3 Ancient Traditions of the Messiah

The Annointed One
(1) Descendents of Aaron

"The word 'Messiah' comes from the Hebrew verb 'to anoint', which itself is derived from the Egyptian word messeh, 'the holy crocodile'. It was with the fat of the messeh that the Pharaoh's sister-brides anointed their husbands on marriage. The Egyptian custom sprang from kingly practice in old Mesopotamia."
- Sir Laurence Gardner, "The Hidden History of Jesus and the Holy Grail" (from a lecture given at the Ranch, Yelm, Washington, 30 April 1997)

"Remarkably and characteristically, the term Mashiah - of which 'Messiah' is the Anglicized form - had preceded the Messianic concept by many centuries. Originally, in Biblical usage, it simply meant 'anointed', and referred to Aaron and his sons, who were anointed with oil and thereby consecrated to the service of God."
- Raphael Patai, The Messiah Texts

"And you shall put them upon Aaron your brother, and upon his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests."
- Exodus 28:41

"The legitimacy of the priesthood...was supposed to descend lineally from Aaron through the Tribe of Levi. Thus, throughout the Old Testament, the priesthood is the unique preserve of the Levites. The Levite high priests who attend David and Solomon are referred to as 'Zadok'- though it is not clear whether this is a personal name or an hereditary title."
- Baigent, Leigh & Lincoln, The Messianic Legacy

Zadok or Sadduc means "Righteous One" and is symbolized by TZADDIK - one of the two pillars which, according to Knight and Lomas, stood at the doorway to Qumran). Two gigantic bronze pillars flanked the entrance to the Temple of Solomon.

"The doorway was created by the pillars of 'tsedeq' ['righteousness' - always doing good to others] and mishpat' ['judgment'- divinely appointed order] with the holy arch of 'shalom' ['peace' - prosperity, success, general well-being]."
"When these two spiritual pillars are in place with the Teacher of Righteousness (tsedeq) on the left hand of God and the earthly Davidic King (mishpat) on his right hand, the archway of Yahweh's rule will be in place with the keystone of 'shalom' locking everything together at its center.
"It was clear from our readings that 'tsedeq' was for Canaanites a term associated with the sun god. The Canaanite sun god was seen as the great judge who watched over the world, righted wrongs and shone light unto the dark doings of hidden crimes."
- Christopher Knight & Robert Lomas, The Hiram Key: Pharaohs, Freemasons and the Discovery of the Secret Scrolls of Jesus

(2) Use of the term "Messiah"

The High Priest and King
"The High Priest, in particular, was termed 'the Anointed [Mashiah] of God'. With the establishment of the monarchy, the same term was applied to the king: he was 'the Anointed of the Lord' because he was installed in the high office by receiving the sacrament of anointment."
- Raphael Patai, The Messiah Texts

"The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his anointed."
- 1 Samuel 2:10

Solomon is anointed by Zadok, thereby becoming 'the Anointed One', the 'Messiah' - 'ha-mashi'ah' in Hebrew."
- Baigent, Leigh & Lincoln, The Messianic Legacy

"Your throne, O God, endures for ever and ever.
Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;
You love righteousness and hate wickedness.
Therefore God, your God has anointed you
[in the Greek of the Septuagint, enchrisen se, has made you Christ]
with the oil of gladness above your fellows."
- Psalms 45:6-7

Annointed Prophets
"A third type of the divinely elected, the prophet, could also undergo the ceremony of anointing: Elizah, we read, was commanded by God to anoint Jehu as king over Israel, and Elisha as prophet in his own place."
- Raphael Patai, The Messiah Texts

"And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel; and Eli'sha the son of Shaphat of A'bel-meho'lah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place."
- 1 Kings 19:16

"In a few passages 'anointed one' is used of prophets (most notably in Isa. 61:1) and of priests (Lev. 4:3, 5, 16), but without further designation the term normally refers to the king of Israel."
- Graham N. Stanton, The Gospels and Jesus, The Oxford Bible Series (1989), paperback, p. 221

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed..."
- Isaiah 61:1 (Deutero-Isaiah 5th c. BCE)

(3) The Idealized King

"...In early monarchic days the person of 'the Anointed of the Lord' came to be considered sacrosanct: to harm him or even to curse him, was a capital offense."
- Raphael Patai, The Messiah Texts

"But David said, 'What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeru'iah, that you should this day be as an adversary to me? Shall any one be put to death in Israel this day? For do I not know that I am this day king over Israel?'"
- 2 Samuel 19:22

"A further development of this concept can be seen in the belief that God provided special protection to His anointed king. The Psalms contain several references to the idea of divine intervention for 'the Anointed of the Lord', the idealized Davidic king:"
- Raphael Patai, The Messiah Texts

"Now I know that the Lord saveth His Anointed [Mashiah],
He will answer him from His holy heaven
With the mighty acts of His saving right hand."
- Psalms 20:7

"While David was king of Israel (tenth century B.C.E.), the belief developed that his House would rule forever, not only over Israel but also over all the nations:"
- Raphael Patai, The Messiah Texts

"The God who giveth me vengeance,
And bringeth down peoples under me....
Therefore I praise Thee, O Lord, among the nations.
And will sing unto Thy name,
Who increaseth the victories of His king
And dealeth graciously with His Anointed,
With David and his seed for evermore."
- 2 Samuel 22:48-52, Psalms 18:42-52

In the seventh century B.C.E., Judah and its capital were besieged by the Assyrians. Micah prophesized deliverance by someone from Bethlehem, the home village of the house of David, in terms that are resonant with Messianic expectations centuries later:

"Now you are walled about with a wall; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike upon the cheek the ruler of Israel. But you, O Bethlehem Eph'rathah, who are little to be among the clans [or rulers] of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin [Hebrew 'goings out' ] is from of old, from ancient days [olam or from days of eternity]. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in travail has brought forth; then the rest of his brethren shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth."
- Micah 5:1-5

"The word 'olam' is derived from the primitive root alam, meaning to veil from sight, to conceal. An analysis of the passages where olam appears shows clearly that the word does not express 'eternity' or 'everlasting' as it has been frequently translated in the King James Version. Rather, it simply expresses a duration, a time during which a person, thing, or state of a thing exists - literally an age of time which has a definite beginning and conclusion. the duration of an age in scripture is sometimes defined and sometimes undefined."
- Dallas E. James, "Putting the Sword to Churchianity"