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 exegesisof 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 shinesthrough 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.



Kevin S. Chen is professor of Old Testament Studies at Gateway Seminary in Ontario, CA. He previously taught at Christian Witness Theological Seminary in San Jose, CA, and Union University in Jackson, TN. He is the author of The Messianic Vision of the Pentateuch and is a contributor to the Worldview Study Bible.



Preface

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction

1. The Seed of the Woman

2. The Seed of Abraham in the Patriarchal Narratives

3. The Lion of Judah

4. Passover and the Song of the Sea

5. Shadows at Sinai

6. The Bronze Snake and Balaam's Oracles

7. The Prophet Like Moses

8. The Blessing of Judah

9. The Repeated Breaking of the Sinai/Deuteronomic Law

Conclusion

Bibliography

Author Index

Subject Index

Scripture Index