This book provides the necessary framework for answering the question, 'How did the early Christians find "Psalm" 22 to be meaningful in understanding the crucifixion of Jesus?' By illuminating the Scriptural context which shaped the interpretations of "Psalm" 22, surveying its ancient textual transmission and translation, examining how it was used in pre-Christian documents, and studying discussions of it in the writings of the early Church Fathers and in the rabbinic corpus, this study provides the necessary framework for answering the question, 'How did the early Christians find "Psalm" 22 to be meaningful in understanding the crucifixion of Jesus?' Hoffman provides new insights into the New Testament usage of particular details from "Psalm" 22 and also yields some cautions about how "Psalm" 22 is not to be interpreted or construed from a New Testament perspective. While providing a valuable survey of how "Psalm" 22 was found useful by early Christians, Hoffman suggests, however, that no unequivocal answer is possible for determining why "Psalm" 22 in particular became so crucial to them. It can be shown, however, that aspects of the psalm which connect it to traditions about a son of God, an heir of David, a servant (of the Lord), a prophet, or a righteous person provided the potential pathways for "Psalm" 22 to have become significant among early Christians. "Psalm" 22, therefore, was explored by early Christians in order to claim that this psalm - which rightly could be and was read as being a psalm about a Davidic heir and a son of God - was about the Son of God, the Davidic heir acknowledged to be the Messiah. Formerly the "Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement", a book series that explores the many aspects of New Testament study including historical perspectives, social-scientific and literary theory, and theological, cultural and contextual approaches. "The Early Christianity in Context" series, a part of "JSNTS", examines the birth and development of early Christianity up to the end of the third century CE. The series places Christianity in its social, cultural, political and economic context. European Seminar on Christian Origins and "Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus Supplement" are also part of JSNTS.