Introduction Christopher J. H.

Wright has given us yet another book about Jesus, and it will be the purpose of this paper to review the content that he speaks about in his book and to show that his overall premise in correct. Mr. Wright developed a strong love for the Hebrew scriputres during his life time and the more he studied the Hebrew text the more he began to see Jesus throughout the Old Testament. He began to understand the importance of this text because it was the very scriptures that Jesus himself used and knew. It was from these pages that Jesus shaped his own ientity. Wright knew people need to understand the correlation between Jesus and the Old Testament, that is why he composed this book entitled, Knowing Jesus Throught the Old Testament. Brief Summary In this book Wright is seeking to show his readers the correlation between Jesus and the Old Testament. Too many people today look at Jesus in light of the New Testament and forget that he is rooted in the culture and mindset of the Old Testament scriptures. It is for this reason that Wright has set out in this book to educate his readers on the importance of the Hebrew scriptures on Jesus life and ministry. During this process, Wright covers a wide array of topics and ideas in his book. One of his goals is to show show how Jesus is rooted in the Old Testament and he does this by showing how Jesus was a Jew and how the Old Testament is His-story. He points out Jesus correlation with the line of David and how Jesus can be seen through the covenants of the Old Testament. Israels history is not something that is isolated and is disconnected with the rest of the worlds history, but it is directly connected to the history of the world and this connection can be clearly seen all throughout the Hebrew scriptures. Wrights main premis is that we form a very obscure picture of Jesus when we view him only in the light of the New Testament. This is

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what is often done in the present age and it desperately needs to be corrected. Wright further belabors this point by connecting virtually everything that we know about Christ to Old Testament teaching. He goes as far as to show that events in Jesus early childhood were events that fulfilled prophecies that were spoken during the times of the Old Testament. An example of this is when Joseph took his new family and fled to Egypt, that was to fulfill Hosea 11:1. Wright takes his readers on a journey of Jesus entire life and stops along the way to point out the places that are in direct correlation to Old Testament teaching. He shows that even as Jesus was tempted in the dessert, it is evident that he was dwelling on the teachings of the Old Testament. These were the very scriptures that he used against Satan. If these scriptures were that important to Jesus during his struggles, and in his ministry, there is no reason that they should not be as equally important today. One of the central ideas that Wright points is that the Old Testament tells the story that Jesus completed. It also declares the promise that he fulfilled, it is where he formed his identity, it is where he formed his mission in which he accepted and passed on, and it teaches moral orientation to God that he lived out and laid as a foundation for obedient discipleship. The other ideas and thoughts that Wright brings up are supportive ideas to these main and central ideas. It all comes down to the fact that there is no Jesus with out the Old Testament. Critical Interaction
a. Do not discuss your agreement or disagreement with Wrights perspective;

instead, try to recognize what the authors points are and what theological issues are prevalent. b. Document your assessment of Wright. If you make a judgment of Wrights opinion, give an example along with a footnote to designate where this can be observed.
c. Where is Wright coming from? Identify his theological and biblical perspectives

on the subject.

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d. What is Wrights goal? e. Does Wright prove his point? Why or why not? How? f. What are the strengths and weaknesses of Wrights arguments? g. Document any published reviews of this book. Explain relevant issues or questions raised by these reviews. h. What important works have been written on this same subject? How does Wright compare to others in terms of content, approach, style, etc.?
i.

How might any person such as a lay reader or pastor use the books ideas in the real world of relationships and ministry? How can he use the books information in his own Bible study/interpretation and ministry? This is where your own perspective is admissible.

II. Conclusion (half-page maximum) a. Bring together all your interactions with the book and wrap up your review by conveying how well you think Wright achieved his goals and to what degree his purpose was achieved.
b. If you are of a different theological persuasion than Wright, how does he conflict

with your preconceptions? c. In what ways does the book make you think? d. With what questions does Wright leave you? Formatting: Make sure your review is formatted in the following manner: Type your review in a Word document. Follow Turabian style (as specified in the Turabian manual) for the review. Use 1 margins all around. Make text double-spaced. Grading: Consult the Book Review Rubric to see how you will be graded.

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