No mention of a son in the old testament

Reflection

The claim that there is no mention of a son in the Old Testament is a common objection, but it does not hold up well under closer reading. Several passages speak in ways early Christians understood as pointing towards a divine son long before the New Testament was written. Psalm 2 asks who the kings of the earth rage against and speaks of God's anointed as his son. Proverbs 30 asks rhetorically what is the name of God's son, if we know it. Isaiah 9 speaks of a child born, a son given, upon whose shoulders government will rest, described with titles including Mighty God and Everlasting Father. Jewish interpreters through history have read such passages in various ways, and it is fair to acknowledge that debate, but to say there is simply no mention at all overstates the case. The relationship between Old and New Testaments has always been one of promise and fulfilment rather than silence followed by sudden invention.

Questions to sit with

• Have you read the Old Testament passages that Christians see as pointing to Christ?
• How do you approach texts that different traditions interpret in different ways?
• What do you make of the idea of promise and fulfilment across the two Testaments?

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