Messiah ben Joseph of the tribe of Ephraim (Heb.: משיח בן יוסף), also known as Messiah bar/ben Ephraim (Aram./Heb.: משיח בר/בן אפרים), is a Mashiach who dies as a sacrifice of atonement and rises again. Jewish tradition alludes to two redeemers, both called Mashiach and are involved in ushering in the Messianic age. They are called Mashiach ben David and Mashiach ben Joseph.
In principal, Messiah ben Joseph will act as a precursor to Messiah ben David and will prepare the world for the coming of the final redeemer. The main function of him will be of political and military nature. Messiah, son of Joseph shall wage war against the evil forces and he will die in combat with the enemies of God and Israel. Messiah ben Joseph will be killed, this is described in the prophecy of Zechariah "they shall mourn him as one mourns for an only child." (Zechariah 12:10). After his death there will be a period of great calamities which shall be the final test for Israel. After this, Messiah ben David shall come, avenge his death, resurrect him and all the dead, and usher in the Messianic era of everlasting universal peace.
Read more about Messiah Ben Joseph: Jews Considered The Messiah Ben Joseph
Famous quotes containing the words messiah and/or ben:
“The Old Testament teems with prophecies of the Messiah, but nowhere is it intimated that that Messiah is to stand as a God to be worshipped. He is to bring peace on earth, to build up the waste places—to comfort the broken-hearted, but nowhere is he spoken of as a deity.”
—Olympia Brown (1835–1900)
“For of fortunes sharp adversitee
The worst kynde of infortune is this,
A man to han ben in prosperitee,
And it remembren, whan it passed is.”
—Geoffrey Chaucer (1340–1400)