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GCSE Religious Studies · key term
A hoped-for era of peace, justice and knowledge of God. Jews differ over whether it will be brought about by an individual Messiah or through humanity’s collective action.
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Paper 1
Revise: Role of the MessiahThe Messianic Age is the hoped-for era of peace and justice associated with this expectation. The distinction matters: the Messiah is a person, whereas the Messianic Age is a condition of the world. Jews can therefore share hope for a better world while disagreeing about whether a particular person will bring it about.
Paper 3
A hoped-for future time of peace, justice and harmony. Orthodox Jews traditionally expect the Mashiach to bring it; many Reform Jews emphasise humanity’s work in partnership with God.
Revise: MessiahThe Messianic age is the hoped-for future time of peace, justice and harmony. Isaiah 2:4 describes nations turning weapons into farming tools and no longer learning war. This gives a concrete picture of the hope: resources used for destruction would instead sustain life.
Distinguish the Messiah, an expected individual, from the Messianic Age, an era of peace and justice.
For an influence question, connect a belief to an action: expecting the Messiah encourages prayer for his coming; believing people must build the Messianic Age encourages work for justice.
Distinguish the Mashiach, a person in traditional belief, from the Messianic age, a future time of peace and justice.
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