MESSIAH. 363 MESSINA. intcrprptation of tlio Bible, lie died c.800 a.d., tliou'di his followers believed him to be still liv- in" and destined to return in the uiipointed time. In llliO l):ivi<l Alrui, of Amadia, Persia, pro- olainied liimself to be the Jlcssiah in Azer- baijan. His plan was to use the weakness of the caliphate for the establishment of .a free Jew- ish State, and he attracted to himself large masses of Jews; but he was murdered by his father-in-law before lie could carry out his vast enterprise. A Messianic cult-community, the Mcnahemites, cherished long his memory and ideal. Abrahain ben Samuel Abulafia. of Sara- gossa, announced himself as the Messiah in 1280. He was a mystic, and occupied himself much with cabbalistic speculations. The expulsion of the Jews from Spain drove many earnest minds to the prophetic writings. Even such a states- man as Isaac Abarbanel wrote works in which he announced that 1503 would be the year of re- demption. In the sixteenth century David Reu- bcni and Solomon Molko appeared in the role of the Messiah. The former pretended to be the brother of a prince reigning in Arabia, and was received with great honor by Pope Clement VII. The latter, born in 1.500, was a Clnistian who became a convert to .ludaism and seems to have sincerely believed in his mission. He is said to have prophesied accurately the inundation of Rome in 1.5.30 and the earthquake in Portugal in 1531, and thereby gained a great reputation. He was .saved from death in Rome by Clement VII. substituting another man for him, but suf- fered martyrdom courageously in 1532. His fol- lowers long lielieved that he had escaped death this time also. The most important Jlessiah after Solomon Molko was Sabbathai Zewi { 1G26- 76). He was born in Smyrna, and belonged to a family of Spanish Jews. His brother was the agent in Smyrna of an English mercantile house, and through him Sabbathai became acqiiainted with the speculations of Christian pietists who expected the second advent of Christ in 1000. He was an eager student of cabbalistic works. His personality was very attractive, and in all lands .Jews were drawn to him and accepted him as their heaven-sent leader. The enthusiasm was boundless, and the hope of a return to Palestine filled thousands of hearts. Sabbathai intended to abrogate the law, establish a new code based on the Cabbala, introduce the doctrine of a Trin- ity consisting of three persons — the Ancient of Days, the Messiah, and the female Shechinah. In the year 1600, however, he was ordered to appear before the Turkish authorities at Con- stantinople. Here he finally abandoned the Jew- ish faith and became a Moslem. The disenchant- ment was great, but a sect of Sabbatians con- tinued to honor him as the Messiah. It is ob- vious that the Messiahs of Judaism have some- times been mystics, obeying what seemed to them a divine call, sometimes political leaders taking up a heroic struggle for liberty, sometimes men of personal ambition and unscrupulous methods. But .Tews, Cliristians, and !Mohammedans owe I much moral vigor and spiritual uplift to the I Me.ssianie hope. I BiBLioGR.xpiiT. Bertholdt. Chrlsfologia JudfE- onim (Erlangen, 1811) ; Orelli, Die altiestament- I liche ^ycissagll)lp (Vienna, 1882) ; Riehm, Die
- messianiitrhc Weissarruvfi (Gotha. 1885)
- De-
1 litz.sch, Mrxxianischc Wcia.inriunrien (Leipzig, I 1890) ; Volz, Die vorcxilische Yahicc-Propliefie Vol. XIII.— 21. iiiid (ler Messias (Gfjttingen, 1S97) ; Hiihn, Die mess-ianischeii M'cissagungen (Freiburg, IS'J'J) ; Castelli, // Mcssia secumlo gli Ehrei (Milan, 1874) ; Colani, Jesus Christ et Ics croyances messianiqtics de son temps (Paris, 1802); Ver- nes, Uistoire des idees incssianiqucs (Paris, 1874) ; Drummond, The Jeuisli Messiah (London, 1877); Stanton, The Jewish and the Christian Messiah (Edinburgh, 1880); Briggs, Messianic Prophecy (Xew York, 188G) ; id., The Messiah of the (Jospels (Xew York, 1895) ; Dalman, Der leidende nnd der stei-beitdc Messias (Leipzig, 1888) ; Wiinsehe, Die Jjciden des Messias (Leip- zig, 1870) ; Graetz. Gesehichte der Judcn (Leip- zig, 1888-1902) J Bacher, Die Agada der Tan- naiten (Strassburg, 1884-90) ; Die Agada der palest inensischen Amoriier (Strassburg, 1892- 99) ; ^'ebe^, Jiidisehe Theologie (M ed., Leipzig, 1897); Hamburger, "Messiasse," in Real-Ency- elopddie des J udent ums Cl^n-pzig, 1890) ; Schmidt, The Son of Man and the Son of God in Mod- ern Theology (New York, 1903) ; Bousset, Die Religion drs Judentums (Berlin, 1903) ; West- cott, Introduetion to the Study of the Gospels (Cambridge, 1800). MESSIAH, The. ( 1 ) A poem by Alexander Pope, which appeared in the Spectator, May 14, 1712. It is a sacred eclogue, imitating Vergil's Pollio. (2) An epic poem by Klopstock (q.V. ). (3) An oratorio by Handel, composed in 1741, and given first in Dublin, April 13, 1742, in aid of charity. The words were arranged by Han- del's friend Charles .Tennens. This ever-popular masterpiece may be described as a musical counterpart of ililton's Paradise Lost. MESSIDOB, mes'se'dor' (Fr.. from Lat. mcs- sis, harvcr-t + Gk. SQpov, dOron. gift). The tenth month of the French Revolutionaiy Calen- dar, beginning on .June 19th in years one to seven, and on .June 20th in years eight to thir- teen. MESSINA, mes-se'na (anciently Messana). The capital of the Province of ilessina. and, after Palermo, the most important city of Sicily. It is in the northeast comer of the island, on the Strait of Messina, 59 miles by rail northeast of Catania I Jlap : Italy, K 9) . It is situated between a sickle- shaped harbor on the ea.st, with its two sightly lighthouses, and a chain of abrupt conical peaks on the west, rising to a height of 3700 feet. The climate is very even. The mean temperature is 00° F. IMessina is substantially built, is forti- fied, and has some fine lava-paved thoroughfares, which afford views of the bay and of Calabria across the strait. The city itself has no very famous attractions for sightseers, having retained few of its striking antiquities, owing to a rather calamitous career. It has suffered especially from earthquakes. The most interesting struc- ture is the cathedral, dating from Xorman times (1098). Little of the original edifice, however, remains; it is a mixture of different architectural periods. Among the leading secular edifices are the municipal palace, completed in 1829, and the Villa Rocca Guelfonia. with Xorman remains. The museum in the Convent of San Gregorio contains a few paintings, some niai-bles and other antiquities, and a collection of majolica vases. The fish .of the neighboring waters are highly esteemed, as well as the Mamertine wines of the district. The manufacturing interests are not
