Messiah

In Judaism and Christianity, the saviour or deliverer. The prophets of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) foretold that a wise and pious man descended from King David would lead and rule over the Messianic age, a time of peace and godliness. Jews from the time of the Babylonian Captivity (6th century BC), have looked forward to the coming of the Messiah. Christians believe that the Messiah came in the person of Jesus, and hence called him the Christ, meaning ‘anointed one’.

There is a minor Jewish tradition that the Messiah will come when all Jews on earth observe the Sabbath for two consecutive Saturdays.

Messiah

A page from an original score of the Messiah by George Frideric Handel, 1741. Using a text compiled by librettist Charles Jennens from the Bible and the Prayer Book Psalter, Handel wrote the work in three parts, representing Christ's birth, death, and resurrection. First performed in Dublin, Ireland, it established the oratorio as a popular form of music in 18th century England.

Oratorio by George Handel (words selected from the Bible by Charles Jennens), performed at the Music Hall in Fishamble Street, Dublin, on 13 April 1742; the first performance in England was at Covent Garden, London, on 23 March 1743. It includes the famous ‘Hallelujah Chorus’. The title of the work is simply Messiah, not The Messiah, as it is frequently called.