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The Messianic Vision of the Pentateuch
Did Moses write about Jesus? Jesus himself made this bold claim (recorded in John 5:46). Yet while most readers of the Bible today recognize a few Messianic prophecies in the Pentateuch, they don't often see them as part of its central message. In The Messianic Vision of the Pentateuch, Kevin Chen challenges the common view of the Pentateuch as focused primarily on the Mosaic Law, arguing instead that it sets forth a coherent, sweeping vision of the Messiah as the center of its theological message.
Each Messianic prophecy in the Pentateuch contributes to the fuller vision of the Messiah that emerges when it is appropriately related to the others and to the Pentateuch as a whole. Giving priority to exegesis of the author's intent, Chen's approach focuses on the meaning of the Old Testament on its own terms more than typological arguments do. Building on the work of John Sailhamer, he sheds new light on the topic of the Messiah using compositional exegesis of the Pentateuch as a unified literary work.
From the prophecy about the "seed of the woman" in Genesis 3 to Moses' climactic blessing in Deuteronomy 33, careful examination of key passages reveals the intrinsic Messianic glory that shines through the Pentateuch and its compositional strategy. For Bible scholars, pastors, and thoughtful lay readers, The Messianic Vision of the Pentateuch provides a fascinating study and an exegetical basis for a Christ-centered biblical theology.
Each Messianic prophecy in the Pentateuch contributes to the fuller vision of the Messiah that emerges when it is appropriately related to the others and to the Pentateuch as a whole. Giving priority to exegesis of the author's intent, Chen's approach focuses on the meaning of the Old Testament on its own terms more than typological arguments do. Building on the work of John Sailhamer, he sheds new light on the topic of the Messiah using compositional exegesis of the Pentateuch as a unified literary work.
From the prophecy about the "seed of the woman" in Genesis 3 to Moses' climactic blessing in Deuteronomy 33, careful examination of key passages reveals the intrinsic Messianic glory that shines through the Pentateuch and its compositional strategy. For Bible scholars, pastors, and thoughtful lay readers, The Messianic Vision of the Pentateuch provides a fascinating study and an exegetical basis for a Christ-centered biblical theology.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 3, 2019
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83 people want to read
About the author
Kevin S. Chen
4 books3 followersKevin S. Chen is associate professor of Old Testament at Christian Witness Theological Seminary in San Jose, California. He completed his PhD in biblical studies under the late John Sailhamer at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary and taught for nine years at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. He is the author of Eschatological Sanctuary in Exodus 15:17 and Related Texts, and he contributed the study Bible notes on the Old Testament for the Worldview Study Bible.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 7, 2020
This is not the book I wanted it to be, but it's still useful.
The book I wanted was a more measured, more persuasive, more detailed, and less esoteric articulation of Sailhamer's Meaning of the Pentateuch. Given that Chen is deliberately building on Sailhamer's paradigm, I thought this might be it. I want a book that I could give people when I suspect that they might find Sailhamer too fruity.
This is not that book. Chen uses 'lenses' and 'mirrors' as his guiding metaphor for articulating the Messianic Vision of the Pentateuch. I'm not sure they're a metaphor that adds much light. His book is by turns breathless, speculative, overwhelming, and tendentious. He wants to build a case for the intended authorial meaning of the Pentateuch (rather than the rest of the Bible's appropriation for it), but then again and again his main evidence for a particular messianic reading is that this is the way Isaiah or the NT read the Pentateuch. In my view, he overreaches - I'm sure Genesis 49 is Messianic; I'm not at all sure that it predicts the death, resurrection, and divinity of the king. This overreach happens again and again, and makes his overall case much less compelling. And his lens concept feels like an odd reading strategy: individual verses are plucked out of context and poured over, mined for the smallest detail - whilst whole narrative sections are either ignored or given the most minimal treatment. And then some of Sailhamer's foibles - the slightly antinomian undertone, for example - are still here. (In fairness, I doubt Chen thinks he's antinomian. I just wonder whether he could work harder at articulating a positive role of the Law alongside the negative one. For sure, the Pentateuch is not at all positive about the prospect of Israel keeping the Sinai covenant - Deuteronomy 28-32 alone offer compelling evidence for this. But surely a conquest generation or post exilic Israelite reading this isn't supposed to ignore the Law as something to be obeyed?)
But it is a book I'll come back to. One of the things that was lacking in Sailhamer's work was substantiation. He articulated his basic thesis in his OT Theological Introduction and his JETS article on the Messiah in the Hebrew Bible - a thesis I find utterly compelling. But then his subsequent books didn't add nearly as much flesh to the bones as I might have hoped. And amidst the breathlessness and the overreach, this book does add flesh to the bones. On some things he says something similar to what I already thought (eg hints of the new covenant in exodus 34-40). On others, he added significant value - Melchizedek, or the bronze snake, or Deuteronomy 33. Even in these bits, I think he needs weighing. But contained within this book is a plethora of additional data, intertextual links and arresting uses of vocab that will certainly add lots of grist to the mill. I will use this book.
What I wanted was a book to persuade my mates. This is not it. But if you're basically on board with Sailhamer's paradigm, if you're happy to overlook the over-exuberance, if you filter the plausible from the unlikely, and if you want a bunch of additional insights - this book is certainly worth having. 3 stars.
The book I wanted was a more measured, more persuasive, more detailed, and less esoteric articulation of Sailhamer's Meaning of the Pentateuch. Given that Chen is deliberately building on Sailhamer's paradigm, I thought this might be it. I want a book that I could give people when I suspect that they might find Sailhamer too fruity.
This is not that book. Chen uses 'lenses' and 'mirrors' as his guiding metaphor for articulating the Messianic Vision of the Pentateuch. I'm not sure they're a metaphor that adds much light. His book is by turns breathless, speculative, overwhelming, and tendentious. He wants to build a case for the intended authorial meaning of the Pentateuch (rather than the rest of the Bible's appropriation for it), but then again and again his main evidence for a particular messianic reading is that this is the way Isaiah or the NT read the Pentateuch. In my view, he overreaches - I'm sure Genesis 49 is Messianic; I'm not at all sure that it predicts the death, resurrection, and divinity of the king. This overreach happens again and again, and makes his overall case much less compelling. And his lens concept feels like an odd reading strategy: individual verses are plucked out of context and poured over, mined for the smallest detail - whilst whole narrative sections are either ignored or given the most minimal treatment. And then some of Sailhamer's foibles - the slightly antinomian undertone, for example - are still here. (In fairness, I doubt Chen thinks he's antinomian. I just wonder whether he could work harder at articulating a positive role of the Law alongside the negative one. For sure, the Pentateuch is not at all positive about the prospect of Israel keeping the Sinai covenant - Deuteronomy 28-32 alone offer compelling evidence for this. But surely a conquest generation or post exilic Israelite reading this isn't supposed to ignore the Law as something to be obeyed?)
But it is a book I'll come back to. One of the things that was lacking in Sailhamer's work was substantiation. He articulated his basic thesis in his OT Theological Introduction and his JETS article on the Messiah in the Hebrew Bible - a thesis I find utterly compelling. But then his subsequent books didn't add nearly as much flesh to the bones as I might have hoped. And amidst the breathlessness and the overreach, this book does add flesh to the bones. On some things he says something similar to what I already thought (eg hints of the new covenant in exodus 34-40). On others, he added significant value - Melchizedek, or the bronze snake, or Deuteronomy 33. Even in these bits, I think he needs weighing. But contained within this book is a plethora of additional data, intertextual links and arresting uses of vocab that will certainly add lots of grist to the mill. I will use this book.
What I wanted was a book to persuade my mates. This is not it. But if you're basically on board with Sailhamer's paradigm, if you're happy to overlook the over-exuberance, if you filter the plausible from the unlikely, and if you want a bunch of additional insights - this book is certainly worth having. 3 stars.
February 18, 2020
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Worthy of reading and rereading, Kevin Chen’s The Messianic Vision of the Pentateuch is a highly valuable resource that any student of the Torah will want to consult. While one need not agree with his every argument, his insights of the Torah are provocative, deep, and profound. Moreover, this book has the potential of reshaping one’s entire hermeneutic. After such a transformation, what Jesus claims about the Torah will come as no surprise.
Many thanks to IVP Academic for providing a free copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review.
http://mydigitalseminary.com/review-t...
Buy from Amazon using this link and support My Digital Seminary.
Many thanks to IVP Academic for providing a free copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review.
Worthy of reading and rereading, Kevin Chen’s The Messianic Vision of the Pentateuch is a highly valuable resource that any student of the Torah will want to consult. While one need not agree with his every argument, his insights of the Torah are provocative, deep, and profound. Moreover, this book has the potential of reshaping one’s entire hermeneutic. After such a transformation, what Jesus claims about the Torah will come as no surprise.
Many thanks to IVP Academic for providing a free copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review.
April 10, 2023
No other book has been so impactful to my thinking and view of how to read the Bible, and in particular the Pentateuch. What a gift to learn how the Gospel has been clear since Genesis 3 and uncover all the layers of the authorial intent of Moses. The OT does not occasionally simply foreshadow the Messiah, but it is interwoven throughout. This is not a quick read, but it is a rich one. When I began this book, I thought I would just get through it and give it away. Instead, I will be referring back to this for the rest of my life.
April 6, 2024
This is one of the best books I’ve read. It helped me so much in truly seeing how the plan for the Messiah is shown in the Old Testament. It made me have an even deeper appreciation of God’s word and how beautifully it is written. I highly recommend reading this book.
April 15, 2022
Very technical and a little boring but an important message.
July 28, 2023
read for a class but really appreciate how it tracked every Messianic promise and foreshadowing in the Pentateuch, I think this will shape how many people read the OT. Christ is everywhere!
April 26, 2025
Excellent book on the Messiah and prophecy and foreshadowing in the Pentateuch. Academic, but accessible. 5/5 Stars
January 15, 2020
I really enjoyed reading this book, particularly because of my interest in Genesis 3:15. Kevin Chen argues that several key compositional themes in the Pentateuch frequently weave together throughout the Pentateuch to form an expectation of the future Messiah who will suffer, die, and be raised from the dead. Chen denies the need for a typological interpretation of many such passages and asserts that the presence of these key threads demonstrates authorial (Mosaic) intent.
I found Chen's work to be quite thorough, though I do not agree with all of his conclusions. He often acknowledges when a messianic interpretation is "possible" or "probable" versus when it is explicit. My primary fundamental disagreement with Chen is his insistence that the seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15 refers only to an individual (the Messiah) but not also to the collective seed of the woman (Israel/the people of God). I believe that the outworking of Genesis 3:15 in the redemptive story demonstrates that Genesis 3:15 refers to both the collective and individual seed of the woman.
I found Chen's work to be quite thorough, though I do not agree with all of his conclusions. He often acknowledges when a messianic interpretation is "possible" or "probable" versus when it is explicit. My primary fundamental disagreement with Chen is his insistence that the seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15 refers only to an individual (the Messiah) but not also to the collective seed of the woman (Israel/the people of God). I believe that the outworking of Genesis 3:15 in the redemptive story demonstrates that Genesis 3:15 refers to both the collective and individual seed of the woman.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews