(False) Messiahs: Messianism in Jewish History & Thought with David Berger, Laura Arnold Leibman & Kenneth Seeskin

Since the period of the late 2nd Temple, starting in the 2nd century BCE, messianic figures began appearing in Roman-controlled Judea. The idea of the messiah, a divinely annointed person who will arrive and redeem the world and restore the lost tribe of Israel to the promised land, has been a central part of traditional Judaism since the time of Maimonides, who in the 12th century made belief in the coming of the messiah a core tenet of his 13 Principles of Faith. In this episode. we explore the messianic concept in Jewish history and thought, from the time of the Bar Kohba rebellion in 132 CE to the messianic fervor surrounding Chabad Lubavitch rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson in recent times.