Rabbi Akiba’s Messiah: The Origins of Rabbinic Authority

It is not easy to overestimate the significance of the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Because of its long-term consequences, it may well be considered the greatest tragedy in Jewish history.
The disaster was further compounded by the fact that Rabbi Akiba, the father of rabbinic Judaism, proclaimed Bar Kokhba, the leader of the rebellion, to be God’s Anointed, the Messiah. For almost nineteen hundred years, people have asked, as Franz Rosenzweig expressed it, “Why did even the wisest teacher of his age fall for the false messiah, Bar Kochba, in the time of Hadrian?”
This book answers that question. Akiba’s proclamation appears to be a well-reasoned decision that was completely consistent with the whole thrust of his life ­ the establishment of rabbinic authority over all Israel.