If the prophets prophesied that the Son of God was to appear upon the earth, and prophesied also where on the earth and how and in what manner He should appear, and all these prophecies the Lord fulfilled, our faith in Him is well-founded, and the tradition of the preaching is true-that is, the testimony of the apostles.

Messianic prophecies-the Old Testament predictions of the coming of Christ-are powerful evidence that Jesus of Nazareth was, indeed, the Messiah sent by God. The Apostles used these prophecies to convince the Jewish people that Jesus was Christ.

In the following centuries, Christians continued to study Old Testament prophecies of Christ. In the late second century, Irenaeus of Lyons-who had been taught by Polycarp, a disciple of the Apostle John-wrote Proof of the Apostolic Preaching, explaining how the prophets had foretold the life of Christ and the teachings of the Apostles.

This new edition of Irenaeus's work is presented in a readable translation with explanatory notes and references. Reading this treasure of ancient Christianity will strengthen your confidence in the historic Christian faith.