THE MESSIAH IN THE OLD TESTAMENT in the Light of Rabbinical Writings

by Risto Santala

"This book about the Messianic Old Testament prophecies in the Light of Rabbinical Writings has already seen five Hebrew editions in Israel. It is the first study written in modern Hebrew by a gentile scholar. ... The writer is stepping into the lion's den of the Rabbis and into the fiery furnace of the liberal theologians. But he hopes that others will follow him and promote a similar dialogue in the spirit of tolerance and spiritual democracy." (back cover of book)

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9654470020
• ISBN13: 9789654470025
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Keren Ahvah Meshihit
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Sages Expected the Messiah

Santala's valuable research has uncovered in many ancient rabbinical writings the articulated Messianic hope of the Jewish people. Notwithstanding the issue of whether Jesus fulfilled Jewish Messianic expectations, the fact remains that Jewish rabbis found promises of the Messiah throughout the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings. Examination of how the Jewish Sages interpreted Scripture reveals that the many metaphors that Jesus used to define his person and mission had already been identified in the Old Testament by the Rabbis. So, when Jesus identified himself as the Light of the World, he knew and his listeners knew that Rabbis had determined that the "Light" of Genesis 1:3 and Isaiah 9:2 referred to the Messiah. Santala's survey is an invaluable aid for Old Testament studies.