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 551
the horns of a rem who will gore all the nations (23). As Israelite literature
habitually takes Deut 33,17 to represent Joseph, Ephraim, Joshua, or an
eschatological Josephite-Ephraimite (24), it rather looks like the messianic
bovid(s) of 1 En 90.37-38 depict an eschatological Joshua (25).
If we turn next to Sib. Or. 5.256-259, we find “one who shall come again
from heaven, a man pre-eminent…noblest of the Hebrews…who at one time
did make the sun stand still†(26). Since Joshua is the only Bible figure to have
made the sun stand still (Josh 10,12-14), the pre-eminent man seems again
like an eschatological Joshua. Possible Christian influence hardly bears on the
Jewishness of the text. For polymessianism and a Joshua Messiah, though
known in Judaism, are unknown in standard Christian literature, whose
Messiah is always a Judahite. If this writer was Christian, he was a thoroughly
Jewish Christian (27).
Josephus tells how, during Nero’s reign, a self-styled prophet appeared
on the Mount of Olives and predicted that, like Joshua, he would make the
city walls fall at his command (28). Since the Mount was renowned — from
the time of Zech 14,4 — as the place of the Messiah’s appearing, Josephus’s
prophet looks rather like an aspiring messianic Joshua (29).
A Targum on Exod 17,16 says that the Amalekites will be exterminated
for three generations: in the generation of this world (by Joshua), in the
generation of the Messiah, and in the generation of the world to come (30).
(23) Most commentators take Ethiopic nagar to mean the rem or wild ox. So DILLMAN,
Henoch, 287-288; CHARLES, Enoch, 258-259; MARTIN, Le livre d’Hénoch, 235, n. 38;
MILIK, Books of Enoch, 45; M.A. KNIBB, The Ethiopic Book of Enoch (Oxford 1978) II,
216; TORREY, “Messiah the Son of Ephraimâ€, 267.
(24) In biblical times the bull’s horns are the symbol of the Ephraimites. They brag about
having acquired horns for themselves (Amos 6,13) and sport iron horns to gore (ngh≥) the
nations, as in Deut 33,17 (1 Kgs 22,11; 2 Chr 18,10). Deut 33,17 is applied to Joseph at
GenR 75.12; 86.3; 95.1; 95 (MSV); 99.2; ExodR 1.16; 30.7; EstR 7.11; LamR on 2.3 §6; to
Joshua at GenR 6.9; 39.11; 75.12; NumR 2.7; 20.4 (Israel under Joshua’s command); Yalq.
on Deut. 33,17 (§959); to ben Joseph at MTann 11.3 (ed. Buber, 102b); GenR 75.6; 95
(MSV); 99.2; PRE 22a.ii; AgBer §79; NumR 14.1; Zohar, Mishpatim, 479, 481, 483;
Pinhas, 565, 567, 745; Ki Tetze, 21.62.
(25) TORREY, “Messiah Son of Ephraimâ€, 267, also sees the nagar-rem as Messiah ben
Joseph.
(26) O’Neill has shown that the “man pre-eminent†and the “noblest of the Hebrewsâ€
are the same person (J.C. O’NEILL, “The Man from Heaven: SibOr 5:256-259.†JSP 9
[1991] 88-91).
(27) O’Neill notes the consensus that the author was a Jewish Christian, but proposes
that the text is a Jewish oracle (“Man from Heavenâ€, 87, 100).
(28) Ant. XX.viii.6 (ll. 169-170); War II.xiii.5 (ll. 261-263); the event is alluded to in
Acts 21,38.
(29) The Messiah was seen as present in YHWH’S coming to the Mount in Zech 14,4
(MITCHELL, Message, 212-214, 264-266); cf. Acts 1,11-12; Ma‘aseh Daniel (BHM V.117-
130: 128). In temple times the Mount was known as har ha-meshiha, Mount of Anointing
or — by Aramaic homophony — Mount of the Messiah (J. BRASLAVI – M. AVI-YONAH,
“Mount of Olivesâ€, EJ XII, 483; Rashi and Kimhi on Zech 14,4). Often the appearance of
the Holy One on the Mount directly precedes the coming of the Messiah (Aggadat Mashiah
28-34; Sefer Zerubbabel 50; Pirqei Mashiah §5-6; Asereth Melakhim §4). Tg.Cant 8,5 and
Codex Reuchlinianus of Tg.Zech 14,4 make it the place of the resurrection of the dead, a
messianic function (cf. MITCHELL, Message, 213).
(30) British Museum; Add. 27031: cited by O’NEILL, “Man from Heavenâ€, 93. O’Neill
presents other evidence for Joshua as a messianic type (91-94).