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Dawn of the Messiah: The Coming of Christ in Scripture
Perhaps the story of Christ's birth has become almost too familiar.
We've heard the story so many times that it fails to shock the appearances of the angel, a virgin giving birth, a child placed in a manger, the arrival of shepherds and magi. "But what if we had never heard the story before?" Edward Sri asks. "What if we were first-century Jews hearing this plot for the first time?" Only two Gospels give any details about the birth of the Messiah, but these chapters are packed with allusions to Old Testament stories and prophecies that any contemporary Jew would have recognized.
Today's reader, unfamiliar with the ancient Jewish world, misses the significance of many details in these accounts. This book bridges that gap, explaining the original context of every line and detail in the biblical stories. Sri not only helps us understand an earlier and pivotal time and place, he also brings us to a deeper understanding of the great mystery of God's entry into the world as one of us.
We've heard the story so many times that it fails to shock the appearances of the angel, a virgin giving birth, a child placed in a manger, the arrival of shepherds and magi. "But what if we had never heard the story before?" Edward Sri asks. "What if we were first-century Jews hearing this plot for the first time?" Only two Gospels give any details about the birth of the Messiah, but these chapters are packed with allusions to Old Testament stories and prophecies that any contemporary Jew would have recognized.
Today's reader, unfamiliar with the ancient Jewish world, misses the significance of many details in these accounts. This book bridges that gap, explaining the original context of every line and detail in the biblical stories. Sri not only helps us understand an earlier and pivotal time and place, he also brings us to a deeper understanding of the great mystery of God's entry into the world as one of us.
168 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2005
57 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Edward Sri
58 books267 followersDr. Edward Sri is a nationally-known speaker on Scripture and Catholicism and the author of several best-selling books. Besides teaching at the Augustine Institute, Sri is a visiting professor at Benedictine College and a contributor to the popular apologetics series, Catholic for a Reason. Sri is also a founding leader with Curtis Martin of FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students).
He also is the creator and host of a new 18-part video series on the Catholic faith for parish adult faith formation called Symbolon (Augustine Institute), and he serves the general editor of a Opening the Word: Journey through the Sunday Readings (Augustine Institute).
Dr. Sri leads pilgrimages to Rome and the Holy Land for lay people each year.
He resides with his wife Elizabeth and their six children in Littleton, Colorado.
Education
STD, Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Rome)
STL, Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Rome)
MA, Franciscan University of Steubenville
He also is the creator and host of a new 18-part video series on the Catholic faith for parish adult faith formation called Symbolon (Augustine Institute), and he serves the general editor of a Opening the Word: Journey through the Sunday Readings (Augustine Institute).
Dr. Sri leads pilgrimages to Rome and the Holy Land for lay people each year.
He resides with his wife Elizabeth and their six children in Littleton, Colorado.
Education
STD, Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Rome)
STL, Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Rome)
MA, Franciscan University of Steubenville
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 22, 2023
I was looking at Edward Sri's book The Advent of Christ for Advent reading. Then I saw that it was using excerpts from this book which tells of the Nativity and preceding events in the way that first century Jews would have interpreted the gospel details. Also, the Kindle version is 99 cents.
So I went for the whole enchilada. As always, Sri doesn't disappoint. He takes the classic elements of the coming of Christ at the nativity and digs deeper. We see how the genealogy in the book of Matthew begins with "the book of the genesis of Jesus Christ." This links it to the words used to sum up the story of how God created the universe: "These are the generations of the heavens and th earth when they were created." Sri goes on to point out that in the Old Testament the royal line of David is not recorded after Zerubbabel. "This is what would make verses 13-16 so exciting to the original hearers of Matthew's Gospel: The royal line has continued for many generations after Zerubbabel!"
There is much more and I found some of it exciting myself. I knew a fair amount of what Sri was explaining because I've read so many commentaries but his skill in linking the New Testament and the Old continued to come up with things that surprised me.
Highly recommended.
So I went for the whole enchilada. As always, Sri doesn't disappoint. He takes the classic elements of the coming of Christ at the nativity and digs deeper. We see how the genealogy in the book of Matthew begins with "the book of the genesis of Jesus Christ." This links it to the words used to sum up the story of how God created the universe: "These are the generations of the heavens and th earth when they were created." Sri goes on to point out that in the Old Testament the royal line of David is not recorded after Zerubbabel. "This is what would make verses 13-16 so exciting to the original hearers of Matthew's Gospel: The royal line has continued for many generations after Zerubbabel!"
There is much more and I found some of it exciting myself. I knew a fair amount of what Sri was explaining because I've read so many commentaries but his skill in linking the New Testament and the Old continued to come up with things that surprised me.
Highly recommended.
December 27, 2017
Advent reading.
I read this book during advent and found it very informative. Its depiction of life in first century Israel opened up the scriptures to me and explained a lot about the background to the story of Jesus. I will in all likelihood read this again during Advent 2018.
I read this book during advent and found it very informative. Its depiction of life in first century Israel opened up the scriptures to me and explained a lot about the background to the story of Jesus. I will in all likelihood read this again during Advent 2018.
January 5, 2018
Enlightened
Mr. Sri did a good job of explaining t he relationship between Old and New Testament. It gave me a better understanding of the various messianic prophesies and how they came to fulfillment at the dawn of the Messiah. I would recommend this book to all who are seeking a better understanding of Scripture especially as it pertains to all the events surrounding the birth of Jesus.
Mr. Sri did a good job of explaining t he relationship between Old and New Testament. It gave me a better understanding of the various messianic prophesies and how they came to fulfillment at the dawn of the Messiah. I would recommend this book to all who are seeking a better understanding of Scripture especially as it pertains to all the events surrounding the birth of Jesus.
January 19, 2022
There was some great stuff in this book and really I found it intriguing and enjoyable and it opened my eyes to things in the scriptures that I had never noticed before. But it is a Catholic book and every so often the author would stop in explaining scriptural connections to take a moment to defend some Catholic interpretation of scripture to try to make sure that you would not get the "misunderstanding" that say Mary ever had other children or some such and the defense was not only an interruption but also seemed to be a reach that I did not agree with and really pulled me out of the flow of the rest of the book.
January 9, 2025
Nativity of the Messiah prefigured through the Old Testament
DAWN OF THE MESSIAH is an excellent contemplatiive work by Edward Sri explaining, through reference to both Old and New Testaments, how the Old Testament prefigured the Birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. “The goal of this book is to help bring the reader back into the first-century Jewish world so as to discover many of the spiritual treasures that are packed into practically every line and every detail of these Gospel accounts.”
DAWN OF THE MESSIAH is an excellent contemplatiive work by Edward Sri explaining, through reference to both Old and New Testaments, how the Old Testament prefigured the Birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. “The goal of this book is to help bring the reader back into the first-century Jewish world so as to discover many of the spiritual treasures that are packed into practically every line and every detail of these Gospel accounts.”
December 18, 2017
Thank you for making the nativity new again. This book was the perfect read for Advent season. Easy enough to read and understand, excellent for explaining the meaning behind the few words about the birth our our Lord.
February 23, 2023
The Jewish experience
I enjoyed the explanations of the nativity story and the references to the fulfillment of the OT prophecies.
The narrative helps to explain what was happening in the time frame when Jesus was born.
I enjoyed the explanations of the nativity story and the references to the fulfillment of the OT prophecies.
The narrative helps to explain what was happening in the time frame when Jesus was born.
December 11, 2017
Great insight to the Christmas story
Gave me a crest understanding of the Bible and how the old and new testament connect. Great study reference for all Christian s
Gave me a crest understanding of the Bible and how the old and new testament connect. Great study reference for all Christian s
January 14, 2025
Excellent read for the season of Advent! I can only echo the previous reviews about the author’s wonderful ability to explain the connections between the Old and New Testaments. Enjoyable read!
January 4, 2013
This book explains in a simple, readable way the infancy narrative of Jesus. It was awesome.
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October 10, 2017Provides a theological interpretation of one of the most popular phenomena in human history.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews