This book traces the history of the idea that the king and later the messiah is Son of God, from its origins in ancient Near Eastern royal ideology to its Christian appropriation in the New Testament. Both highly regarded scholars, Adela Yarbro Collins and John J. Collins argue that Jesus was called “the Son of God” precisely because he was believed to be the messianic king. This belief and tradition, they contend, led to the identification of Jesus as preexistent, personified Wisdom, or a heavenly being in the New Testament canon. However, the titles Jesus is given are historical titles tracing back to Egyptian New Kingdom ideology. Therefore the title “Son of God” is likely solely messianic and not literal. King and Messiah as Son of God is distinctive in its range, spanning both Testaments and informed by ancient Near Eastern literature and Jewish noncanonical literature.

Two respected Old Testament scholars offer a fresh, comprehensive treatment of the messiah theme throughout the entire Old Testament and examine its relevance for New Testament interpretation. Addressing a topic of perennial interest and foundational significance, this book explores what the Old Testament actually says about the Messiah, divine kingship, and the kingdom of God. It also offers a nuanced understanding of how New Testament authors make use of Old Testament messianic texts in explaining who Jesus is and what he came to do.

Identification of the Royal Psalms by Herman Gunkel indicates that the history and genre of the Royal Psalms must be distinguished from the Enthronement Psalms that are written to celebrate Yahweh's Kingship from those written to celebrate Davidic kingship. In reference to this, Joachim Becker argues against the presence of messianic Davidic Psalms in the Old Testament and posits that the initial hope in Davidic kingship died out during the exilic period and consequently centered Israelite faith in Yahweh alone. It may thus be concluded that Yahweh's Kingship effaces the place of the Davidic Messiah. Against this claim, The Messianic Kingship of Jesus argues that the early Christian use of Psalm quotations in particular suggest that the Royal and Enthronement Psalms were viewed as one entity which suggests that Yahweh's reign and Davidic kingship in Jewish-Christian thinking were not antagonistic but mutually complementary. Within the synoptic tradition, Matthew's emphasis on Davidic heritage supports this notion as he applies 'Son of David' to the 'Son of God' and also 'Son of Man.' Therein lies 'paradoxical tension' in the use of the old Jewish Scripture as early Christians, on the one hand, sought to preserve their Jewish legacy but, on the other, creatively employed the Old Testament to support their christological message and the divine attributes of Jesus expressed in the Gospel. The entire process of quotation by Matthew generates one of the major characteristics of Judeo-Christian religiosity; namely, the manifestation of divine redemptive activity in the history of Israel.

An academic study that suggests the Old Testament was written to be read as a work that reveals direct messianic prophecies.

Few books have sought to exhaustively trace the theme of Messiah through all of Scripture, but this book does so with the expert analysis of three leading evangelical scholars. For the Bible student and pastor, Jesus the Messiahpresents a comprehensive picture of both scriptural and cultural expectations surrounding the Messiah, from an examination of the Old Testament promises to their unique and perfect fulfillment in Jesus' life. Students of the life of Christ will benefit from the authors' rich understanding of ancient biblical culture and pastors will find an indispensable help for understanding the unity and importance of the ancient promise of Messiah. This handsome volume will be a ready reference on Messiah for years to come.

What would it be like for modern readers to sit down beside Jesus as he explained the Bible to them? What life-changing insights might emerge from such a transformative encounter? Lois Tverberg knows the treasures that await readers willing to learn how to read the Bible through Jewish eyes. By helping them understand the Bible as Jesus and his first-century listeners would have, she bridges the gaps of time and culture in order to open the Bible to readers today. Combining careful research with engaging prose, Tverberg leads us on a journey back in time to shed light on how this Middle Eastern people approached life, God, and each other. She explains age-old imagery that we often misinterpret, allowing us to approach God and the stories and teachings of Scripture with new eyes. By helping readers grasp the perspective of its original audience, she equips them to read the Bible in ways that will enrich their lives and deepen their understanding.

In this ebook download of Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus, Lois Tverberg challenges readers to follow their Rabbi more closely by reexamining his words in the light of their Jewish context. Doing so will provide a richer, deeper understanding of his ministry, compelling us to live differently, to become more Christ-like. We'll begin to understand why his first Jewish disciples abandoned everything to follow him, to live out his commands. Our modern society, with its individualism and materialism, is very different than the tight-knit, family-oriented setting Jesus lived and taught in. What wisdom can we glean from his Eastern, biblical attitude toward life? How can knowing Jesus within this context shed light on his teachings for us today? In Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus we'll journey back in time to eavesdrop on the conversations that arose among the rabbis of Jesus' day, and consider how hearing Rabbi Jesus with the ears of a first-century disciple can bring new meaning to our faith. And we'll listen to Jewish thinkers through the ages, discovering how ideas that germinated in Jesus' time have borne fruit. Doing so will yield fresh, practical insights for following our Rabbi's teachings from a Jewish point of view.