Was Israel expecting a messiah like Jesus? If not, how did Jesus challenge the messianic preconceptions of the time? With the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which include messianic writings dating from around the time of Jesus, the debate over just exactly what sort of messiah Israel was expecting has been reignited. In Israel's Messiah in the Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls, leading scholars provide a comprehensive discussion of messiah as it was understood in the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. In the words of the editors, Israel's Messiah "summarizes and evaluates the best of modern biblical scholarship and applies this material to a mature and fully developed understanding of the figure who lies at the center of the Christian faith." The book does not stop there, however. After discussing and debating the relevance of Messiah to those of Jesus' time, it returns to the present and takes a critical look at how Christians can and should understand Jesus as a source of hope and liberation.
Danny Carroll R. (Rodas) is the son of a Guatemalan mother and an American father, who himself was the son of Irish immigrants. Danny was raised bilingual and bicultural in Houston, Texas, and he spent many summers of his youth in Guatemala. Before coming to Denver Seminary in the summer of 1996, he was an Old Testament professor for 13 years at an interdenominational seminary in Guatemala City. He continues as adjunct professor there.
Since his coming to Denver, Danny has been getting increasingly involved in issues related to Hispanic immigration. He attends an Hispanic church and is involved in an Hispanic ministerial association. The fact that he is comfortable in both Hispanic and Anglo cultures helps Danny bring an irenic spirit and lots of personal experience to the immigration discussion.
Danny has a B.A. in English Literature from Rice University, a Th.M. in Old Testament from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a PhD in Old Testament from the University of Sheffield in England. He is Distinguished Professor of Old Testament at Denver Seminary.
