: THE JEWISH AND THE ORIGINS AND DATING OF THE SEFER ,?_ERUBBAVEL

JOSEPH

I

The relationship between and in the early cen­ turies of the Christian era is one of the most fascinating chapters in the history of . Many bonds united them in the beginning of their separate histories, and many remained in the following cen­ turies. They differed in many points, but even then, very often, the common starting-point is discernible. This is especially true for the vast subject of , because of the centrality of this element in their respective faiths; indeed, even the word Christianity, used to distinguish between Judaism and its daughter-rival, is linguistically identical with the term "messianism"; the same biblical term, , is the root of both terms, the difference being that the Hebrew word retained the Hebrew version of the term, whereas the Christian one preferred its Greek, version. The concept of Antichrist is an integral part of the messianic concepts of both religions, and its study is indispensable for the understanding of the eschatological and apocalyptic components in both of them. Antichrist, like the Messiah, is essentially a historical concept, con­ cerned with the role of leadership. The language of messianism is the language of history, dealing with the impact of leadership­ usually conceived as being of divine origin-on the history of the universe, and often bringing the historical process to its ultimate end. The language of messianism is distinctly different from that of mysticism. Mystical language usually denies itself and refrains from presenting a coherent historical message. 1 Messianism, on the other

1 See the important recent discussion of the subject of mystical apophatic lan­ guage in: A. Sells, Mystical Languages ef Unsaying, Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 1995; compare the articles collected in the volume: Mysticism and Language, edited by Steven T. Katz, Oxford: OUP 1992; J. Dan, "In Quest of a Historical Definition of Mysticism: The Contingental Approach," Studies in Spirituality 3 (1993), pp. 58-90. A detailed chapter on the relationship between 74 JOSEPH DAN hand, even in the most obscure and seemingly incoherent apoca­ lyptic texts, does present a concept of history which conveys a mes­ sage concerning the future, and which demands that the attention of the public be directed to a linguistically communicated idea to be followed. The mystic craves to separate himself from history and unite his soul, in a meta-linguistic process, with the hidden divine realm. The eschatologist lives within history and craves to commu­ nicate his own concept of the approaching end of history to his religious society. Antichrist, like the Messiah, is a historical leader whose role demands communication with society; the language of anti-messianism, like the language of messianism, cannot therefore remain apophatic. I started to study the subject of Antichrist many decades ago for two reasons: first, I was surprised and disheartened by the fact that so little could be found-at that time-in the library of scholarly books and articles dealing with early Christianity on this subject; it seemed to be deliberately neglected. The second reason was the clear statement by , never denied by subsequent Christian writers, that is a Jew from the tribe of Dan.2 I felt that, if nothing else, I should write at least an article about this sub­ ject. My thanks are presented, therefore, to the Princeton Institute of Advanced Study and its seminar on messianism which gave me the opportunity to carry out this early promise to myself. I soon came to realize that in this case, like in many others, the understanding of a complex, religious and historical problem is dependent on a mundane detailed analysis of texts in their historical setting, no less than on ingenious theological generalizations. The following thesis

mystical and messianic languages included in my On Sanctity (Hebrew), : Magnes Press 1997. 2 lrenaeus, Adversus haereses 5, 25-30. The subject has been presented in detail recently in a study by C.E. Hill, "Antichrist from the Tribe of Dan", Journal qf Theological Studies, NS, vol. 46 (1995), pp. 99-117. Hill presents the various views of the first Church Fathers on the Jewishness and the geographical origins of the Antichrist figure. Various suggestions have been presented by Hill and others (see esp. Emmerson, note 8 below, pp. 80-82 et passim), concerning the reason for the selection of the tribe of Dan. One aspect neglected in these discussions is the image of this tribe as the origin of great military leaders in Jewish traditions, expressed, e.g., in the fact that was from that tribe. The medieval mystical work, the ,Zahar, nominated Seraya from the tribe of Dan as the commander of the Messiah's armies (see, e.g., ,Zahar III, 194b). An early medieval wanderer, Eldad, from the tribe of Dan, who appeared in Babylonia and presented himself as an emissary from the Lost Ten Tribes, described the great military power of that tribe.