Messianism has continued to evolve throughout centuries, but the contrasts between Jewish and Christian concepts of redemption have remained the same. As opposed to the Christian internal perspective of redemption, Judaism views it externally as a communal event shown in public to the visible world. The Jewish community continues to strive towards its end goal of fulfillment, yet the tensions in comprehending the relationship of rabbinic Judaism and the Messianic idea have led to confusion. In one of the most significant essays regarding Messianism, “Toward An Understanding of the Messianic Idea in Judaism,” Scholar Gershom Scholem clarifies any uncertainty by uncovering the hidden field of Jewish Messianism. By utilizing various texts and …show more content…
There is a hope held by Messianists to reverse time to ancestral life of the original state of existence. Scholem also draws attention to the concept of tikkun, which is the re-establishment of the ideal circumstances of the past. Not only do restorative forces highlight the desired perfection of the past, but they also look forward to the future, inspired by a utopian vision, which aims to achieve complete fulfillment. Essentially, Messianic time spans from the origin to the end of the days, where there is hope for the coming of the …show more content…
He uses the examples of Amos’ Day of the Lord and Isaiah’s visions to prove that human action is worthless in bringing about redemption. Scholem exercises the verse in Song of Songs 2:7 that commands, “do not awaken or stir up love until it is ready” to further stress his warning. Scholed continues to deepen his message with similar messages from Rabbi Helbo and author of Fourth Ezra who share the same attitude regarding the relation between human action and salvation. Furthermore, he explains the legend of Rabbi Joseph de la Reyna, who also experiences failure in bringing about salvation by pressing for the