the ‘Four Craftsmen’ is found in the medieval compilation
NumR 14.1, where the priest is replaced by a Manasseh Messiah.
(13) The Munich manuscript has “and Melchizedek†instead of “and the Righteous
Priest†(R. RABBINOVICZ, Variae Lectiones [Munich 1870] III, 170).
(14) G.H. DALMAN, Der leidende und der sterbende Messias der synagoge (Berlin
1888) 6; L. GINZBERG, “Eine unbekannte jüdische Sekteâ€, Monatschrift für Geschichte und
Wissenschaft des Judentums 58 [1914] 421; HEINEMANN, “The Messiah of Ephraimâ€, 7; H.
FREEDMAN – M. SIMON, The Midrash (London 1939) I, 698, n. 2; IX, 125, n. 3; M.
JASTROW, A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi, and the
Midrashic Literature (New York 1950) 852 (“Mashiahâ€).
(15) GenR 99.2; Tan I.103a (§11.3); NumR 14.1; AgBer §63 (Bet ha-Midrash [= BHM]
[ed. A. JELLINEK] [Leipzig 1853-1877] IV, 87); “Jelamdenu-Fragmente†§20 from Kuntres
Acharon [Appended Document] to Yalq on the Pentateuch (BHM VI, 81); GenR 75.6; 99.2
applies the blessing on Joseph (Deut 33,17) to the War Messiah.
(16) The identification of the prophets Elijah and Moses is attested in Jewish tradition.
Yochanan ben Zakkai taught that the Holy One swore to Moses that, in the days of the
Messiah, Moses and Elijah would come together ‘as one’ (DeutR 3.17). More frequently
Elijah was seen as a descendant of Aaron (Tg. Ps.-J. Exod 40,10; Pirkei Hekhalot Rabbati
40.2 in Batei Midrashot [ed. S.A. WERTHEIMER] [Jerusalem 1952-55] I, 134) and sometimes
identified with Phineas (G.F. MOORE, Judaism in the First Centuries of the Christian
Era [Cambridge, Mass. 1927-30] II, 358n; and e.g. PRE 66b). But at SER 18 (ed. M.
FRIEDMANN [Jerusalem 1969] 97-98) the sages regard him as an Aaronite while Elijah is a
priest or a Benjamite, following 1 Chr 8,27.
(17) Texts with two or three deliverers are numerous (cf. n. 21 below). NumR 14.1
notes a view that there will be seven messiahs and tells of a Messiah from Manasseh. There
was much scope for permutation.