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.
552 David C. Mitchell
Belief in a messianic Joshua, who like his forebears Joseph and Joshua would
live 110 years, is also attested among the Samaritans (31). Samaritan texts are
relatively late, but Crown suggests that these ideas can be safely traced back
to the second century BCE (32).
Rabbinic texts also portray the Messiah — especially ben Joseph — as a
second Joshua. Some state that Ben Joseph-Ephraim will be Joshua’s
descendant (33). Indeed this appears to be a genealogical necessity. There
being only one stirps from Ephraim to Joshua (1 Chr 7,20-27), the
Ephraimites had no princely line except through Joshua. Others present Ben
Joseph as Joshua’s antitype by applying to both figures the Josephite rem of
Deut 33,17 (34). Yet others describe his military exploits in terms of Joshua’s
destruction of Jericho with its unique falling walls. For instance, the midrash
Tefillat Rav Shimon ben Yohai:
The bat-kol will say [to Messiah ben Joseph and his army]: “Just as
Joshua did to Jericho and its ruler, so do to the nations of the
world!â€â€¦ They recite the shema. They will encircle Jericho, and the
wall will collapse at once (35).
Likewise, in the midrash Pirqei Mashiah, Israel under Nehemiah ben
Hushiel — a pseudonym for Messiah ben Joseph — recite the shema and the
walls of the city fall (36). The Roman-period Aggadat Mashiah contains a similar
passage, the only difference being that the bat-kol addresses Ben Joseph’s
Ephraimite army in the period between his death and the coming of Ben David.
And Israel goes to Rome. And a bat-kol proclaims a third time, “Do to
her as Joshua did to Jericho!†And they surround the city and blow the
trumpets, and the seventh time they raise a battle-cry: ‘Hear Israel!
The Lord our God, the Lord is one!’ [Deut 6.4]. And the walls of the
city fall (37).
(31) See A.D. CROWN, “Dositheans, Resurrection and a Messianic Joshuaâ€, Antichthon
1 (1967-1968) 85; “Samaritan Eschatologyâ€, The Samaritans (ed. CROWN) (Tübingen
1989) 266-292; J.A. MONTGOMERY, The Samaritans (New York 1907) 244-249; J.
MACDONALD, The Theology of the Samaritans (New Testament Library; London 1964) 368.
(32) CROWN, “Samaritan Eschatologyâ€, 292.
(33) Tg.Ps.-J. Exod 40,11. The meturgeman clearly did not hold the belief of E.G.
Hirsch and B. Pick (“Joshuaâ€, JE VII, 282-284) and advanced by Str-B II, 296, against
Messiah ben Ephraim’s Joshuanic descent, that Joshua married Rahab and died without
male issue. But the proof-texts cited in JE for this idea (Zeb. 116b; Meg. 14a; Yalq., Josh.
§9) do not support the claim. (Yalq. Josh. §9 makes Rahab the ancestress of the Judahites
of 1 Chr 4,21.) E.E. HALLEVY, “Joshua: In the Aggadahâ€, EJ X, 266-267, notes Joshua’s
marriage to Rahab (Meg. 14b) but not his lack of male issue. Male issue is probably implied
at AZ 25a, where the filling of the nations by Ephraim’s seed (Gen 48,19) is said to have
taken place at Joshua’s conquest of the land (Josh 10,3).
(34) See GenR 6.9; 39.11; 75.12 with 75.6; 95 (MSV); 99.2; NumR 2.7 with 14.1.
(35) BHM IV.117-126: 123.
(36) BHM III.70-74; MITCHELL, Message, 325. The identification of Nehemiah ben
Hushiel and ben Joseph is explicit at Otot ha-Mashiah §6-7 and Hekhalot Rabbati §39.1
and implicit at Sef. Zerub. 38-42; TRSY (BHM IV, 125); Pereq R. Yoshiyahu (BHM VI,
114-115); and Pir. Mash. §5.
(37) Aggadat Mashiah 33 (BHM III.141-143; MITCHELL, Message, 304-307, 335-336).
The writer’s desire for the destruction of Rome suggests an origin before the city’s fall in