Jesus the Messiah: Tracing the Promises, Expectations, and Coming of Israel's King

Bateman, Bock, and Johnston have definitely filled a gaping hole in this crucial area with their new work and done so artfully while specializing in their respective fieldsOld Testament, second temple literature, and New Testament. It is about time we have a detailed discussion on this important area from evangelical scholars bridging this whole time period. Their discus- sions are nuanced and carefully worded, avoiding many pitfalls of either extremes and yet providing a very readable and clear work. Especially helpful is their progressive development in which they have highlighted crucial themes related to the Messiah throughout the biblical and non-canonical works. Whether one agrees or disagrees with all of their conclusions, there is no doubt that they have provided a workable, clear foundation in this area that will spawn many lively discussions into the future.

See All

I like the authors’ distinction between a text’s original, contextual meaning and the canonical significance ultimately given to it, and their progression from Old Testament to New via second temple Jewish literature.

See All

Many lay readers of Scripture and scholars have been waiting for a book like this, which sets a new standard and establishes a new method for exploring themes in biblical theology. The authors systematically examine the written evidence for the growth of the messianic hope in Israel, exploring in order the witness of the First Testament, Jewish writings from the second temple period, and the New Testament. Resisting the impulse to impose later visions of the Messiah upon earlier texts, they have offered a fair and balanced picture of a gradually revealed but vibrant and persistent thread of biblical be- lief. Thoroughly researched, logically organized, and lavishly illustrated, this volume represents the finest full length treatment of the subject available.

See All

The authors provide a masterful synthesis of the teaching of the Messiah in the Old Testament, the context of Judaism, and in the New Testament. By intentionally addressing the contextual, canonical, messianic, and christological readings of all the key texts, and asserting how these grew and developed in their interpretation into the Christian era, these three scholars, each with expertise in expounding the message of the relevant texts, provide the reader with a clear path for understanding the fulfillment of the messianic expectation in Jesus Christ as more than just a collection of diverse prophecies. The work demonstrates the messianic message as woven through the text of Scripture and finding unique fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth. This is the most useful work to date on the subject.

See All