Knowing Jesus in the Old Testament? A Fresh Look at Christophanies
Overview
The language of ‘christophanies’ is used technically by scholars to refer to appearances of the incarnate Son of God after his resurrection, as narrated in the New Testament Gospels and Acts. At a more popular level, though, the term is increasingly applied to alleged appearances of the pre-incarnate Son in the Old Testament.
That Jesus appeared to—and was even recognized by—the likes of Abraham and Moses is usually argued from several scriptural trajectories. The New Testament suggests that God the Father is invisible, inviting us to ask who conducted the Old Testament appearances; the mysterious Angel of the Lord has often been interpreted as a manifestation of the divine Son; and several New Testament passages imply Old Testament appearances of and encounters with Jesus. It seems obvious, indeed orthodox, to affirm that Jesus has always been at work in communicating with and saving his world.
However, Andrew Malone argues that, while Christ-centred readings of the Old Testament abound, christophanies prove to be a flimsy foundation on which to build. Despite apparent success, any scholarship commending the idea does not withstand close scrutiny. Malone carefully sifts the evidence to show that the popular arguments should be abandoned, and that the pursuit of Old Testament christophanies ultimately threatens to undermine the very values it promotes. He concludes that it better honours the Trinity and the text of Scripture to allow that the Father and the Spirit, as well as the Son, were themselves involved in Old Testament appearances.
- Investigates three primary arguments for Christophanies
- Explores the presence of the Trinity in the Old Testament
- Examines the value of the Old Testament for Christians today
Part 1: Is God the Father Invisible?
- Seeing God in the Old Testament: Yes!
- Seeing God in the New Testament: No?
- Toward a Doctrine of (In)visibility
Part 2: Is Jesus the Angel of the Lord?
- Likely Suspects
- Candidate 1: God Unspecified
- Candidate 2: A Mundane Messenger
- Candidate 3: God the Son
Part 3: What Does the New Testament Contribute?
- Significant Passages Introduced
- Issues of Working Backwards
- Significant Passages Scrutinized
- What Can We Conclude about Christophanies and Theophanies?
Top Highlights
“For those unacquainted with christophanies, there’s the exhilarating thrill of unearthing something” (Page 28)
“Chuck Swindoll, R. C. Sproul and Mark Driscoll. Under the normative subtitle” (Page 20)
“much less actual evidence once we start poking and prodding” (Page 21)
“wonder if promoting christophanies can be unhelpful” (Page 23)
Who is the ‘Angel of the Lord’? Is it God, Jesus or Michael? Thankfully Andrew Malone engages in a careful study of these disputed ‘christophany’ texts. He provides a thorough engagement with all the issues and offers some fresh thoughts about how the New Testament interprets the Old Testament. A great work on the hermeneutics of the so-called christophanies—well worth reading!
—Michael Bird, Lecturer in Theolog y, Ridley College, Melbourne
Did God appear to ancient Israel? Who is the mysterious Angel of the Lord who crops up throughout the Old Testament and seems to be very much like God himself? In this engaging study, Andrew Malone takes us through the various interpretations that have been given to this phenomenon and explores their plausibility in the light of the biblical evidence. His presentation is lively, making the book accessible to a wide public, and his conclusions are underpinned by serious scholarship. A must read.
—Gerald Bray, Research Professor of Divinity, Beeson Divinity School
Modern interpreters and preachers are often quick to identify the appearance of the Angel of the Lord as a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. While Christ himself says that what we call the Old Testament anticipated his coming (see Luke 24:25–27, 44–49), Andrew Malone makes a persuasive argument that we should not identify the Angel as a christophany. This accessible, well-written book is a must read for everyone who wants to interpret the Bible correctly
—Tremper Longman III, Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies, Westmont College
- Title: Knowing Jesus in the Old Testament? A Fresh Look at Christophanies
- Author: Andrew Malone
- Publisher: IVP UK
- Publication Date: 2015
- Pages: 208
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Topic: Theology