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.
The Fourth Deliverer 553
A similar passage occurs in Pereq Rav Yoshiyahu, where the presence of
Nehemiah ben Hushiel (Messiah ben Joseph) in the battle, though not stated,
is implied, for he is resurrected after it (38).
Space permitting, one might cite the host of Messiah ben Joseph-Ephraim
texts from all periods. For, as noted, genealogy requires the Ephraim Messiah
to be Joshua’s son too. But enough has been said to make our case.
*
**
I suggest that the Joshua of 4Q175 represents a messianic deliverer. Such
an interpretation has the advantage of providing an explanation for the whole
text, not simply the first three-quarters. It would seem to be confirmed by
other polymessianic testimonia featuring a Joshua-Josephite Messiah, such as
the ‘Four Craftsmen’ baraitha and the Tg.Ps.-J. Exod 40,9-11. The likelihood
of a common source for these texts allows us to suppose that these ideas were
established before the writing of 4Q175 in c. 100 BCE. We also noted evidence
of a continuous tradition of Joshua as a messianic type; some of these texts
— particularly 1 En 90.37-38 — can also be dated to the mid-second century
BCE (39).
As regards comparison with the War Messiah ben Joseph of rabbinic
literature, it does not appear that the 4Q175 figure possesses the full endow-
ments of the rabbinic one. There is no mention, for instance, of the key
Messiah ben Joseph characteristic, violent death. Nonetheless both are
Josephite War Messiahs, and so it would appear that the Qumran figure may
well be an earlier form of the rabbinic one. This has implications for dating
the development of Messiah ben Joseph.
Av. Maurice Cesar 62 David C. MITCHELL
B-1970 Wezembeek-Oppem
Belgium
SUMMARY
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 tetra-
messianic, 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 post-
biblical Judaism.
——————
455 CE. Jellinek suggests that the simplicity of the midrash also shows its antiquity (BHM
III:xxviii).
(38) BHM VI, 112-116: 114-115.
(39) The text is usually dated to c. 165 BCE; see ISAAC, “1 Enochâ€, 7; P.A. TILLER, A
Commentary on the Animal Apocalypse of 1 Enoh (Atlanta 1993) 78-79.