This entry follows Scholem’s investigation of historical forms of messianic expectation within Jewish traditions. It names neither one immutable belief nor the essence of all Jewish thought. Texts and movements articulate different expectations.
Expecting redemption within history can generate tensions among tradition, rupture, renewal, and political action. Scholem investigates these through textual and historical materials. Philosophical interpretation and historical documentation are distinct operations.
Benjamin’s messianic language belongs to a related milieu without simply reproducing Scholem. Their correspondence records divergent interpretations of materialism and theology.
The term is not offered as a prediction of future events. Nor does every radical political transformation automatically count as messianic: the particular text, expectation, and historical movement must be specified.