Fifth Kingdom Expectation
I will have to look up the specific reference among the ancient Roman authors, but the Romans did realize that the Jews were expecting a fifth Kingdom, that would take over the world!
No doubt this was a reference to the Jewish expectation that the book of Daniel's prophecy was about to happen. The four kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome would be conquered by a fifth kingdom. (See Daniel 2 and Daniel 7. The specific time frame would be found in Daniel 9; approximately 500 years after Daniel lived, which would bring the Jews to the first century.)
Of course, the Romans thought it ludicrous that the tiny province of the Jews could ever conquer the mighty Roman Empire!
Messianic Ruler There is no doubt that this Kingdom would be ruled by a Son of David, aka Messiah. Though they didn't expect him to be Divinity of sorts, especially as clearly defined as Jesus presented. That was an unexpected turn of events (as the New Testament has shown).Will have to look up the specific Jewish and Roman references, but this is a summary of the First Century Era cultural/political mindset.
In the mean time, it is greatly beneficial to visit www.christian-thinktank.com/messiah.html, "Messianic Expectations in 1st Century Judaism." The concept of the Fifth Kingdom is tied in with the Jewish concept of the Messiah intimately. So this web-site lists all the Jewish non-Christian writings that can be used to determine 1st century Jewish thinking.
This exhaustive listing includes all references to Messiah in:
- The Septuagint translation
- Jewish Apocrypha
- Jewish Pseudepigrapha
- Dead Sea scrolls
- Works of Philo and Josephus
- The Targums
- Hebrew Bible, as interpreted by Tannaic rabbinical writers
- Historical data on Messianic claimants!
Over 20 pages of quoted passages are given in the following pages. This exhaustive presentation goes a long way in answering the OP's query.
Glenn Miller ended his references with the list of O.T. passages interpreted messianically in Rabbinical writings, given by Alfred Edersheim in his monumental work on the Life and Times of the Messiah (appendix 9). 352 passages were listed!
Summary Statements Mr. Miller added a few summations by scholars, on this topic:
- The notion of a transcendent savior figure under God is perhaps the most significant development in Jewish messianism (broadly defined) in the second century B.C.E. [John Collins, "Messianism in the Maccabean Period, JTM: 101]
- We have numerous early Jewish sources that portray the Messiah, variously, as one who will serve as the eschatological high priest...or as the consummate benevolent and all-powerful king. [Charlesworth, TM:7]
- Expectations of an anointed royal figure began to revive somewhat during the Hasmonean period. The fact that a resurgence had begun is evident in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Ps Sol 17 As noted at the beginning of this chapter, the occurrence of the terms 'messiah' or 'son of David' is still rare in Jewish literature prior to, and contemporary with, the rise of actual popular messianic movements. The very occurrence of the latter is evidence enough of the revival of the tradition of popular kingship.[Horsley and Hanson, BPM: 102]
- We focus upon how the system laid out in the Mishnah takes up and disposes of those critical issue of teleology worked out through messianic eschatology in other, earlier versions of Judaism. These earlier systems resorted to the myth of the Messiah as savior and redeemer of Israel, a supernatural figure engaged in political-historical tasks as king of the the Jews, even a God-man facing crucial historical questions of Israel's life and resolving then: the Christ as king of the world, of the ages, of death itself. [Jacob Neusner, JTM: 275]
- The expectation of a king from the Davidic line, which is dormant for much of the postexilic era, resurfaces after the restoration of native, non-Davidic, Jewish kingship in the Hasmonean period (late second to early first centuries BCE). It then reappears in more than one setting. By the first century CE it can fairly be said to be part of the common heritage of Judaism, [John Collins, SS: 47]
Author's Summation Glenn Miller added his own summation of this topic on the timing of Messianic expectation in Judaism:
If we back up and try to generalize about the above data, we note immediately its diversity. The messianic figure range from king to priest to prophet...And this diversity does not know any geographical boundaries. Palestinian sources are represented as well as Hellenistic Judaism...So it is very easy to document a wide range of messianic expectation and, judging from the explosion of messianic materials in the period 200 BCE-200CE and the wide acceptance of popular messianic leaders, it is very easy to conclude that messianic expectations were widespread.
Now, let me briefly add that if we factor in any of the data from the NT, it will do nothing more than simply confirm what we have already found! In other words, a messianic context for the words and mission of Jesus are by far and away NOT a 'Christian construct'!! Indeed, that a group of 1st century Jews could go out in mid 1st century CE and proclaim some Galilean peasant to be the Messiah WITHOUT THERE ALREADY being a "vibrant" context for that, and have any success at all is absurd! (In other words, they would not have gotten very far if they had had to spend all their time answering the "Huh? what's a 'messiah'?" question! History would have looked quite different under that scenario!
Glenn Miller concluded that not every one was given to the expectation of a Messiah, BUT many people were in anticipation. Not every one agreed on the description and nature of the Messiah, BUT one apparent definition was a "God-man."
What we can affirm is that a messianic expectation (broadly considered) was present in the wide range of Jewish groups that produced literature---throughout the time period---and that for some of them, their expectations for the 'deliverer who shall come forth from Jacob' was intense, theologically-charged, and surprisingly detailed.
It was into this world of mixed hopes, pre-conceived categories, and pre-built eschatologies that Jesus of Nazareth proclaimed that 'the Kingdom of God has drawn nigh'...
[See related question #68358. "What is the original explanation Christian Scholars gave for Jewish prophecies not being fulfilled?"]
