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When did the 'coming of Moshiach' become a thing in Judaism? When was it first discussed in Jewish literature?

Did people in the times of the first or second Beis Hamikdash think that life as they know it and live it everyday is the ultimate purpose of creation? That the world would continue forever as it was going then?

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    Based on the fact that Rabbi Akiva held that Bar Kochbah IS the Messiah, apparently not much.
    – Al Berko
    Commented Jul 12, 2019 at 10:56
  • Interestingly the Torah says nothing explicit about it, the Messianic interpretations appeared long after the destruction of the Second Temple. The Messianic prophecies scattered all over Na"ch are also unfortunately too vague to be the source of knowledge (as opposed to beliefs). It appears that the "final redemption" was not a subject in Judaism up until it emerged in other religion(s).
    – Al Berko
    Commented Jul 12, 2019 at 11:04
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    THis is the time when the sages took a clear cut, declaring the belief in the Messiah a [one of] principle of Judaism. Personally, I suspect that the main reason for that was to differentiate the Pharisees (the Rabbinical Judaism) from other Jewish sects.
    – Al Berko
    Commented Jul 12, 2019 at 11:17

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Ezra (2-63) said, "וַיֹּאמֶר הַתִּרְשָׁתָא לָהֶם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יֹאכְלוּ מִקֹּדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים עַד עֲמֹד כֹּהֵן לְאוּרִים וּלְתֻמִּים" Rashi explains, "עד עמד כהן וגו' - כאדם האומר לחבירו עד ימות המשיח לא יעלה דבר זה". Rashi adds, "ואיני יכול לפתור עד עמוד כהן לאורים ותומים בבית שני לפי שמצינו בפ"א של יומא שהיה בית שני חסר מאורי' ותומים". The מצודת דוד follows this explanation, but the Ibn Ezra does not. Rashi in Kiddushin (69B) repeats his explanation. The Rashba ibid. points out that this finds its source in the תלמוד ירושלמי (4-1), "עד עמוד כהן לאורים ותומים. וכי אורים ותומים היו באותה השעה בבית שני אלא כאדם שהוא אומר עד שיחיו המתים. עד שיבא בן דוד. "

In summary, according to the explanation of the תלמוד ירושלמי and of most commentators, as Ezra was bringing his group of Jews from Bavel to rebuild the second Beis Hamikdash, he made a reference to the times of Mashiach, which would come after the era of the second Beis Hamikdash. So we see, that the jews of the second BH did not view themselves as living in the ideal, complete, and final state of being.

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