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Messiah in the Old Testament, The | 
 enlarge | Author: Jr., Walter C. Kaiser
Publisher: Zondervan
Category: Book
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Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 37293
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.7
ISBN: 031020030X
Dewey Decimal Number: 232.12
UPC: 025986200305
EAN: 9780310200307
ASIN: 031020030X
Publication Date: August 21, 1995
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Product Description
This detailed chronological study by a noted scholar describes the unfolding Old Testament concept of Messiah.
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Theological View of Messianic Expectations December 18, 2008
This is a review of the book entitled The Messiah in the Old Testament by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. It is one of what appears to be a four book series entitled Studies in the Old Testament; which was prompted by the editors presenting "separate volumes, each devoted to a different theme, issue, or perspective of biblical theology." Another reason given for compiling the short studies in biblical theology was the feeling that Old Testament theology was being neglected and the editors wanted to break down the barriers of encountering such a large book as the Old Testament at one time. It was published in Grand Rapids, Michigan by Zondervan Publishing House; who copyrighted the material in 1995. It comprises ten chapters of material in about 222 pages. It is comprehensive in its references; including a preface, abbreviations, two appendices, author index, subject index, scripture index, and index of Hebrew words. I rather liked the included appendices! One includes a chart of "New Testament Fulfillments of Old Testament Predictions" and the other is a chart of the "Progress of Sixty-Five Direct Predictions of the Messiah in the Promise Doctrine." As I was finishing the book; a co-worker said, "Isn't all that religion all speculation?" The appendices gave me the opportunity to explain that everything I had studied is based in objective historical documentation; as I showed him all the many predictions and promises made about the coming of Christ.
The author begins in chapter one with some critical theories of messianic theology; some asserting that messianic fulfillments are misleading and inaccurate assumptions and others that the Old Testament does not support messianic conclusions. Kaiser then gives seven varieties of theological evaluations that are seemingly inadequate explanations. In example, was one theory named "relecture: that is, the process of reading earlier prophecies in a new way, so that they are filled with new meaning." Kaiser notes that this evaluation was subjective and "could not hold a serious constituency." As I said, this was just one of the cited theological responses to critical messianic theology. Kaiser ends chapter one with a proposal and explanation concerning the interpretation of Old Testament messianic passages and problems in messianic interpretation. One of the key elements held throughout the book is a method of interpretation; which begins with the:
meaning of OT references to the Messiah must reflect the author's own times and historical circumstances, and the meaning must be a meaning that is reflected in the grammar and syntax of the OT text. To deny these two working hypotheses introduces pandemonium into the interpretive process.
Certainly the passages of the Old Testament must have a contextual meaning that the author had originally intended in the day that they were written. This is part of what Kaiser calls the plan of God; which I will explain in a moment. But before I address that; I must say that there is a difference between a `meaning that is reflected in the grammar and syntax of the OT text' and an interpretation that the grammar and syntax of the OT text does not reflect a certain period of history. Too much is sometimes assumed when critical scholars assert that a particular narrative just could not have ever happened because the grammar and syntax does not explicitly and broadly fit into a historical period. Or, for that matter; could not have occurred because of a flat denial that a prophet was incapable or could not be supernaturally endowed with a message that just happened to become truth several hundred years later. Kaiser says:
What was neglected by both sides of this debate was the actual progress of the word between the prediction and the fulfillment as it worked out its fulfillment in the subsequent history of Israel. .... And what the working in history and the working in the distant future shared in common was that the same word spoke both to the immediate future and to the distant future.
Throughout this book; Kaiser is going to explain how biblical passages share this commonality and how each promise of God was chronologically built upon the plan of God. One of the criticism's of critical scholarship is that the unified message of the Bible is diced up into little pieces; when in fact, it should be seen as a unified work. The author of this book says that "one way of conceiving the Bible's own unity .... is to watch how the promise-plan of God unfolds diachronically throughout the biblical text of the OT." Certainly, this is not as simple as I explain it; but Kaiser evaluates the problems associated with interpreting messianic passages such as the "distinction between the sense the prophets attach to their own utterances and what God intended in these utterances." Could it be that the Holy Spirit of God was speaking through these prophets to bring both a fore-telling and forth-telling message into time .... or should we disregard that idea because it presupposes the supernatural?
Throughout the remainder of the book, Kaiser organizes the promise-plan of God first into the Pentateuch and the Psalms; and secondly into a chronology from the ninth and eighth century prophets to post-exilic times. He begins with the proto-evangelium in Genesis 3:15 and proceeds through in commentary style explaining the Noahic, Abrahamic, Judaic, Balaamic, Mosaic predictions. Specific passages are cited for each explanation and he concludes chapter two and this line-of-reasoning with the Book of Job. Not only does Kaiser include a comprehensive number of passages in Psalms that surround the Davidic monarchy; but he mentions in short wisdom literature as well. Many of these OT passages include not only specific titles or descriptions of the Messiah; but how much different or similar that He is to biblical characters. In chapter 6, Kaiser brings two hermeneutical principles to mind as he helps us to understand the promise-plan of God. The first is an "inaugurated eschatology, in which the writers of Scripture embody a "now" along with a "not-yet" aspect to many of their predictions about the future" and the second is that of "corporate solidarity, wherein there is an oscillation and a reciprocity between the whole community and the individual." Kaiser mentions these for good reason and uses them throughout the book to explain how promises develop from plan. I state this with the spirit of Kaiser's book in mind, as he wants to develop not only a chronology; but a "diachronic" unfolding of truth. In each century, the author reveals prophets predictions of the coming Messiah. In the ninth century was Joel; the eighth, Hosea, Amos, and Micah. The author devotes the entire chapter seven to Isaiah; and states: "Isaiah is second only to the book of Psalms as the favorite OT book from which the early church drew its predictions of what happened to Christ." In fact, chapters 3-6 are comprised mostly of commentary and references in the Psalms. In the chapter concerning Isaiah, the author continues describing names attributed to the Messiah like "branch," "stone," "teacher." Further, and in addition to others; there is an explanation of the Messiah as "servant." The seventh and sixth century prophets include Nahum, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Here in this chapter is an emphasis on the teaching that the coming Messiah would be divine, yet human; further that He would be both a king and a priest. Kaiser re-enforces his theme by developing a description of the Messiah when he says: "The Shepherd, then, will be a ruling and reigning prince in the line of David;" which is a later continuation of "The name (`The LORD Our Righteousness') surely signifies that the Messiah is divine." In other words, in a short few passages; Kaiser develops the idea that the Messiah is a righteous and divine ruling-reigning shepherd. The post-exilic prophets include Haggai and Zechariah; the latter being of larger content of the two. Kaiser mentions that Zechariah "is one of the most frequently quoted OT books in the NT...." Essentially, Kaiser's book is a commentary-like collection of specific messianic prophecies; which is both helpful for a comprehensive in-depth study of the doctrine as a whole, or for a thoughtful Bible study on one passage relating to the whole. The book may be a little bit scholarly for the average Bible reader to be interested in because of the commentary-like style surrounding the specific passages. But, except for a couple of points that probably could have used greater clarification; it is easy enough to read for anyone interested in a deeper study of the Scripture, and who has little exposure to this subject matter. Without getting too far in depth, one of the examples of needing greater clarification would be the opening to chapter one; in which Kaiser opens with an examination of definition of a Christian. It is unclear at the outset what the writer wants you to believe, what he believes, or what the definition has to do with the topic about to be discussed. In fact, it is not until the third paragraph that one begins to have some clarity about the opening of the book. It is then that one recognizes a debate concerning interpretation and definition; of which the author discusses in the following section.
In Kaiser's concluding comments: I must agree, as I may have before my reading of Kaiser's book; that "it is impossible for us to conclude with Joachim Becker that "there was not even such a thing as messianic expectation until the last two centuries B.C." But I think that he mentions Becker to not only make a point of disagreement; but to bring attention to the fact that even the most critical scholars have doubts about the truth. The conclusion of the book discusses differences in exegetical biblical theology concerning the way that people interpret and understand Scripture. Kaiser explains that we must not allow faith to turn us away from understanding the historical aspects of the Old Testament; nor must we become sickened by a chopping up of history that we abandon faith (that is based upon that history). Finally, Kaiser talks about continuity/discontinuity between testaments; and what I mentioned briefly earlier on in my synopsis, the supernatural fulfillment of prophecy. One of the authors' concluding remarks concerning fulfillment was the challenge of God to the idols: "If you are truly deities, then say something about the future and how events will turn out...."
Good survey of the OT messianic prophecies December 16, 2003
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
This book is a quick survey of the major messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. Actually, I found the first chapter on how to interpret messianic prophecy the most helpful chapter in the book. Kaiser rejects the double fulfillment approach that many have taken with the prophecies of Christ's first coming. He makes a case for the Christocentric interpretation being the the primary interpretation in each case study. I do not always agree with this approach, as his interpretation of Isaiah 7:14 is less than satisfying.But in most instances, his interpretations are very good, and you can perceive Kaiser's strong evangelical faith in the volume. Recommended.
Fascinating study of the Messiah in the Old Testament! November 22, 2002
27 out of 27 found this review helpful
Walter Kaiser, Jr. has given us a very rich study regarding the Messiah. His study is very specific and unique. He focuses only on passages that deal with direct prophecies/predictions of the coming Messiah. He steers clear of typology, which can sometimes be too subjective. His approach is chronological. He begins with the Pentateuch and shows us the foundation of predictions of the Messiah that God revealed in the earliest of His revelations. He proceeds to show the reader how subsequent writers of Holy Scripture built upon this foundation and developed themes of the Messiah (e.g. Prophet, Priest, King, Servant, etc.). He follows prophecies of the Messiah through different eras of Israel's history. When he gets to the prophets themselves, he groups them by the century in which they prophesied. So, the earliest parts of this book give us prophesies of the Messiah in the order that they come in our English translations of the Old Testament. The prophets, however, are not necessarily addressed in our biblical order, as their works do not appear in chronological order in our English transations. I wish I could say this study was for everyone - I do believe it would be beneficial reading for everyone. Kaiser's study is deep, and sometimes technical. It helps to have a basic understanding of hermeneutics (biblical interpretation) before beginning this book. There are a couple of places where he discusses aspects of Hebrew grammar - the gist is attainable if the reader will press on through these brief sections. So, it is readable, but some things will be outside the grasp of the average reader. Kaiser does not overwhelm one with the technical aspects of his research, but it is sometimes present. There is another aspect of this book that may trouble some readers. Kaiser deals with the Hebrew text. In some places his conclusions are based on personal translations that imply that the English translations are actually mistranslations. Certain groups of Christians, especially the "King James" only crowd, will have problems with this approach. Kaiser seems to tackle the subject with a belief in the inspiration of Scripture, but not with the belief in the inspiration of the translators of Scripture. I agree with him at this point, but am concerned that it may cause difficulties for young believers. From the other reviews of this book, it is evident that some Jewish people will have problems with this study. It is unfortunate. Kaiser makes little attempt to convert anyone - it is not an overt aspect of his work. He simply examines the evidence and writes about his findings. Some of the passages he examines are obscure, some are more commonly understood as referring to the Messiah. Kaiser is not shy about quoting from the Jewish Targums, those that predate the life of Jesus, and showing where pre-Christian Jewish understandings of the Messiah were. All in all, this is an excellent study. I came away from this book with a deeper knowledge of how thoroughly God predicted the coming Messiah to the Jewish people. I appreciate more deeply the atoning sacrifice of the Messiah - His death in my place. Kaiser does not connect all the prophecies to their corresponding fulfillments in the New Testament. When I taught a series based on Kaiser's work I traced every New Testament connection that I could find. It is almost overwhelming to see how the New Testament shows Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah. Such a study will enrich one's faith!
 Superb and Convincing! February 18, 2002
4 out of 21 found this review helpful
This is an excellent and very informative book filled with pertinent facts for the discerning Jew, Christian or anyone else interested in learning the evidence as it points to the true Messiah. The review below notwithstanding. God's chosen people--gimme a break. This is the year 2002 and I wouldn't be surprised if the Messiah lands in Israel and smites her for her arrogance. Embrace the blessed truth and humble yourselves before it's too late. Shalom!
 Why go to so much trouble? September 24, 2001
6 out of 41 found this review helpful
I am Jewish and I read this book and like most attempts by Christians to convert me I found the author's arguments unconvincing. The Tanach is very clear about what the world will be like once the Messiah has come and it is patently clear that this has not happened. And if there is to be a second coming, why not a third or a fourth? The problem Christians face in converting Jews is cultural not theological. The only Jews who would be susceptible to the arguments set out in this book are those who are totally estranged from their own Jewishness. Any self-respecting Jew with a modicum of religious knowledge will not be convinced by the arguments set out in this book. Give it up missionaries! The Jews are G-d's chosen people, a Light Unto The Nations, and this Light will remain bright until the end of time (despite missionary attempts to dim it). Instead of trying to convert Jews, you should encourage them to become observant Jews and you should yourselves observe the 7 Noachidic Laws so that the Messiah really does come. Books like this only delay the coming of the Messiah.
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