The Christ of the Prophets: Abridged Edition

The Christ of the Prophets provides an excellent overview of the prophets. I was especially helped by the scriptural requirements to be a prophet and the nature of their call. The book is well written and well organized. It is faithful to the scriptures. This is the first book by O. Palmer Robertson that I have read. I intend to investigate others.

In "The Christ of the Prophets", Robertson provides a stimulating study of the role of Israel's prophets, and the content of their writings. The book is thoughtfully structured, looking at: * prophetism in general: how did prophetic ministry arise (e.g. comparing similarities and differences between God's prophets and the pagan history of surrounding nations), how did it fit into God's overall revelation through the Law and history, what characterizes how were prophets commissioned and how their veracity was confirmed; * analysis of each prophet's context and writings, identifying major concerns that the prophet addresses and major unifying themes in the book. This is the antithesis of "pick-a-verse-and-spin-it-to-support-my-preconception theology" like characterizes much popular religious literature; Robertson looks at the prophet's messages overall and shows how individual texts that demonstrate it. For example, he demonstrates how Jeremiah's is structured around themes of "one key exhortation, two key visions, and six key words". Quoting from p. 270, "The six key words grouped together in Jeremiah's call appear as six consecutive infinitives, four with negative and two with positive connotations: 'to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and plant' (1:10 NIV). While the significance of these terms in the message of Jeremiah is often recognized, their regular appearance at critical moments throughout the book is not generally noted. Their prominent role at seven key points makes them deserving of more extensive consideration." ... which consideration Robertson weaves into the following 12 pages. * a review of the implications of prophecy: while prophecy is much more than prediction, what is prediction all about; and the development of central themes that unify all of the canon prophetic literature. Robertson writes with an orthodox Christian perspective, engaging other viewpoints. He recognizes that some people who reject divine intervention a priori will explain away that prophetic writing contain any supernatural content. However, he challenges believers to be consistent in their faith: if God is active in the world, it doesn't make sense to reject prediction in prophecy just because unbelievers do so a priori. For example, in his assessment of the book of Isaiah, he addresses critics' arguments for this being a compilation of three separate writings produced over a couple centuries, but provides a compelling counterargument that the unifying themes in the book outweigh arguments for its being a compilation, when assessed from an objective viewpoint. Robertson demonstrates continuity and discontinuity between the old testament prophets and fulfullment in the New Testament: how the themes of the prophets of the old testament are both continued, and fulfilled, in Jesus the Messiah. For example, the inclusion of the gentiles is stressed as a significant aspect of prophecy, and that Israel can never regard i