Skeptical

I have been doing quite a bit of research on the NT for the past 6 months and I have read close to a dozen books on the subject along with Internet research and a question came to my mind after some my reading.

What was the Jewish view of a "messiah" prior to the 1st century CE, and did Jesus meet the criteria?

From what I have seen so far, it seems that the views in the OT all point to a warrior-king as the messiah in the style of David. It also doesn't seem that even this view was "widely" anticipated by the Jews. I have read christian aplogists works' such as the "Case for Christ", and all in all, the argument that Jesus fulfilled the prophecies in the OT seem mostly to rest on a few verses pulled here and there, some of them clearly out of context.

So my basic question is what was the view of Jews regarding the Messiah prior to the 1st century CE, and where can I look for more information on this particular topic.

Secular Pinoy

<a href="http://www.messiahtruth.com" target="_blank">www.messiahtruth.com</a>

Peter Kirby

The following book comes highly recommended:

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0385474571/InternetInfidelsA" target="_blank">The Scepter and the Star: The Messiahs of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Ancient Literature (The Anchor Bible Reference Library)</a>

It is currently sitting on my bookshelf, as yet unread.

There is also a book titled Judaisms and Their Messiahs at the Turn of the Christian Era edited by Jacob Neusner, who is a genuine scholar of Judaica. But it is more expensive and harder to come by. It is in my university library under BM615 .J84 1987.

best,
Peter Kirby

Vorkosigan

I have just finished it. Sober, and useful scholarship. I'll post a review later this week.

Vorkosigan