of the crime of Lot's daughters:174 'It is not written "that we may preserve a son from our
father," but "seed from our father." This is that seed which is coming from another place.
And who is this? This is the King Messiah.'175 176
173. Ber. R. 23, ed Warsh p. 45 b.
174. Gen. xix. 32.
175. Ber. R. 51 ed. Warsh.
p. 95 a.
176. I am, of course, aware that certain Rabbinists explain the e xpression 'Seed from
another place,' as referring to the descent of the Messiah from Ruth - a non-Israelite. But
if this explanation could be offered in reference to the daughters of Lot, it is difficult to
see its meaning in reference to Eve and the birth of Seth. The connection there with the
words (Gen. iv. 25), 'God hath appointed me another Seed,' would be the very loosest.
That a superhuman character attached, if not to the Personality, yet to the Mission of the
Messiah, appears from three passages, in which the expression, 'The Spirit of the Lord
moved upon the face of the deep,' is thus paraphrased: 'This is the Spirit of the King
Messiah.'177 178 Whether this implies some activity of the Messiah in connection with
creation,179 or only that, from the first, His Mission was to have a bearing on all creation,
it elevates His character and work above every other agency, human or Angelic. And,
without pressing the argument, it is at least very remarkable that even the Ineffable Name
Jehovah is expressly attributed to the Messiah. 180 181 The whole of this passage,
beginning at p. 147 b, is very curious and deeply interesting. It would lead too far to
quote fact becomes the more significant, when we recall that one of the most familiar
names of the Messiah was Anani - He Who cometh in the clouds of heaven. 182
177. Ber. R. 2; and 8; Vayyikra R. 14, ed. Warsh. vol. iii. p. 21 b.
178. I am surprised, that Castelli (u. s. p. 207) should have contended, that the reading in
Ber. R. 8 and Vay. R. 14 should be 'the Spirit of Adam.' For (1) the attempted correction
gives neither sense, nor proper meaning. (2) The passage Ber. R. 1 is not impugned; yet
that passage is the basis of the other two. (3) Ber. R. 8 must read, 'The Spirit of God
moved on the deep - that is, the Spirit of Messiah the King,' because the proof-passage is
immediately added, 'and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,' which is a Messianic
passage; and because, only two lines before the impugned passage, we are told, that Gen.
i. 26, 1st cla use, refers to the 'spirit of the first man.' The latter remark applies also to
Vayyikra R. 14, where the context equally forbids the proposed correction.
179. It would be very interesting to compare with this the statements of Philo as to the
agency of t he Logos in Creation. The subject is very well treated by Riehm (Lehrbegr. d.
Hebr. Br. pp. 414 -420), although I cannot agree with all his conclusions.
180. Midr. on Lament. i 16, ed Warsh. p. 64 a, last line comp. Pesiqta, p. 148 a; Midr. on
Ps. xxi. and the very curious concessions in a controversy with a Christian recorded in
Sanh. 38 b.
181. The whole of this passage, beginning at p. 147 b, is very curious and deeply
interesting. It would lead too far to quote it, or other parallel passages which might be
adduced. The passage in the Midrash on Lament. i. 16 is also extremely interesting. After
the statement quoted in the text, there follows a discussion on the names of the Messiah,
and then the curious story about the Messiah having already been born in Bethlehem.