Apocalypse of Zerubbabel

The groundwork for the book was probably written in the Holy Land between 629 and 636, However, firm evidence of the work's existence before the tenth century is elusive. Saadia Gaon (892–942) and Hai ben Sherira (939–1038), both heads of the Talmudic academies of Babylonia, probably knew the book but never mention it by name. The first publication was in 1519 in Constantinople within an anthology called Liqqutim Shonim. It was reprinted again along with the Sefer Malkiel in Vilna in 1819, and again by Adolph Jellinek in his Bet Ha-Midrasch (1853–77) and S. A. Wertheimer in his Leqet Midrashim (Jerusalem, 1903). The fullest edition of the work was prepared by Israel Levi in his book ''L'apocalypse''.{{cite book Because the book gave an unequivocal date (1058 AD) for the return of the Messiah, it exerted great influence upon contemporary Messianic thought. The book is mentioned by Eleazar of Worms and supposedly by Rashi. Abraham ibn Ezra criticized the book as "unreliable." One edition of the Pirqe Hekhalot gave a figure of 890 years until the return of the Messiah, making the Messianic year 958 AD, within a decade of the birth of Saadia Gaon. That date perhaps led to a message sent by Rhenish Jews to Palestine inquiring after rumors of the Messiah's advent.{{cite book == Contents ==

The sefer describes the eschatological struggle between the Antichrist who is the leader of Rome and the Messiah ben Joseph, who fails in battle but paves the way for the Davidic Messiah who would be the mother of the Messiah ben David, the Messiah ben Joseph, Nehemiah ben Hushiel, will appear but he will be slain by Armilus. In the narrative, Zerubbabel is led to a "house of disgrace" (a church), a kind of antitemple. In the Sefer Zerubbabel, Menahem is Menahem ben Ammiel, and his mother is Hephzibah, the same name as the wife of Hezekiah and mother of Manasseh. Hephzibah plays an important role as she finds and uses Aaron's rod. == See also ==