rest of the prophetical books (1 Ki, 3) (Song, 7,8,17,18) (Ps, 72) (Dan, 9:26) (Am, 9:11-21). It was through this period that the term messiah came to be associated with the concept of a savior in Jewish religion, it is important to note, however, that this early concept of a messiah does not make any reference to a prophet. Instead, it refers to a king, which is more of a military figure than a religious one. Therefore, this early concept is vastly different from the modern Christian belief of a messiah, which entails an eschatological figure. However, it serves as a foundation for the concept of an ultimate savior/prophet.The prophecy that predicts the coming of the messiah at the end of the world, Christians believe, is rooted in the Apocrypha. For example, in 2 Esdras 12:32-9 it states that the Messiah will arise from the offspring of David at the end of days and sit upon his seat in judgement, reproving the wrong and freeing the right. This passage clearly shows the distinction between the power of an ordinary prophet and a messianic one. The implication of the Christian concept of messianism is that there is a hierarchy. Likewise, the idea of a hierarchy appears to be the consensus among both religions, each having their own beliefs as to who the greatest prophet is. For example, Hebrew scripture depicts Moses as the archetypal prophet (Deut, 34:10-11), while Christian gospels assert that Jesus is the greatest of prophets, or as his Greek epithet "Christ" claims: the Messiah (Mk, 14:61-2). Which claim is right, is again immaterial; what is relevant is the assertion that there is an ultimate prophet, from this we can classify these prophets in tiers of authority. I propose this suggestion by stating that there are three general classifications; those who preach and preach only (Jonah, Amos, etc.), those who take action and are permitted physical powers (Elijha, Elisha, Samuel), and those who Judge, or are God like (Moses, Jesus). ...
