¶ … Christopher Wright's book
In contemporary times, many modern and post-modern Christian churches and denominations focus almost explicitly on deconstructing passages in the New Testament to reinforce the value of Jesus and his effect on Christianity. As such, there has been a dearth of emphasis on the Old Testament and its role in not only facilitating the New Testament, but also in influencing the life and position of Jesus as the Messiah. Christopher Wright, who holds a doctoral degree from Cambridge in Old Testament ethics and has authored a number of books related to the Old Testament's place in Christianity, has written another book that attempts to rectify this oversight. Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament focuses on the continuity between both testaments of the Bible to demonstrate their collective impact on Jesus. The Christ did not operate in a vacuum; to the contrary, he was part of a lengthy lineage of prophets and individuals who God established covenants with to establish his will, his land, and his religion. The author attempts to emphasize the value of the Old Testament in influencing Jesus and Christianity as it is known today.
Summary
Wright's approach to proving this particular point is decidedly systematic. Approximately the first 50 pages of this work of literature are devoted to contextualizing the Old Testament and establishing its preeminence as a source for the New Testament and Christianity. It was during the Old Testament that the tradition which Christ would eventually continue was first established, most eminently with Abraham. Abraham was the first prophet whom God selected to give birth to the nation of Israel; it was too Abraham that God promised to deliver many children, land, and prosperity. This particular covenant helped to set the stage for the rest of the covenants in the Old Testament, which included God's pacts with David and Noah, among others. Essentially, Wright establishes the fact that Jesus was part of a tradition of Old Testament figures favored by God as the foundation for the premise of the entire book. It is also important to realize that in establishing this groundwork for the rest of the book, Wright is emphasizing the commonalities between Israelites or Jews and Christians. The information about Abraham in particular reinforces the notion that the lineage of these two different religions is the same. In doing so, he is successfully able to convey the sentiment that the Old Testament does not apply simply to Jewish people, but to Christians as well.
In approximately the next 50 pages of the book, the author explains how even though God established a covenant with different representatives (Abraham, David, Jesus and others), it was always the same covenant and was simply using a new vehicle (or person) to further the same goal. This is aspect of the book is vital to the author's argument, since it enables readers to understand that their belief in Jesus is simply an extension of the belief of others in Abraham. Whatever distinctions that people may consider between the Old and the New Testament, between God's affiliation with David, Abraham and Jesus are not important -- all of these individuals simply helped to establish Christianity and, most importantly, the situations and circumstances that would result in the glory of God's son, Jesus. Write explicates the fact that the birth and passion of Christ is the fulfillment of the original promise that God made to both Abraham and David -- a key idea which emphasizes the continuity among these individuals, God's presence in the world, and between the Old and the New Testaments.
In the remainder of the book, the author focuses on various facets in the life of Jesus that demonstrate just how integral the Old Testament was to his maturity and to his gaining the requisite knowledge and understanding of the divinity within him to fulfill his role as the savior of the world. This final portion of the book is perhaps the most convincing for Wright's premises, since he offers key passages in the Bible in which Jesus invokes and studies the Old Testament. Moreover, the wisdom he has attained from these books in the Bible assist him a great deal. The author widely implies that in such a way Jesus is merely fulfilling the prophecies of the Old Testament by realizing the divinity within himself and ascending as the righteous son of God.
Critical Interaction
It is quite clear that Wright is merely an evangelist of the Old Testament's importance. Such a statement is not made to belittle...
Book Of Job and the Questions of Suffering The Book of Job and the Question of Suffering The religions of the ancient near East were mostly polytheistic. Its history spans more than two millennia, from the Bronze Age to the early Iron Age. There are various sub-religions that make up these religions of the ancient near east they include; Assyro-Babylonian religion, Canaanite religion, Egyptian religion, Minoan religion and many more. These religions
Book Of Revelations Millennial Views and the Book of Revelation The Book of Revelations -- the final segment of the New Testament -- is a particularly contentious and divisive section of the Bible; considerable ambiguity exists surrounding whether to interpret the scripture literally or metaphorically, and the episodes described often seem especially fantastical. Moreover, the author's rhetoric leaves room for multiple interpretations, resulting in the reader drawing unverifiable interpretations. Acknowledging the caveat
The book highlights the actions of the divine, rather than the actions of man. However, if one takes the historical interpretation of the Book of Revelation, the moral content is not lessened. It then stands as an example of what happens to one if they continue to act in a certain way. It is another example of God's punishment and wrath for those that do not obey his word. In
Book v Market Understanding Financial Concepts in the Real World: Book Value v. Market Value in MAKO Surgical Corp Few economic events in recent memory have thrown the basic concept of book value vs. market value into sharper relief than the dramatic and ongoing changes in home prices across the country. Many homeowners found themselves "underwater" or "upside-down" on their mortgages, meaning that they owed more money for their homes than they
Book of Psalms is a unique book of the Bible. More than any other book of the Bible, it is a personal testament of faith, an intimate communication between the author and his God. Its flowery, poetic style of writing sets it apart from most of the other books of the Old Testament. With the possible exception of Song of Songs, the book of Psalms is a series of lavish
Book of Job - Biblical Allegory Job's tale is one of the most accessible Biblical allegories. An honorable, just, pious man loses everything: his ten children, his wife, his entire estate, and on top of it all is inflicted with a horrendous skin disease that leaves him crippled. All this was done as a challenge and a test of his faith. The Book of Job opens with a conversation between God
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now