For centuries, people have been waiting for the redeemer sent by God to come down to the sinful earth and save humanity. More than once in history, those who called themselves such a savior, but always disappointed, were waiting for people. In Judaism and Christianity, the one who was to give the people salvation was called the messiah.
Who is called the Messiah
Translated from Aramaic, “messiah” literally means “king” or “anointed one”. Jews, considered to be the chosen people, sacredly believed in the word given by the prophets. It stated that God would someday send them the blessed Savior, the true king of mankind. Christians believe that Jesus Christ became this deliverer. Characteristically, “Christ” in Greek also means “messiah”.
The Messiah is commonly called the Anointed One, since the anointing with oil, that is, olive oil, was part of an ancient ceremony. This rite was carried out in antiquity when the next monarch was enthroned or ordained as a Jewish priest. The ancient Jews firmly believed that the true king, who is a descendant of King David, would be sent by the Creator in order to free Jews from oppression and power from other nations.
But there is a wider understanding of God's purpose. Religiously minded people believed in those ancient times that the coming of the messiah was necessary for the realization of the salvation of mankind granted by God. But from what exactly did people need to be saved? According to biblical tradition, a person needs salvation because he has undergone the fall. This made it impossible to implement the divine will leading to goals that a mortal man could not comprehend completely.
