Suggested Reading and Resources for the Study of Messianic Prophecy

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“The prophecies are the strongest proof of Jesus Christ.
It is for them also that God has made most provision….”
~ Blaise Pascal (1660) in Pensees, XI: 706
“The main point of contention between Judaism and Christianity on the issue of the Messiah is whether Jesus satisfies the criteria accepted by the rabbinic tradition. From the Christian point of view, Jesus fulfills the predictions about the Messiah in the prophetic writings. From the Jewish point of view, the Christians misread the prophecies, some of which refer to past events while others describe the future in metaphorical terms. The major Jewish objection to Christianity is that Judaism regards the Messiah as a human being, and the Christian deification of a person constitutes idolatry. Moreover, since none of the events predicted for the messianic era have come true, Jews cannot accept the Christian claim that the world has been redeemed or that the Messiah has come”-What Do Jews Believe?: The Spiritual Foundations of Judaism by David S. Ariel

INTRODUCTORY ONLINE VIDEOS

  1. “16 Prophecies That Prove Jesus Is The Messiah” (8-Part series on the John Ankerberg Show featuring Dr. Walter Kaiser and Dr. Darrel Bock): “Is Jesus the Messiah?” *

    . This is a great series for someone who really wants to get an in-depth understanding of the most important prophecies. I highly recommend it. It is hard to imagine a better team of scholars for this subject. FREE!

  2. “My Search For Messiah” (2-Part Series produced by Day of Discovery). Dr. Michael Rydelnik shares his story of how he grew up as a Jew and came to know that Jesus is the Messiah prophesied in the Torah, by looking closely at several key messianic prophecies. *Part I (26 min);  *Part II (26 min) FREE!
  3. “In Search of Messiah” (22 min). Dr. Michael Brown discusses individuals whom the Jews have claimed to be the Messiah and compare them with Jesus. FREE!
  4. “Isaiah 53: Who Is the Servant?” (5 min). A roundtable discussoin with Dr. Michael Rydelnik, Dr. Michael Brown, Dr. Walter Kaiser, and Dr. Darrell Bock. FREE!

ARTICLES

  1. Cooper, Brad. “Messianic Prophecy: An Overview” FREE!
  2. Cooper, Brad. “Did The Early Church Invent The Prophecies That Show That Jesus Is The Messiah?” FREE!


BOOKS

  1. Ankerberg, John, Walter Kaiser and John Weldon. The Case for Jesus the Messiah. ATRI Publishing, 2014. 
  2. Baylis, Albert H. From Creation to the Cross. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996. Previously published by Multnomah Press (1986) under the title On the Way to Jesus.
  3. Beale, G.K. Handbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament: Exegesis and Interpretation. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2012. 
  4. Brown, Michael L. Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus (Volume 1). San Francisco: Purple Pomegranate Productions, 2010.
  5. Eastman, Mark and Chuck Smith. The Search for Messiah. Costa Mesa, California: The Word For Today, 1996.Available to read FREE online. 
  6. Fruchtenbaum, A.G. Messianic Christology: A Study of Old Testament Prophecy Concerning the First Coming of the Messiah. Tustin CA: Ariel Ministries, 1998.
  7. Frydland, R. What the Rabbis Know About the Messiah: A Study of Genealogy and Prophecy. Cincinnati: Messianic Jewish Resources International, 2002.
  8. Kaiser, Jr., Walter C. Mission in the Old Testament: Israel as a Light to the Nations. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2000.
  9. Lockyer, Herbert. All the Messianic Prophecies of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973.
  10. Newman, Robert C., ed. The Evidence of Prophecy. Hatfield, Pennsylvania: Interdisciplinary Biblical Research Institute, 1990. Chapters 9-11 deal with Messianic prophecy. Chapter 9 gives an overview of messianic expectation in ancient Judaism and then compares the New Testament model of messianic interpretation with other ancient Jewish interpretations. Chapter 10 looks at the timing of Messiah’s coming as given in Daniel’s prophecy of the seventy “sevens” (9:24-27). The “sevens” are interpreted as Sabbath-year cycles. I found this treatment to be much more satisfying than the “prophetic year” approach. And chapter 11 examines Isaiah 53. An excellent synopsis of the passage is given and then it is shown that neither Israel nor other proposals fit this prophecy but Jesus does. (Chapter 2 compares Biblical prophecy with pagan prophecy. Chapters 3-5 focus on the prophecies of the destruction of Tyre, the conquest of Palestine, and the fall of Ninevah. And chapters 6-8 deal with prophecies related to the history of Israel.)
  11. Strobel, Lee. The Case for the Real Jesus. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007. Challenge #5 (p.189ff) of Strobel’s book includes an excellent interview with Dr. Michael Brown. This would be a good place for anyone to start in their investigation of Messianic prophecy, and there is plenty of insight here for even someone who is more advanced in their understanding of Messianic prophecy.
  12. Walvoord, John F. The Prophecy Knowledge Handbook. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1990. The main benefit of this book is that the Appendices list every prophecy of the Bible, including the reference of the prediction and the reference/info of its fulfillment. (These appendices are 122 pages of 3-column format. And as a bonus for our purposes, all of the messianic prophecies are noted with an asterisk.) This book was re-published by David C. Cook in 2011 under the title Every Prophecy in the Bible.
  13. Webster, William. Behold Your King: Prophetic Proofs That Jesus Is The Messiah. Battle Ground, WA: Christian Resources, 2003.
  14. Wright, Christopher. The Mission of God’s People: A Biblical Theology of the Church’s Mission. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010.

INTERMEDIATEONLINE COURSES
Goldberg, Louis. “Messianic Prophecy” (nearly 12 hours) FREE!


BOOKS
(You would also benefit from a knowledge of Biblical Hebrew/Greek.)

  1. Beale, Gregory K. and Donald A. Carson, Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007.
  2. Berding, K. Three Views on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Counterpoints: Bible and Theology). Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008. FREE pdf download of the first section.
  3. Boyrian, D. The Jewish Gospels: The Story of the Jewish Christ. New York, NY: New Press, 2012. 
  4. Briggs, Charles Augustus. Messianic Prophecy: The Prediction of the Fulfillment of Redemption through the Messiah. New York: Charles Scribners Sons, 1902. FREE download.
  5. Brown, Michael L. Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus (Volumes 2-5). San Francisco: Purple Pomegranate Productions, 2010.
  6. Browne, Edward Harold. The Fulfilment of the Old Testament Prophecies Relating to the Messiah, in the Person, Character, and Actions of Jesus of Nazareth. A Dissertation which Obtained the Norrisian Medal for the Year 1835, in the University of Cambridge. Cambridge, 1836. FREE download.
  7. Collins, John J., Adela Yarbro Collins, Karin Hedner-Zetterholm and Jan-Eric Steppa. The Messiah In Early Judaism and Christianity. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007. 
  8. Collins, John J. The Scepter and the Star: The Messiahs Of The Dead Sea Scrolls And Other Ancient Literature. New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, 1995.
  9. Delitzsch, Franz. Messianic Prophecies in Historical Succession. Edingburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1891. Translated by Samuel Ives Curtiss. FREE download.
  10. ——————. Messianic Prophecies: Lectures. Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1880. Translated by Samuel Ives Curtiss.FREE download.
  11. Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah (2 volumes). New York: Longmans, Green, and Co.: 1900. Only part of this work is dedicated to Messianic Prophecy. Of special note is Chapter V: “What Messiah Did the Jews Expect?” (Vol. 1: p.160-179), Appendix VIII: “Rabbinic Traditions About Elijah, The Forerunner of the Messiah,” and Appendix IX: “List of Old Testament Passages Messianically Applied in Ancient Rabbinic Writings.” FREE download.
  12. —————–. Prophecy and History in Relation to the Messiah. New York: Longmans, Green, and Co.: 1901. Reprinted by Baker Book House in 1980. The Warburton Lectures for 1880-1884. FREE download.
  13. France, R.T. Jesus and the Old Testament. Regent College Publishing, 1992. Not strictly about messianic prophecy but part of the book does deal with how Jesus interpreted the Old Testament prophecies about himself.
  14. Groningen, Gerard Van. Messianic Revelation in the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1990.
  15. Hoehner, Harold W. Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1977, 2010. Chapter VI: Daniel’s Seventy Weeks and New Testament Chronology
  16. Juel, Donald. Messianic Exegesis. Philadelphia: Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2009.
  17. Justin Martyr. Dialogue With Trypho, A Jew. (c.160 A.D.) Justin was a Christian philosopher and apologist of the mid-second century A.D. “…the Dialogue with Trypho, is the first elaborate exposition of the reasons for regarding Christ as the Messiah of the Old Testament, and the first systematic attempt to exhibit the false position of the Jews in regard to Christianity.” (1:297, Coxe, Ante-Nicene Fathers, Sage Software Edition, 1996). The first 8 chapters of this work describes Justin’s pursuit of philosophy and his conversion. Then he begins answering Jewish objections about Christians not keeping the Old Testament laws. In chapter 31, he begins giving detailed responses related to messianic prophecy. (Chapters 55-63 deal with Jewish objections to the Incarnation–and Justin’s view seems to be quite Arian!) FREE download as  part of the Ante-Nicene Fathers….or here.…or you can find a document that contains only the Dialogue here.
  18. Justin Martyr. First Apology. (c.150 A.D.) Chapters 31-42, 45, 48-53. FREE download.
  19. Kaiser, Jr., Walter C. The Messiah in the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995.
  20. —————– . Recovering the Unity of the Bible: One Continuous Story, Plan, and Purpose. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009.
  21. —————–. Uses of the Old Testament in the New. Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2001. Not strictly about messianic prophecy but about how New Testament writers interpreted the Old Testament, including messianic prophecies. A good study in hermeneutics.
  22. Leathes, Stanley. Old Testament Prophecy: Its Witness as a Record of Divine Foreknowledge. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1880.These were the Warburton Lectures for 1876-80. FREE download.
  23. ——————. The Witness of the Old Testament to Christ. London: Rivingtons, 1868. These were the Boyle Lectures for 1868. FREEdownload.
  24. Longenecker. Richard N. Biblical Exegesis in the Apostolic Period. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999.
  25. Pascal, Blaise. Pensees. (1660). This is a classic work of apologetics. Pascal died before he could finish it; but his friends gathered his notes together and published them. In the edition found at CCEL (link below), the following sections relate to messianic prophecy: X: Typology, XI: The Prophecies, and XII: Proofs of Jesus Christ. Read for FREE online here…or FREEdownload of text and/or audio here.
  26. Payne, J. Barton. Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy. Grand Rapids:  Baker Book House, 1980. Covers all predictive prophecy in the Bible–all 8,352 verses! (approximately 27% of the Bible). Also, there is a complete list of messianic p
    rophecies in “Summary C” (pages 665-670).
  27. Porter, Stanley. The Messiah in the Old and New Testaments (McMaster New Testament Studies). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2007.
  28. Riehm, Eduard. Messianic Prophecy: Its Origin, Historical Growth, and Relation to New Testament Fulfillment. Edinburgh: T.&T. Clark, 1876. FREE download.
  29. Rydelnik, Michael. The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic? (NAC Studies in Bible & Theology). Nashville: B&H Academic, 2010.
  30. Skarsaune, O. In The Shadow Of The Temple: Jewish Influences On Early Christianity. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2002.
  31. Stearns, Oakman Sprague. A Syllabus of the Messianic Passages in the Old Testament. Boston: Press of Percival T. Bartlett, 1884.FREE download.

ADVANCED BOOKS
(You would also benefit from a knowledge of Biblical Hebrew/Greek.)

  1. Bauckham, R. Jesus and the God of Israel: God Crucified and Other Studies on the New Testament’s Christology of Divine Identity. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing House, 2008.
  2. Beale, G.K. A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011. Two scholars on this subject for which I have deep respect both independently pointed me to Beale’s work as their number one choice. The long list of praise for this book by evangelical scholars on Amazon is quite impressive. I definitely hope to get a copy of one of Beale’s books soon. This massive volume contains 1072 pages.
  3. Bird, Michael. Are You the One Who Is to Come?: The Historical Jesus and the Messianic Question. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009. 
  4. Bock, Darrell L. and Mitch Glaser. The Gospel According to Isaiah 53: Encountering the Suffering Servant in Jewish and Christian Theology. Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic & Professional, 2012. 
  5. Bock, Darrell L., Herbert W. Bateman and Gordon H. Johnston. Jesus the Messiah: Tracing The Promises, Expectations, And Coming Of Israel’s King. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2012. Synopsis of book from Amazon: “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 Messiah presents 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.” Eric Chabot says this is the best book on messianic prophecy yet.
  6. Doukhan, J. On The Way To Emmaus: Five Major Messianic Prophecies Explained. Clarksville, MD: Lederer Books, 2012.
  7. Driver, S.R. and A. Neubauer. The Fifty-third Chapter of Isaiah According to the Jewish Interpreters. Oxford: James Parker & Co.: 1877. FREE download.
  8. Patai, Raphael. The Messiah Texts. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1986. I have not read this book, but it was recommended to me and all ten Amazon reviewers give this book a raving 5 stars. Based on those reviews, this book seems to be a great resource for researching the diversity of concepts of Messiah that were held by the ancient Jews.
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