We are continuing in the article from the Jewish Encyclopedia on “Armilus” where it continues to talk about Armilus and Satan, and it says, “However, an entirely different shape and meaning are given to Armilus in some smaller Midrashim dealing with the “latter days.” In the Midrash wa Yosha, which comes nearest to Saadia’s conception, Armilus is taken to be Gog’s successor; but is represented as a monstrosity, bald-headed, with one large and one small eye, deaf in the right ear and maimed in the right arm, while the left arm is two and one-half ells long. His battle with and his defeat by the Messiah, son of Joseph, correspond with Saadia’s account (Jellinek, “B.H.” i. 56; Targum on Isa 11.4; but see Steinschneider, “Hebr. Bibl.” 14.45).”
“A similar description of Armilus is found in “Nistarot R.Simon b. Yohai” (Secrets of Simon b. Yohai), a pseudepigraph, the latest redaction of which can not antedate the first crusade (Steinschneider, “Z.D.M.G.”28.646). The statement found there that Armilus is the son of Satan and of a stone (Jellinek, “B.H.” 3.80) is an interpolation from another source, written in Aramaic, while the book itself is in Hebrew; nor is this curious origin of Armilus mentioned anywhere else in the book. An entirely different conception of Armilus is found in the pseudepigraphs: “Zerubbabel,” “Otot ha Mashiach” (Signs of the Messiah) and “Tefillat R. Simon b. Yohai’ (Prayer of R. Simon b. Yohai). Aside from a few unimportant variants in these three versions, the Zerubbabel seems to show the earlier, shorter form, they agree in the following description of Armilus: In Rome there is a splendid marble statue of a beautiful girl which God himself made in the beginning of the world, according to the version given in “Tefillat R. Simon.” Through sexual intercourse with evil men, or even Satan himself, with this statue, a terrible creature in human form was produced, whose dimensions as well as shape were equally monstrous.”
“This creature, Armilus by name, the Gentiles called him Antichrist, says the “Otot”, will set himself up as Messiah, even God himself, being recognized as such by the sons of Esau, that is, by the Christians. He agrees to accept as his doctrine the Gospels, which the Christians lay before him (“B.H.” 2.60); tiflatam, not tefillotam, signifying something offensive, morally as well as religiously, whereas tefillotam signifies their prayers). Then he turns to the Jews, especially their leader, Nehemiah b. Hushiel, saying, ‘Bring your Torah and acknowledge that I am God.’ Nehemiah and his followers open the Torah and read to Armilus, ‘I am the Lord, they God; thou shalt have no other gods before me.’ But as Armilus nevertheless insists upon being recognized as God by the Jews, and they cry out to him that he is Satan and not God, a bitter battle breaks out between Armilus with an immense heathen army on the one side, and Nehemiah with 30,000 Jewish heroes on the other. This unequal combat ends in the death of the “Ephraimite Messiah” and a million Jews. After an interval of forty-five days, during which the Jews unworthy of the Messianic glory die out (compare the similar statement in reference to the liberation from Egypt found already in the old Haggadah, Mekilta, Beshallah, i., ed. Weiss, p. 29), and the remnant have shown their true worth in sore trials and bitter sufferings in the desert whither they will have fled, Michael will blow his trumpet; then the Messiah and Elijah will appear, gather the dispersed of Israel, and proceed to Jerusalem.”
“Armilus, inflamed against the Jews, will march against the Messiah. But now God himself will war against Armilus and his army and destroy them; or the Messiah, as one version has it, will slay Armilus by the breath of his mouth (Jellinek, “B.H.” 2.51, line 3, where the text is probably corrupt; compare 2 Thes 2.8). According to a Roman legend (see Eusebius, “Chronicon,” pp.283, 284, and Book II. anno 1145), it was an Armilus who presumed to war with Jupiter, and was slain by the latter’s thunderbolt. In the Armilus legend the Messiah takes the place of Jupiter, and her also Armilus is slain by fire and sulphur from heaven (Jellinek, “B.H.” 2.62).”
The article goes on to talk about the later legend of Armilus, where it says, “The alleged descent of Armilus from a stone is a Jewish version of the wide-spread legend connected with the name of Virgil and referring to a statue that became a courtezan among the Romans (Gudemann, “Gesch. des Erzihungswesens…her Juden in Talien, ” pp.221 et seq., 332-333). It is indeed not improbable that this borrowing from the Virgil legend is due to Christian influence. The antithesis, Christ and Antichrist, which is the distinctive feature in the Christian legend of the Antichrist, led already in the tenth century to the opinion that Antichrist also would be the offspring of a virgin and, of course, of Satan (see Bousset, “Antichrist,” p.92, and the description of St. Hildegarde, lib.iii., visio 11., ed Migne, p 716 et. seq.). As to the origin of the name Armilus, whether it is derived from Romulus, the founder of Rome, or from Ahriman, the evil principle of the Persians, Arimainyus=Armalgus (Targum Isa 11.4 and Targum Yer. Deut. 34.3).”
So, as you can see, the term Armilus is another name for the False Messiah in many Jewish writings, and we should be aware of that at the very least. In Part 21, we are going into the story of Haman and Amalek, the perpetual enemy of the Jewish people, based on Exo 17.16. This will be an important profile about the False Messiah and what he will be like. To understand Haman from the Book of Esther, we must start with Amalek, who is known as an enemy of the Jews.
Leave a Reply