Names for the Messiah: An Advent Study

by Walter Brueggemann

In Isaiah 9:6, a divine utterance is given to us using four royal titles Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. "Names for the Messiah" ponders each title and how the people understood it then, how Jesus did or did not fulfill the title, and how Christians interpret Jesus as representative of that title.

Christians have claimed from the beginning that Jesus was the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. In this study, best-selling author Walter Brueggemann tackles the questions: What were these expectations? and Did Jesus fulfill them? "

Genres: Devotional, Holiday, Religion, Nonfiction, Christmas, Theology, Faith

96 pages, Paperback

Published August 19, 2016

About the author

Walter Brueggemann was an American Christian scholar and theologian who is widely considered an influential Old Testament scholar. His work often focused on the Hebrew prophetic tradition and the sociopolitical imagination of the Church. He argued that the Church must provide a counter-narrative to the dominant forces of consumerism, militarism, and nationalism.

Reviews

[Rebecca L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Little Book with a Big Message!

Bruggemann is one of my favorite theologians. I frequently refer to his books when I am preparing for my sermons.

This little book packs a big punch. Bruggemann manages to effectively explain complex theological ideas in a way that is concise and easy to understand. I used this book to teach an adult Sunday School class at my church and everyone really enjoyed it.

This book is one that I will refer to repeatedly. It's a short book but very dense. I used the information in this little book to help me prepare for my Christmas Eve sermon this year. I highly recommend this book for other clergy who are in search of a short but well researched devotional. I also recommend it for adult Sunday School classes, especially if the students are hungry for some deep spiritual exploration.

[Jane Lebak · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Advent devotional taking one week each to review the names given to the Messiah in Isaiah: Wonderful counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

I don't think this is really the best possible introduction to Brueggemann's work. It's kind of complicated in tone but not in subject matter, it that makes sense. It's insightful thought and gives the historical context of the terms and how Jesus fulfilled each of them (although somewhat sideways in some instances.) Overall pretty good. I was introduced to this through my friend's parish Advent devotional.

[Karen (Living Unabridged) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tiny little book but there was a lot packed in it. (Read for Advent 2024)

[SKP · Rating 2 out of 5]

I stuck with this book to the end, because I liked the overall theme. But I felt this book was very theological, i.e. highly intellectual such as something you might use in seminary study, not just a regular Christian wanting a personal Bible study before Christmas. I have a master’s degree, but it is not in religion, and I felt a lot of the explanation and concepts seem to fly right over my head. I don’t think this is designed for personal study by just an everyday person.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walter Brueggemann's Names for the Messiah, with its dive into the titles found in Isaiah 9:6 and their connection to Jesus Christ, is a slim volume with impact. Because everyone associates the verse from Isaiah "For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders, and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" with Handel and Christmas, this book is touted as an Advent study.

(Great) Lent is a good time to read the book, too. For one, Handel wrote The Messiah for the Easter season. In addition, in the Orthodox Church, the book of Isaiah is read during Lent and in the Compline service of Lent we hear these words from Isaiah.

Brueggemann delves into ideas that I've heard in sermons -- that Jesus came as a King or Prince, but not the worldly kind that the people were expecting and that He "threatened the established order -- but also goes beyond what I've heard -- things like Jesus' "notion of "peace" defies all normal notions of any "prince.""

It's a good read, and even though it's a small book, it gives the reader plenty to think on and reflect. I think it would be interesting to read it in a group setting (Bible study), too.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This devotional is written by a thoughtful, well-versed Bible scholar. Even though I’ve been a Christian for decades and feel like I know the Christmas story pretty well, I am learning so many interesting things from Names for the Messiah.

For example, Walter Brueggemann teaches about what the cultural expectation was for a coming king when Jesus was born. A king was expected to have war victories, economic success, agricultural productivity, and social justice. Much like the reign of David or Solomon. That’s what the Jews were expecting in a Messiah.

Then he shows us how Jesus surpassed all expectations as king. He uses two passages from the book of Mark to explain how Jesus “exercises counter-power that refuses the coercive, exploitative power of Rome and instead enacts abundant power that makes life possible.” With this book, I’m digging deeper into Scripture than I ever have before with other Christmas devotionals. If you want to dig a little deeper than usual, you’ll enjoy learning from this book.

I received a free review copy of this book from Netgalley.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars and rounding up because Brueggemann and my small group

Advent 2019 study. The names come from Isaiah 9:6 - wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace - one name for each of four weeks.

Jesus didn't "fit" these expectations very well. Felt like a very short book that Brueggemann padded to get a short book. Certainly inspired and great writing (it is Brueggemann); but it didn't make me say "wow!" except for the comparisons between 1st century Roman Empire and today's politics.

By far, my favorite chapter was the last. Prince of Peace. "Imposed peace of victors" vs. peace via vulnerability. Shalom: absence of hostility AND "promote the general welfare". Jesus' peace was subversive!

True peace involves forgiveness, generous sharing, violation of class stratification attentiveness to the vulnerable and unproductive, humility in the face of exaltation and a readiness to be last in a world of aggressive firstness. ♥

[Karl Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short book is based on Isaiah 9 - the names of the Messiah. Each brief chapter is accompanied by some questions to help you think through the implications of what the author says. The questions are thoughtful and make it easy to read as a group or in a small Bible study. I found the chapter on "Everlasting Father" to be the most impactful to me. Brueggemann has the ability to take texts, provide the cultural context and challenge you to look at Scripture in new ways. Often he ends up bringing you to the place where you can look at our current context in new ways through the eyes of Scripture. If you are looking for a challenging devotional book over the Advent or Christmas season, this is a book to consider.

[Mary Ellin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a four-week Advent study, which I read in one sitting in preparation for my pastor’s Advent sermon series on this topic. I’ve always loved Isaiah 9:6-7, so I appreciated Brueggemann’s analysis of each of the titles attributed to the Messiah. This book is short and very easy to read - I finished it in about an hour - and I recommend it to anyone looking for a quick but meaningful Advent study. For myself, I’ll be rereading each chapter prior to each of my pastor’s four sermons in December.

[John Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brueggemann is as solid a professing Christian Hebrew Bible scholar as they come, and so his application of this toward a brief Advent study should whet most appetites familiar with his work. The first 'three weeks' of content I did not find to be that evocative, but the fourth week elucidating the relevance of Christ in the midst of empire made the whole reading worthwhile. This book is a quick enough read that I think I can make the pledge to give it another try next Advent to see if another reading renders something new.

[Lisa Lewton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am using this book for an adult class. It’s a fun resource. I love Brueggemann’s work. I will say it seems he simply wrote down his stream of thought in some portions of the book. There isn’t anything too surprising if you are familiar with his work and thought. Still, a good way to prepare for Christmas.

[Matthew Prydden · Rating 3 out of 5]

A concise, but not always very clear, exploration of the titles given to the promised Messiah in Isaiah 9:6 by viewing both their original context and Christological application. The original context was interesting but how that then transferred into its Christological application wasn't always particularly clear, but a interesting read nonetheless.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Try this short weekly version if you find daily advent devotionals too much of a commitment.

The author walks through the prophet Isaiah's four names ascribed to Jesus: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. While I found some of the background uninteresting, the associated reflection prayers and questions helped tease out the big points to be learned.

[Liz Green Brunton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little volume distills a quite large piece of theological nuance into a meditative four part series suitable for any disciple at Advent time. I highly recommend it for any group looking for a study that's accessible at this exceptionally busy time of year.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Completed as a group study. Might be difficult to read on own. Learned a lot from the group discussions.

[Nancy Rust · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my study group, and we had some good discussions.

[Joni · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book to read during the Advent Season.

[Lori Ingram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the way it was carefully written and broken down in a way that was completely thought provoking and enlightening at the same time.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can you be a Brueggemann groupie? Cause I think I'm one.

[Kathy Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am using this study with an adult group and feel more resources would have made a better in-depth conversation with the group.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very academic, but a wonderful comparison between the past and the present.

[Lisa Engelken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book with my sister, sister-in-law, and mother during this Advent season.

Quotes from each chapter of names:

“It remains, then, for the church at Christmas to delineate how it is that Jesus is the anticipated “wonderful counselor” and what that title means for good news in the world.”

“… the father God is attentive to the vulnerable and unproductive, a theological claim that is reflected in the Torah provision for widows, orphans, and immigrants. Ancient Israel is to care for and protect precisely those God is attentive to.”

“Peace requires the capacity to forgive. Peace requires a readiness to share generously. Peace requires the violation of strict class stratification in society. Peace requires attentiveness to the vulnerable and the unproductive. Peace requires humility in the face of exaltation, being last among those who insist on being first and denying self in the interest of the neighbor. These are all practices that mark his presence in his society.”

[Lindsay Overbey · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little hard to read & understand easily.

[Janice Pauc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waiting see where the discussion leads

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Among the most recognizable Advent-Christmas biblical texts is Isaiah 9:6, which offers up four names that get applied to Jesus: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. This is a passage that gets voiced in Handel's Messiah and is read at many a Christmas Eve service. What better way to journey through Advent than to explore these four titles in the company of Walter Brueggemann?

This little book offers a four week study of Isaiah 9:6, one title at a time. The book is composed of four chapters, in which Brueggemann explores each of the titles in its original Isaianic context and then its application to Jesus. In the introduction Brueggemann suggests that the use of these titles in the context of Christmas and Jesus' birth reveal two items. The first piece is a reminder that early Christians used the the "Old Testament 'anticipations' of the coming Messiah," Secondly, "Jesus did not fit those 'anticipations' very well" (p. viii). In other words, it takes a "good deal of interpretive imagination" to make the connection "between the anticipation and the actual, historical reality of Jesus."

With regard to the title of "Wonderful Counselor," Brueggemann suggests that what is meant here is "wise governance." The expectation here is that God has provided a king who will "devise plans and policies for the benefit of the entire realm" (p. 3). So, when applied to Jesus, how is he going to rule, since he doesn't fit traditional understandings of monarchy? That is the question raised by the Advent season.

From wisdom we move to power -- "Mighty God." In using this term for Jesus, Handel and others see Jesus as a carrier of divine power. But, as Brueggemann points out in his usual manner, Jesus' vision of power is very different from that of Rome. His use of power is very different from the coercive, exploitative version employed by Rome. His vision is a transformative one, which has been passed on to the disciples and to us. This vision that is offered is one, as Brueggemann lays out, that involves "healing forgiveness, restoration, and well being" (p. 31).

Brueggemann's discussion of the third title is intriguing. He notes that Jesus is understood to be the Son and not the Father, so how does he embody this title? Brueggemann does a nice job reminding us that God was understood as father in the Old Testament. In part this is a reflection of the patriarchal nature of that society, but the idea is that the king does "fatherly deeds." The king, and Jesus is understood to be the king in this new kingdom, is God's regent or surrogate. As such, he is entrusted with the duty of caring for the poor and the needy, and standing for justice. He is the bearer of God's vision to all generations.

Finally, Jesus is "prince of peace." The king is responsible for the social order, including peace. That is Jesus' vocation -- bringing peace. Of course, Jesus is not a prince in the normal sense. As prince of peace, he is not one who imposes it from a position of coercive power, as is true for empires. His peace isn't the same as the pax Romana. Thus, his peace is not your normal form. It is instead a peace that is "dangerous, subversive, and a contradiction of all that is usual" (p. 66). In his estimation, Brueggemann notes that Jesus contradicts all previous expectations of a peacemaker "who will ensure our advantage in the world." Instead, "the Christ child who is born, coronated, and worshiped is innocent, but he is not innocuous" (p. 66).

This little book could prove to be a most enlightening and invigorating Advent study. The four brief interpretive chapters are followed by a study guide of four weeks. The guide begins with a prayer, continues with questions for reflection that go back to the interpretive work done by Brueggemann, and then concludes with a closing prayer.

For those persons and congregations looking for an Advent study, this merits close attention and receives my recommendation. Brueggemann has demonstrated through the years that he has a keen insight into the biblical story and how it might speak prophetically to our contemporary situation. As he demonstrates here, the church through ages has reappropriated texts from the Old Testament that may digress from the original purpose, as is true of this passage. Using this one passage and its four titles might require some imaginative interpretation to the make the link, and Brueggemann has the skill and wisdom to help us make that turn in a way that honors the original meaning and its later application. For that we can be thankful to Westminster John Knox for having him create this resource for our spiritual benefit!

[Jeanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Isaiah 9:6, a divine utterance is given to us using four royal titles-Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Names for the Messiah ponders each title and how the people understood it then, how Jesus did or did not fulfill the title and how Christians interpret Jesus as representative of that title.

With 4 chapters, each name embodies the character and the work of Christ. Wonderful Counselor represents the wisdom of Jesus, the extraordinary work of Jesus and his authority. Jesus own actions and how Jesus threatened the established order. Jesus invites his followers to continue his mission.

Mighty God describes the power of Christ and his authority over all things. Where the sea obeys and the faithful come to know that Jesus is the Word who is God, full of grace and truth.

Everlasting Father represents family and the structure of family. That as followers of Christ we have a responsibility toward the needy and vulnerable. It is in the trinity, that all share the functions of the trinity with 3 distinct titles.

Prince of Peace represents the peace of Jesus as restorative and transformative. A peace on our own, we may not understand. I love his words here... Peace requires the capacity to forgive. Peace requires a readiness to share generously. Peace requires the violation of strict class stratification in society. Peace requires attentiveness to the vulnerable and the unproductive. Peace requires humility in the face of exaltation, being last among those who insist on being first and denying self in the interest of the neighbor. Anything against peace, brings greed, hostility, and conflict.

The book ends with questions and reflection to think deeply of these names and the meaning and the misunderstanding as well.




It is a liturgy of these titles that we can worship the Christ this advent season.

A Special Thank You to Westminster John Knox Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

[Keith Beasley-Topliffe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Westminster John Knox Press gave me a copy of this brief Advent study (in pseudo-galley form) in return for an honest review. I say pseudo-galley because it's hard to see how a publisher could produce such a garbled copy (sentences broken, misplaced, repeated; formatting botched with mysterious capitalizations) without special effort. I've reviewed one other book for WJK and it is the only other review copy that has had so many problems in transcription.

That being said, the text itself is moderately interesting as a study of the royal titles given in Isaiah 9:6b -- Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Dr. Brueggemann explores each in terms of what the title meant for kings in Judah, how Christians applied these titles to Jesus (based on many examples in the gospels), and what those understandings of Jesus imply for his followers. Along the way readers visit wisdom, governance, providence, and shalom. It's OK, but I'd hoped for more from Dr. Brueggemann.

There is also a study guide with opening and closing prayers and a few discussion questions for each chapter. The guide is anonymous, a gift to whoever produced it. Prayers and questions vary in their relevance to the central points of the chapters (the chapter on Everlasting Father seems to have particularly drawn a blank with the guide-author).

I had high hopes for the subject and the author. But the book just didn't work for me.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Names for the Messiah meditates on the names in Isaiah (Wonderful Counselor, etc.) and Brueggemann does a good job of walking one through his in-depth analysis of each name (4 different phrases). This book is dense. It is more akin to an exegesis or an analysis you'd find in divinity school study books rather than the more accessible reflection books you'd find on a rack in CVS. However, I found the material valuable and understandable despite my lack of divinity school degree. I would liken it to an Advent version of work similar to Sam Wells Power and Passion: Six Characters in Search of Resurrection, though I found the latter book slightly more accessible.

The main portions of this book seem to be meant for individual study and reading, then brought to discussion (there is a short group guide in the back). The chapters are too long and packed to be able to read aloud in a group format.

Good book for Christian folks seeking a more thoughtful, analytical approach to their Advent season.

[George Love · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short Advent devotional by Walter Brueggemann the big draw of this piece for me was that "The Names For The Messiah" referenced in the title are the prophet Isaiah's names from Isaiah 9, first for King Hezekiah and then later as Christians read and interpreted the text for Christ. This text was helpful as our church used Illustrated Children's Ministries Advent coloring posters as an activity and then as a source of scripture for the Sundays of Advent. The posters were each built around one of the four names - Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Using that text with an accompanying New Testament text each Sunday we explored these titles. Brueggeman helped stir the pot in preparing for each Sunday with his reflections. The Wonderful Counselor and Mighty God chapters were solid, the Everlasting Father not as helpful and the Prince of Peace chapter was worth the investment of the book. In general it was a little clinical in places for a devotional, but as I mentioned, chapter 4 was a cut above and it did add depth to our Advent journey in worship this year.

[Rick Lee Lee James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful devotional book for Advent. It's actually not a bad overview of messianic expectations of the Jewish people and what we have come to believe in Jesus. These four names of God that are given and Isaiah are given a more full meaning than most of us will ever hear during Advent. Brueggemann is excellent as always.

"A “prince of peace” in the Roman Empire—or in any empire, including the U.S. empire—would be a victor who would impose peace and seize and burn the weapons of the defeated. It is, of course, impossible to imagine Jesus undertaking such violent acts as a way toward peace. Thus if we can at all apply the phrase “Prince of Peace” to Jesus, it will be in contradiction to the old expectations of the Isaiah oracle, a contradiction of the hopes of Rome and a contradiction of the expectations of such a prince of peace in the American empire as well. The peace that he will initiate and sponsor, a peace that passes all human understanding and that defies all ordinary expectations, will be a peace that is wrought in vulnerability that does not seek to impose its own way. Peace via vulnerability confounds the empire!"