Friday, September 7, 2012

Book Review: The Gospel According to Isaiah 53

Book Review: The Gospel According to Isaiah 53 by Darrell L. Bock and Mitch Glaser


The book's subtitle: Encountering the Suffering Servan in Jewish and Christian Theology is an apt description of the journey one embarks on when delving into the pages of this book.
A great contribution to the scholarly investigation on the identity of the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. As an apologist I often wished that the book was a little stronger in its affirmation of the Messiahship of Jesus, especially over against the Jewish claims to the contrary. However, since the book seeks to be a scholarly resource for the student, some of the polemics have to be toned down. For a stronger case for Jesus as the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy I would recommend Michael L. Brown's series on Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus.
I do recommend this book, however, for its scholarly value. I usually try to read anything Bock writes about Jesus and this was a quite informative journey.

Disclosure: The book was received for free from Kregel Academic & Ministry review program. The program does not require a positive review, only a truthful one.