What do you think?
Rate this book
Christ Before the Manger: The Life and Times of the Preincarnate Christ
This is the most biblically based, theologically sound, and spiritually helpful work on the person and attributes of the preincarnate Christ to appear in many years. Norman L. Geisler, Southern Evangelical Seminary An unusually thorough and helpful treatment of a greatly neglected but vital subject. Donald K. Campbell, President, Dallas Theological Seminary This work addresses an area of neglect in the study of the person and work of Christ, and its publication is overdue. Readers will find interesting insights into this significant part of the life of Christ which will help them evaluate the Gospels as well as establish their basic view of Christ himself. John S. Walvoord, Chancellor, Dallas Theological Seminary
300 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 12, 2019
I got this years ago at a used book store. I read it in a couple days, and it's not a surprise to me that it isn't in print anymore. The title is "Christ Before the Manger," and he has a few chapters focusing on Christ in the Old Testament (more on that below!), but overall it's just a book about certain aspects about who Christ is. For the most part the theology is solid, but it isn't that deep. One would do much better to read Reeves' *Rejoicing in Christ* or Jones' *Knowing Christ* instead.
But...there was one excellent chapter! And it made the whole book worth it. And that was the chapter on the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament. He basically proves (in my opinion) with three multilayered arguments that the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament was the second person of the Trinity, the Son. It's compelling, fascinating, and I believe extremely biblical. Makes me stand even more in awe of Christ and his plan of salvation!
The chapter about Jesus' divine names was decent too, but it is all worth it for the Angel of the Lord chapter! Besides that, skip.
But...there was one excellent chapter! And it made the whole book worth it. And that was the chapter on the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament. He basically proves (in my opinion) with three multilayered arguments that the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament was the second person of the Trinity, the Son. It's compelling, fascinating, and I believe extremely biblical. Makes me stand even more in awe of Christ and his plan of salvation!
The chapter about Jesus' divine names was decent too, but it is all worth it for the Angel of the Lord chapter! Besides that, skip.
February 11, 2026
Excellent contemporary read
When I read a book and find myself wanting to highlight virtually all of it I know that I have met with something that is giving me the application of things which I've read the Bible and need to remember in a more concise way.
What I like about Ron Rhodes writing is that it is in the contemporary language that we understand now and written in such a way that we can apply things that we've learned in the past and can say that, "it all makes sense now."
His writing is clear, concise, documented with scripture references and offers clear explanations as well as quotes from other authors and Bible teachers.
When I read a book and find myself wanting to highlight virtually all of it I know that I have met with something that is giving me the application of things which I've read the Bible and need to remember in a more concise way.
What I like about Ron Rhodes writing is that it is in the contemporary language that we understand now and written in such a way that we can apply things that we've learned in the past and can say that, "it all makes sense now."
His writing is clear, concise, documented with scripture references and offers clear explanations as well as quotes from other authors and Bible teachers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews