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Book Review: Knowing Christ in the Old Testament

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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Book Review: Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament

Submitted to Dr. Homer Heater, Professor of Biblical Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of

OBST 515 –D11
Old Testament Orientation I

by

Wuan D. Miller
November 29, 2014

Introduction

Christopher J. H. Right, author Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament, is an Anglican clergyman and an Old Testament scholar. A Ph.D. graduate of Cambridge, he currently is the Director of International Ministries for the Langham Partnership International. Wright records at least ten years prior to the release of this work, three things inspired him to research this topic; his students at Union Biblical Seminary who listened to his initial thoughts; John Goldiway’s articles related to the Old Testament and Christian faith; and a friend, Jim Punton, who personally requested that he write a book on how the Old Testament influenced Jesus. Thus, Wright explores the connection between Jesus and the Old Testament with the intention of showing how his identity, mission, and values are interwoven within its metanarrative. In doing so, he prefaces this work with his conviction that “the deeper you go into understanding the Old Testament, the closer you come to the heart of Jesus.”[1] While there is much to be gained from Wright’s work, a critical examination of the underlying themes will reveal a need for further evaluation of critical theological foundations for understanding Jesus in the context of the Old Testament.
Summary

Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament was written in order to help the reader understand the relationship the between Jesus and the long history of the Hebrew bible.
The author develops five critical perspectives from which a clear picture of Jesus’ redemptive role is expected. Key passages from

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