Two mysterious bull figures, a firstborn shor and a rem, feature in 1 Enoch 90 and in Deuteronomy 33. All agree that the figures in 1 Enoch speak of the Messiah. But what about those in Deuteronomy? Could they be about the Messiah too? Here I argue that they are. In fact, they speak about a Josephite Messiah, that is, a Messiah ben Joseph.
Josephite Messiah
A Dying and Rising Josephite Messiah in 4Q372
What is the Dead Sea Scrolls Text called the Joseph Apocryphon (4Q372) really about? I propose here that it is about a dying and rising Josephite Messiah.
A Josephite Messiah in 4QTestimonia
It is generally recognized that Messianic belief at Qumran was not rigid. Some texts witness to two deliverers. Others are thought to have three: priest messiah, king messiah, and prophet [1]. I wish to suggest here that one text, so far understood as having three deliverers, has in fact four deliverers, and one of them is a Josephite Messiah.