Just as Moses was brought up in the house of Pharaoh among the enemies of his people, so also will Messiah dwell in the city of Rome*, among the destroyers of his land. [Exodus Rabbah, Chap. I; Tanhuma, Shemoth, 8, and Tazri’a, 8. Cf. also Sanhedrin 19b.] [i]
* Constantinople, the capital city of Roman Empire, was given the name “Nova Roma” in Latin, i.e. “New Rome” by Constantin I in 324.
Just as Moses was raised in the House of Pharaoh in Egypt, so the Messiah will be in Rome. [Kohelet Rabbah, I, 9][ii]
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi meets Elijah the Prophet and asks, “… Where can I find Mashiach?” Elijah tells him, “Go to the gates* of Rome and there you’ll find him.” [Talmud Sanhedrin 98a]
* 50 gates exist on Constantinople city walls.
[i] (Messianism in the Talmudic Era, Leo Landman, Ktav Publishing House Inc., New York, 1979, s. 29)
[ii] (Messianism in the Talmudic Era, Leo Landman, Ktav Publishing House Inc., New York, 1979, s. xxxi)
