A messiah is an individual appointed by God to a specific task of importance, and elevated to a level of far greater authority than a prophet by leading (or claiming to lead) a group or movement. The movement comes to be uniquely centered on his or her teachings, and the messiah claims spiritual and temporal authority over its followers. This book is an examination of both males and females in the Judeo-Christian heritage (excluding Jesus of Nazareth) who either claimed to be the messiah, were viewed by contemporaries as such, or are considered by a significant number of scholars to have been motivated by messianic goals.

The work is arranged chronologically, with details about messiahs from before Christ through the dawn of the technological age at the end of the nineteenth century. It covers nearly 100 individual messiahs, including such Old Testament figures as King Hezekiah and Herod the Great, as well as later messiahs both obscure and historically renowned (even Queen Elizabeth I and King Charles I were touted as messiahs by certain devoted followers). Meticulously researched, the book includes an extensive bibliography.