Christianity began with the belief that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. As far back as the eighth century B.C., the prophets of the Old Testament expressed their conviction that some day a leader would arise in their midst, and under his guidance a kingdom of justice and righteousness would be established on earth. During the centuries that followed, this belief was modified in various ways but was never completely abandoned. Three different stages can be noted in the development of the messianic idea: prophetic messianism, apocalyptic messianism, and revolutionary messianism. All three concern the earthly establishment of the kingdom of God, the ultimate goal of history or the final realization of the divine purpose in regard to the destiny of the human race. The three types of messianism differ from one another in respect to the time and manner of their accomplishments.
Prophetic messianism taught that the earthly kingdom of God would be reached with the coming of the Messiah, or anointed one. He would be an actual king who would reign over the Israelite nation and direct its affairs in such a way that the evils in society would be overcome and peace and happiness would be the lot of all.
When Saul was chosen as the first king of Israel, supposedly he was anointed with oil by the prophet Samuel in the presence of a multitude of people. This important ceremony symbolized the hope that this anointed one would be the Messiah under whose leadership the divine purpose would be realized. Saul's reign was a disappointment, and when things were going rather badly, David was chosen to be king in place of Saul. In many respects, David's reign was more successful. Later generations looked back upon it as a kind of golden age in the history of the Israelite people. The hope for the coming of the Messiah was emphasized more and more in the teachings of the prophets. Because so many of Israel's kings had been disappointing in what they did, the prophets talked about the coming of an ideal king who would appear in the future and do for his people that which other kings had been unable to do. This king, they said, would be like King David. Later, they maintained that he would be a descendant from the line of David, an idea expressed in the writings of the prophet Isaiah.
