Messianic Age

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Messianic Age is a theological term referring to a future time of peace and brotherhood on the earth, without crime, war and poverty. Many religions believe that there will be such an age; some refer to it as the "Messianic Age".

Of particular note is the role the notion of the Messianic Age or Era plays in Reform Judaism also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism. This stream of Judaism has largely disregarded the notion of the coming of the Messiah as is accepted by Orthodox Judaism and Conservative Judaism. Instead, Progressive Judaism places emphasis on the coming of a Messianic Era. No one person will fulfill the role of the Messiah, but instead the world will be a place of peace and harmony, safety, security and equality. This is closely related to the concept of Tikkun Olam (healing or repairing the world) - which forms a central tenet of Progressive Judaism. In short, Tikkun Olam is the act of repairing the world through repairing one's self, one's community, society, country and finally the world. This can range from community and social work to environmental awareness or political activism and so on. Essentially, the somewhat Utopian notion of the Reform Judaism's Messianic Era is one where Tikkun Olam has been achieved and the world lives in harmony.

[edit] Terminology: "messianic" and "eschatology"

In the context of "Messianic Age", the earliest meaning of the word "messianic" is derived from notion of Yemot HaMashiach meaning "The Days of the Messiah", that is, the Jewish Messiah, meaning "related to the Messiah" (See also Messiah). Messiah comes from a Hebrew word meaning "The Anointed One", i.e., a person who is "specially appointed and empowered".

Eschatology is an area of religious scholarship that deals with prophecies about "the end of the current age" of human civilization.

[edit] Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Bahá'i

Jewish, Christian, Zoroastrian and Islamic eschatology teach that there will be a "Messianic Age" when the Messiah will come and bring peace and prosperity to the earth. Although the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Old Testament, and the New Testament both clearly describe such a period, the term "Messianic Age" does not appear in the Old Testament or nor in the Apocrypha and is called the "Millennium" in the New Testament. The "Messianic Age" in Islam is described in the Hadith. In the Bahá'í Faith, the "Messianic Age" refers to a 1000-year period beginning with the Declaration of Bahá'u'lláh in 1863. Bahái's believe the period of peace and prosperity is gradually unfolding and will culminate in the appearance of 'The Most Great Peace'.