The notion of two Messiahs—one priestly and one kingly—is an erroneous innovation without basis in Scripture or authentic tradition. There is one Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, Who is fully Priest, fully Prophet, and fully King. This is clearly set forth in the prophecy of Zacharias. “Thus saith the Lord Almighty; Behold the man whose name is The Branch; and he shall spring up from his stem, and build the house of the Lord. And he shall receive power, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both” (Zacharias 6:12-13). Clearly, Zacharias does not speak of two persons, but of a single Messiah who simultaneously occupies the priestly and royal offices.
The Apostles recognised only one Messiah, who is the fulfilment of all Old Testament prophecy. Saint Peter said, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know most certainly that God hath made both Lord and Christ, this same Jesus whom you have crucified” (Acts 2:36). The entirety of the Apostolic witness testifies that the priestly sacrifice and the kingly rule are unified in the single person of Jesus Christ. To suggest otherwise is to diminish the unique and all-encompassing nature of Christ’s redeeming work, and to reject the clarity of the prophetic testimony which was fulfilled in one Messiah, one Lord, and one King, Jesus Christ. Any self-proclaimed “Christian” who teaches otherwise is a heretic.
The teaching of two Messiahs—a suffering “Messiah ben Joseph” and a victorious “Messiah ben David”—is a later invention of rabbinic Judaism. This idea arose largely as an attempt by rabbis to resolve perceived contradictions in prophetic passages. Unable or unwilling to accept Jesus Christ, who perfectly fulfilled both roles of suffering servant (Isaiah 53) and conquering king (Psalm 2; Daniel 7), the rabbis developed an artificial interpretation that divided the Messiah into two separate figures.
The Church from the beginning, guided by the Holy Spirit, unequivocally proclaimed Christ as the sole Messiah who fulfilled all prophetic expectations through His incarnation, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension. The Apostolic teaching does not admit of multiple Messiahs, but clearly and authoritatively announces Jesus alone as the Messiah—both priest and king, suffering servant and triumphant Lord. Thus, the rabbinic invention of two Messiahs is a human tradition lacking divine sanction, a misunderstanding born from rejecting Christ, the true Messiah of Israel and of all mankind.
God bless you +
Fr. Charles
19 May 2025
