The Old Testament in the New by C.H. Dodd is a very short book. I read a printed copy from the library at pbu and, when I looked for a copy on Amazon, found only a free pdf download. The book is very short, therefore this review will also be very short.
Despite the brevity of this book, it will likely have a profound impact on how you read much of the Old Testament and even the Gospels. It will have an especially big impact if you are not used to a Christocentric reading of the Bible. The book runs along similar lines as “Messianic Exegesis,” but covers fewer topics. Dodd specifically addresses the suffering aspect of Jesus as Messiah.
The New Testament makes it clear that the Old Testament is about Jesus1. When, however, New Testament authors imply that Jesus had to suffer, die, and be raised in accordance with the Scriptures…2 things get a little confusing. Are there prophecies of a Messiah-king figure who would suffer, die, and be raised in the Old Testament?
Dodd addresses several passages; the most note-worthy is probably Daniel 7, from which Jesus most likely drew His “Son of Man” imagery. His interpretation goes far beyond that of individual passages, though. The history of Israel as a nation has been that of repeated sufferings, being brought near to death, and then being raised or vindicated. Examples of these that stick out include the Exodus and the Exile.
God seems to be in the habit of allowing His children to suffer and then vindicating them. Jesus is the only true righteous sufferer, though; therefore He was really vindicated. Any proclamation of our righteousness, vindication after death, comes as a result of being in Christ, in His death and resurrection.
Anyway, Dodd does a much better job than I can of explaining this. I’d suggest reading this book. It will only take a half an hour or so if you are a quick reader. Even better: it’s free.
By the way, this post is from my old blog. It was originally written around a year ago. I uploaded it here so I could keep it with my other posts.
