Er Rachid Ben Rochd

The Messiah Er Rachid Ben Rochd

This theme, 'the Messiah', interests us in more than one way. It is, first of all, a traditional notion that crosses the ages and goes beyond the barriers of history and geography so that we find it present, both in ancient civilizations and in populations of our current world. The expectation of 'the providential man' is an idea rooted in religious cultures and even in the subconscious, both the individual and the collective, so that it can provoke, at any moment, upheavals unexpected of the established order. By limiting ourselves to our Abrahamic traditions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), we see the obvious presence of this notion of Messiah and we can follow its evolution and its ramifications from the beginning of the Semitic tradition to the present day. . From a masterly Jewish imagination, from a triumphant messiah, a great warrior like David, and a powerful ruler like Salomon, this notion of Messiah has been reduced, in Christianity, to the dramatic image of a suffering, hopeless messiah nailed pitifully on a cross. On this pathetic image, which has become universal, we can not pass without marking a pause, a moment of reflection, a moment of meditation. More than two thousand years have passed since events which, from the historical point of view, have gone unnoticed, but which has eternalized this pathetic image and, while the life of this crucified person has been completed for centuries, millions of Christians and even of Muslims, believe that he is not dead, that he has rather ascended to heaven and is waiting for his descent to the present day. This example alone gives us an idea of how powerful this notion of Messiah is . Let's get on well, this is not the mythology or the search for some 'illuminated' of the past or the present. For us, the Messiah, it means something specific. He is first of all a 'predestined man' who, after having had a particular formation, manages to acquire supernatural knowledge and superhuman power. The appearance of such a man, in a context where injustice and tyranny reign, can provoke a real upheaval of the established order. This important phenomenon, which is constantly repeated throughout the long history of humanity, remains shrouded in mystery, and we must devote our reflection and study to it. We have for this, two guides that complement each other on certain points, each of them having its own value: The Bible and the Koran. How do these two books deal with this subject What do they say about Messiah This is in a brief way, the question to which we will try to find an answer.