Christopher J.H. Wright Essay -- Religion, Jesus, Old Testament

IntroductionIn the book by Christopher J.H. Wright, Knowing the Nazarene Through the Old Testament, the agent argues the very existence of Jesus Christ in the New Testament is portrayed within the Old Testament. Wright writes, the deeper you go into understanding the Old Testament, the closer you leave behind come to the heart of Jesus (ix). Wright explains many Christians love Jesus, but do not know much about the Scriptures that He read. This is the powers goal of the book, bringing the readers to a deep understanding of the Old Testament and gaining a great understanding of Jesus. The purpose of this review is to summarize and critique Wrights charm along with presenting the strengths and weaknesses of the book.Wright has a profound love for the Old Testament Scriptures and wants to portray that to his readers. Wright studied Old Testament economic ethics for his doctorate at Cambridge, England. His book, immortals People in Gods Land came from his doctoral work. His pas sion for the Old Testament is demonstrated by two other flora that focus on God the Father and the Holy Spirit in light of the Old Testament. SummaryWright asserts the understanding of Jesus starts with Matthew 118. It is the previous 17 verses that most do not regard as it is just a list of names. These names, Wright says, are part of a much larger story and without recognizing these names one cannot fully understand Jesus (1). The story is that of the Old Testament and the genealogy links the Old and New Testaments together. Wright says, The Old Testament tells the story which Jesus completes (2). Wright continues to break down the genealogy and reaches back to Abraham to proclaim that through Abraham, all nations of the earth will be blessed (4). Th... ... of Jesus while trying to become his true identity (142-158). Less space could have been given concerning the names of Jesus while still reflecting the point Wright was trying to convey. While more filth is covered than nee ded, the author, as Long states, presents the information in an engaging manner.ConclusionWright brings his readers through the Old Testament so they can have a greater understanding of Jesus. He presents the information in an engaging manner, but at times Wright can overstate his purpose. Pastors and lay people alike can arrive at from reading Wrights book as he brings people closer to Jesus by deepening their understanding of the Old Testament. This review has outlined the strengths and weaknesses of the authors book to give readers an insight into Wrights theological perspective of the Old Testament in light of the New Testament.